Oil Before Or After Dye...

[Loydo50]

I wanted some feedback from you guys on this topic. I have seen many post describing steps and it looks like a 50/50 split on this. However I don't see any reason for favoring one or the other. I was hoping for some clarification on this. I know its subjective but clarification would be nice.

Thanks,

LLoyd

[particle]

What are you making? I found when making holsters, it's better to oil after forming. Reason being - I wet, then form, then dry the holster in an oven for ~40 minutes at 140 degrees. When I pull the holster out of the oven, it needs to be oiled (skin side only for me - and only after it's sat in front of a fan and completely dried overnight). Because I have multiple colors of threads that I offer, I do all of my dying before I do any sewing and/or assembly. I also didn't like the way it felt when I formed it and boned the holster to the firearm - it just felt "greasy". So, dye first for me.

Edited July 1, 2010 by particle

[abn]

Lloyd, since the whole point of applying oil to leather is to penetrate and lubricate the fibers, I have a hard time believing there's any difference in doing it before or after dyeing -- at least from the leather's perspective. However, you may get different results from your dye depending on whether it's applied before or after oiling.

Personally, I use Eco-Flo dyes and I like the fact that a light coat of neatsfoot oil evens out the color and darkens it a bit, so I always oil after dyeing and before applying the acrylic finish. My recommendation is to experiment on scrap to see if you notice any difference.

Good luck!

[Loydo50]

Just simple little projects like a tool bag or saddle bag for a bike. Nothing wet formed that's for sure.

[Loydo50]

Thanks for the response particle and abn!