How Do I Color Embossed Leather?

[EmbossingDieCompany]

Hi,

I'm new to leatherworking, so please be kind.

I've started making plastic leather embossing dies and now I need an easy way to color and finish the leather items I would like to make.

I'm attaching a picture of a coaster that I embossed and I would like to make the recessed areas blue. I bought a leather die and it make the whole piece blue.

Does anyone have any advice as to how I can add a blue color to this?

Thanks!

Steve

[builderofstuff]

Hi,

I'm new to leatherworking, so please be kind.

I've started making plastic leather embossing dies and now I need an easy way to color and finish the leather items I would like to make.

I'm attaching a picture of a coaster that I embossed and I would like to make the recessed areas blue. I bought a leather die and it make the whole piece blue.

Does anyone have any advice as to how I can add a blue color to this?

Thanks!

Steve

I can't offer any suggestions on the coloring part of it, but as a hobby leatherworker and former member of the Air Force I'd like to say very very cool!

How did you make the plastic die?

Chris

www.builderofstuff.com

[yeringtonmike]

I can't offer any suggestions on the coloring part of it, but as a hobby leatherworker and former member of the Air Force I'd like to say very very cool!

How did you make the plastic die?

Chris

www.builderofstuff.com

Hi,

I'm new to leatherworking, so please be kind.

I've started making plastic leather embossing dies and now I need an easy way to color and finish the leather items I would like to make.

I'm attaching a picture of a coaster that I embossed and I would like to make the recessed areas blue. I bought a leather die and it make the whole piece blue.

Does anyone have any advice as to how I can add a blue color to this?

Thanks!

Steve

[yeringtonmike]

I don't know how this got so messed up, but I tried to answer and quess I hit the wrong button. If you can't die, then I would try an acrylic paint. Get a good brush. One other thing putting blue straight on the leather you might get a bleed through and it will turn green, so a good base of grey will help. Mike

Hi,

I'm new to leatherworking, so please be kind.

I've started making plastic leather embossing dies and now I need an easy way to color and finish the leather items I would like to make.

I'm attaching a picture of a coaster that I embossed and I would like to make the recessed areas blue. I bought a leather die and it make the whole piece blue.

Does anyone have any advice as to how I can add a blue color to this?

Thanks!

Steve

Edited September 16, 2010 by yeringtonmike

[EmbossingDieCompany]

Hi Chris,

It's a new proprietary process that I developed to make low cost leather embossing dies out of plastic. My next door neighbor is in the Air Force, so I was making some coasters for him.......but ideally, I want to make thousands of them to market to other Air Force people. If you want your own Air Force die, send me a message.

Mike,

Here's what happened when I tried to die the leather after embossing it......the image seems to wash out.....even though it is deep enough. Is there any way to get color into just the embossed areas?

Thanks

Steve

[builderofstuff]

Hi Chris,

It's a new proprietary process that I developed to make low cost leather embossing dies out of plastic. My next door neighbor is in the Air Force, so I was making some coasters for him.......but ideally, I want to make thousands of them to market to other Air Force people. If you want your own Air Force die, send me a message.

Very cool, I hope you have lots of success with it.

Chris

[MartyS]

Hi Steve, All the pressure is causing the leather to become non porous. The dye can't enter a non porous surface. You can die first, then sand off the high areas to get the contrast. Just tape down a piece of sandpaper and rub the piece against it. Or you can try to add more texture to the background areas of the die. Or you might try pressing while wet with the dye then wiping the top to clean off. Or dying and finishing first, drying,then painting the high areas with a rubber roller, with maybe white? On most of the techniques the ratio of raised vs recessed areas is going to make a big difference on how quickly and easily you can finnish.

Have a nice day M

[mugwump]

could always use a small paint brush... or block dye and resist method?

eric

[TroyS]

I've done a project like this and in my opinion, the way to achieve what you're wanting to do is:

1. Dye the leather the color you want the logo part to be... Let dry completely!

2. After your leather is dry, DAMPEN and press design into coaster with plastic die... let dry for about 2 hours to get nice impression... Your leather should be cool to the touch but not dry. This is explained in step 4...

3. Once you remove the die, you'll have a solid colored coaster with your nice clean logo impression in the color you want.

4. Now, with the project cool to the touch but not dry, you'll need to put something fairly heavy on it to make it layout flat. This is VERY important for the next step to work...

5. Now, take a foam roller from your local hardware store. You want the kind with NO TEXTURE! If it has texture, the wool will push down into your impressions and you'll ruin your project. Lowe's has one in their paint department for about $6 - $8 bucks.

6. Roll your roller into your complimenting dye, and roll off any extra onto a a blotter of some sort (newspaper, paper towels, etc.) then simply roll the roller over the face of your project and the dye will coat the raised parts while the depressed areas remain the other color.

7. Let dry then seal with your favorite sealer! I like Satin Sheen because you see the design before the shine...

Here's a sample of what I'm talking about.

The Red & White areas are done using this technique, the the Black area was sewn on.

[mendedbowl]

Steve will you be offering custom embossing die making as a business or only for your own leather work?

if you're offering as a business, about how much would you charge for a die comparable to your Air Force example?

thanks,

ken