Info For Homemade Dye

[JACKP]

I just found this on another site and found it very interesting and helpful

Brew some "vinegaroon." Spray fine-grade steel wool with water and allow to rust for several days to a few weeks, rewetting the material daily. When well rusted, put the steel wool in a jar and cover with boiling vinegar. Let steep several days. Longer steeping time and rustier wool will give you the darkest color. Mix vinegaroon with a small amount of commercial leather conditioner to make it easier to apply to leather. Vinegaroon is a good choice for small objects that can be briefly submerged in the dye, such as a leather wallet.

4Brew coffee. Strong coffee can be used as a leather dye. Brew the strongest coffee you can, double the amount of grounds you would normally use, then simmer in an uncovered cooking pot to reduce it to one-third its original volume. You can also use leftover brewed coffee, reduced on the stove top, or instant coffee mixed boiled in water. Allow to cool. Mix coffee with a small amount of commercial leather conditioner before applying to leather. Coffee is a subtle pigment, but can revitalize a faded tan leather sofa by giving it a richer brown hue.

5Go natural. Red onions can be boiled down to make a shade of blue. You can also make a brown dye from the green outer skin of fresh walnuts; crush the walnut skins underfoot and boil the pigment out of them. Natural dyes will give leather a more subtle color than commercial pigments and are most suitable for doeskin or other naturally pale leathers.

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[ChuckBurrows]

Brew some "vinegaroon." Spray fine-grade steel wool with water and allow to rust for several days to a few weeks, rewetting the material daily. When well rusted, put the steel wool in a jar and cover with boiling vinegar. Let steep several days. Longer steeping time and rustier wool will give you the darkest color.

Actually they've got it a bit bass akwards in so far as the rusting - rusting the steel wool is not necessary and can in fact be counterproductive since it goes to the red stage of the oxide rather than the black stage. This advice to use rusty iron tends to come from those who use this as a wood staing where one tends to want the red stage. Also BOILING the vinegar is counterproductive because it drives off the acid faster and it's the acid that breaks down the iron to the right state for using. This such a simple recipe but for some reason folks keep wanting to make rocket science out of it....

Once again here is an ORIGINAL recipe for vinegar black from back in the day that it was one of the best methods used for blacking leather - it is close to most :

VINEGAR BLACK

For giving color to the grain of leather there is no blacking that will at all compare with the well known vinegar black. This may be made in various ways. The simplest, and, without doubt, the best, is to procure shavings from an iron turner (note: some folks get the turnings from brake drums) and cover them with pure cider vinegar; heat up and set aside for a week or two, then heat again and set in a cool place for two weeks; pour off the vinegar, allow it to stand for a few days, and draw off and cork up in bottles. This will keep for a long time, and, while producing a deep black on leather, will not stain the hands.

FWIW - How I do it most times and pretty much how I;ve done it for over 40 years, 40 years in which I've studied the subject in depth:

I use de-oiled 4/0 steel wool: dip in acetone, squeeze out the extra and hang to dry - then tear or cut into small pieces. Add one pads worth of the de-oiled steel wool to one quart of white, wine, or cider vinegar - I use those plastic coffee "cans" and punch a single small hole in the lid to let of any gas buildup and to prevent a messy blowup. Let it set in the hot sun which will speed the reaction, but go no hotter. I let it set for about two weeks until there is only a light vinegar odor left and/or the bulk of the steel wool has been dissolved. I also keep a new batch "cooking" all the time so I have a constant supply.

For the deepest black, apply a bath of strong black tea first (this increases the tannins) and let it soak in good. There are other sources of tannins such as varous barks and leaves, but tea is easily available. Then apply a generous amount of the vinegar black. Let set for about a half hour and then rinse with a mix of baking soda and warm water, about a 1/8 cup soda to a half gallon of water, apply, let set for a few minutes and then rinse off. While still damp apply a light coat or two of your favorite saddle oil. Once dry top coat as normal

Experiment - I test a piece of each new side without oiling to see how well it takes the blacking, if need be I'll do a second black tea mix to darken, then apply the oil which also helps darken.

Instead of steel wool you can use chopped up bailing or fence wire - the smaller the better since it will dissolve in the vinegar bath faster.

And if I sound a bit cranky it's because I am (loooong and unproductive day), but no slam is intended towards you for passing on the info.......

[JACKP]

Actually they've got it a bit bass akwards in so far as the rusting - rusting the steel wool is not necessary and can in fact be counterproductive since it goes to the red stage of the oxide rather than the black stage. This advice to use rusty iron tends to come from those who use this as a wood staing where one tends to want the red stage. Also BOILING the vinegar is counterproductive because it drives off the acid faster and it's the acid that breaks down the iron to the right state for using. This such a simple recipe but for some reason folks keep wanting to make rocket science out of it....

Once again here is an ORIGINAL recipe for vinegar black from back in the day that it was one of the best methods used for blacking leather - it is close to most :

VINEGAR BLACK

For giving color to the grain of leather there is no blacking that will at all compare with the well known vinegar black. This may be made in various ways. The simplest, and, without doubt, the best, is to procure shavings from an iron turner (note: some folks get the turnings from brake drums) and cover them with pure cider vinegar; heat up and set aside for a week or two, then heat again and set in a cool place for two weeks; pour off the vinegar, allow it to stand for a few days, and draw off and cork up in bottles. This will keep for a long time, and, while producing a deep black on leather, will not stain the hands.

FWIW - How I do it most times and pretty much how I;ve done it for over 40 years, 40 years in which I've studied the subject in depth:

I use de-oiled 4/0 steel wool: dip in acetone, squeeze out the extra and hang to dry - then tear or cut into small pieces. Add one pads worth of the de-oiled steel wool to one quart of white, wine, or cider vinegar - I use those plastic coffee "cans" and punch a single small hole in the lid to let of any gas buildup and to prevent a messy blowup. Let it set in the hot sun which will speed the reaction, but go no hotter. I let it set for about two weeks until there is only a light vinegar odor left and/or the bulk of the steel wool has been dissolved. I also keep a new batch "cooking" all the time so I have a constant supply.

For the deepest black, apply a bath of strong black tea first (this increases the tannins) and let it soak in good. There are other sources of tannins such as varous barks and leaves, but tea is easily available. Then apply a generous amount of the vinegar black. Let set for about a half hour and then rinse with a mix of baking soda and warm water, about a 1/8 cup soda to a half gallon of water, apply, let set for a few minutes and then rinse off. While still damp apply a light coat or two of your favorite saddle oil. Once dry top coat as normal

Experiment - I test a piece of each new side without oiling to see how well it takes the blacking, if need be I'll do a second black tea mix to darken, then apply the oil which also helps darken.

Instead of steel wool you can use chopped up bailing or fence wire - the smaller the better since it will dissolve in the vinegar bath faster.

And if I sound a bit cranky it's because I am (loooong and unproductive day), but no slam is intended towards you for passing on the info.......

Thanks for the info Chuck

I've had some brewing for about a week with the steel wool but was think about cast Iron shavings (brake drum). It could actually make a difference as steel is an alloy of Iron with stuff like maganese ect. added that could effect the vinegaroon. When I have time this winter I'll give the iron a try.