Dye After Paint?

[JoelR]

Trying my first item with paint on it - Belt with embossed red dice (I can't carve more than I can't emboss and just slightly more than I can't paint). Read the directions to say that you should paint your leather first and then dye and the paint will act as a resist and not discolor. Well, my sample piece did not agree with these directions because the directions clearly mention ACRYLIC dyes and antiques and I am using oil. So, here I am with a naked belt with embossed red dice and it needs to become brown while leaving the dice intact. I'm using Fiebings Pro oil dye and Eco-Flo Cova Color paint. Am I stuck using the Eco-Flo dyes at this point? Thoughts/suggestions?

[ClayB]

Any time you are going to try new coloring or finishing products you should try them out on scrap first. Different brands of dyes and paints might work differently. They might also work differently on different pieces of leather, so the scrap you try them on should be from the same hide of leather your project is from if possible. I haven't tried the eco flow cova colors so I don't know how they work but I wouldn't expect them to act as a resist for dye (but it could be interesting if they do). If I was going to use dye and paint on the same project, I think I'd dye it first, then do the painting over it. There is a chance that if you use paint over oil dye, the paint may not adhere to the leather really well. I think if I was going to do this, I'd dye up next to the dice with a brush. Then dye the rest of the belt with a dauber or however you usually do it (unless you dip the whole thing in dye). Then I'd paint the dice with the acrylic paint. Then I'd apply a sealer to the whole thing. If you want to add antique on top of that, you can. Then seal it again. Use up your scraps and see what works and what doesn't. Good luck!

[JoelR]

ClayB,

Thank you for the reply. Unfortunatly, I am using a belt blank with no excess to play with. The leather definatly does not have the same properties of my hides. My first test was to dye a scrap piece first and paint over it. As you stated, the paint did not adhere as well as to undyed leather. The fact that I am using an oil dye may have played a roll. Also, the color was not as vivid as I would have liked. I'm guessing I could probably do the same as you suggest with dying around the painted areas but am afraid that the dye will be uneven. Heck, worst-case scenario, the belt becomes black and I start over with a new strap.