Making Custom Dye Colors

[meg1517]

Ok I have been reading and rereading about the different ways to dye leather....Here is my problem I keep having.

I have been trying to make custom colors. The colors NEVER end up the color we began with.

Here is how we apply:

We have our finished tooled piece

We lightly oil it with neatsfoot oil and let it dry.

I then dye the leather.....at this point the leather is the color I want in....

I let it dry and buff the leather

Here is where it usually goes awry...

I oil it again to seal the color.....is this always necessary?

At this point the color darkens and start to bring out some browns....

Before we antique we use bag kote as a resist because I don't like the sheen with the acrylic top coats

After the bag kote is applied the leather is then really dark and doesn't dry lighter.

We tried to dye a recent project, that I attached, a large wall hanging we tooled an old map onto.

We initially dyed this a beautiful grey/blue.....

After the steps we usually use the wall hanging ended up very brown....

So my questions... do I have to oil the leather after I dye the leather and before I antique, to seal the color...

Are there any other resists that have a more matt finish that will not darken leather?

And last can you cut the dye w/ denatured alcohol up to any amount.....will the denatured alcohol ruin the leather?

Sorry for the long post.....really need feedback!!

Thanks so much

Meg

Edited July 4, 2010 by meg1517

[abn]

Meg, your wall hanging is a beautiful piece of work, no matter what the color.

In regards to your questions, you don't need to re-oil the leather to "seal" the color. A light coat of oil lubricates the leather fibers, but does very little to color (other than darken it). You might consider switching from oil to Lexol, which conditions as well or better than oil but darkens less.

Regarding cutting alcohol-based dyes with denatured alcohol, I believe you can mix it any way you want. It's all alcohol one way or the other -- the liquid is simply the suspension mechanism for the dye pigment.

As for another resist with a matte finish, you might want to take another look at the acrylic-based Satin Shene. Put several very light coats on with a sponge or cut 50% and apply with an airbrush. Either way should give you a nice satin finish.

Although you didn't ask this question, I'd take a look at Tandy's Eco-Flo line of dyes. They're water-based, which means they're not the best choice for outdoor gear that's exposed to lots of moisture, but they're plenty durable and color-fast. And I've found the right custom color is easier to achieve, maintain, and reproduce time and time again. I gave up on spirit-based dyes because every color I tried to create ultimately ended up black or very dark brown. (Which seems to be your experience, as well.)

One more tip -- don't experiment with dyes, conditioners and finishes on a finished product. That's what scrap's for!

Good luck, and I hope the above information helps a bit! -Alex

[meg1517]

Meg, your wall hanging is a beautiful piece of work, no matter what the color.

In regards to your questions, you don't need to re-oil the leather to "seal" the color. A light coat of oil lubricates the leather fibers, but does very little to color (other than darken it). You might consider switching from oil to Lexol, which conditions as well or better than oil but darkens less.

Regarding cutting alcohol-based dyes with denatured alcohol, I believe you can mix it any way you want. It's all alcohol one way or the other -- the liquid is simply the suspension mechanism for the dye pigment.

As for another resist with a matte finish, you might want to take another look at the acrylic-based Satin Shene. Put several very light coats on with a sponge or cut 50% and apply with an airbrush. Either way should give you a nice satin finish.

Although you didn't ask this question, I'd take a look at Tandy's Eco-Flo line of dyes. They're water-based, which means they're not the best choice for outdoor gear that's exposed to lots of moisture, but they're plenty durable and color-fast. And I've found the right custom color is easier to achieve, maintain, and reproduce time and time again. I gave up on spirit-based dyes because every color I tried to create ultimately ended up black or very dark brown. (Which seems to be your experience, as well.)

One more tip -- don't experiment with dyes, conditioners and finishes on a finished product. That's what scrap's for!

Good luck, and I hope the above information helps a bit! -Alex

Hi Alex,

thanks for the reply. I have read about the eco-flo dyes and will try them out. I want to try the Satin Sheen out as well......what do you cut that with if you want to spray it?

Will that help with dye ruboff if we have antiqued the leather as well? In the event we use it on a chair....

Thanks again....as always this forum and it's members are so generous with their advice.

Meg

[abn]

Meg, Satin Shene should be cut with water. Spraying will give you fairly flawless coverage, though using a damp sponge isn't too bad either. Regarding ruboff, there is none using Eco-Flo dyes. The reason ruboff happens with spirit dyes is that the pigment particles are suspended in liquid, so excess pigment becomes ruboff. With Eco-Flo dyes, the pigment is actually liquid -- in fact, the entire concoction is liquid and, if not overapplied, will entirely absorb into the leather.

I'm a big believer in Eco-Flo dyes and have been using them since their introduction in June of 2007, but I'm sure there's lots I still don't know. Tandy Leather stocks a new book called Coloring with Eco-Flo, by Tony and Kay Laier. I'd highly recommend it for learning how to get the best out of the Eco-Flo line.

Good luck!