Old New Guy Trying Leather Work Correct Dye?

[critter]

I'm a bow maker and do a little leather work , Very little.

and I've got a friend that wants me to help dye his quiver , just a store bought job we wrapped in gold buck skin and cut the excess in fringe . He seen a picture and wants to get the same look but with out a lot of trial and error or damage to the hide he's already bought. I've heard putting it in the microwave, Easy-off oven cleaner! , and bacon grease mixed with dirt ... I just thought I'd ask here before going my way.I'm thinking Walnut hull dye, repeat dipping of the edge till we get the correct tint then wax/oil . I know some one knows the correct way to make the look with out shortening the life of the leather.

And I did ask the maker of these projects in the pictures but she just said "sounds like your on the right track, peace "

I'll go back to my reading now .

seems like a nice group with lot of knowledge here. Thanks for any help. Critter

[Luke Hatley]

Critter, thanks for paying us a visit. If you are new to this... EXPERIMENT.

get your air brush out and have at it, The dye spray around the edges are what you are trying to do.

[critter]

Airbrush .... yes

I was making it harder then it needed to be.

I thought there was a special dye the leeched out or somthing or maybe I had to use five colors to do it .

The wallnut hulls , if let sit will get darker and darker I was thinking dip less and less every few days and the last day boil the dye and add steel wool to make it almost black.

There is a cheap air brush kit w/ propellant for under 20 bucks on ebay.What dyes should I be looking to be used on a tanned deer hide?

If I practice on cardboard or cloth will it give me an idea of how they will run or do they even leech out from where you put them ?

Your help is very much appreciated I was just thinking wrong way around the whole project. Thank You.

Critter

[mendedbowl]

Luke is right, use an airbrush.

that's what the maker of the items posted used...if you look closely you can see the over-spray on the wrinkles.

unlike the misleading response you got from the maker, the people on this forum are wonderfully generous at sharing their techniques.

ken

[mendedbowl]

critter you can practice on cardboard or paper...you don't want to spray so thick that it runs, only a light feathering spray.

i use fiebing pro oil dyes.

if i were trying to recreate the effect on the backpack you posted, i would do a test on paper or scrap leather using dark brown on the very edges, med. brown next in a little wider area around the edges, then saddle tan feathered out toward the center.

ken

[Luke Hatley]

Critter............PS.... it will amaze you what you can do with Neetsfoot oil in an air brush. I gives me a very used look on Hats & Buckskin clothing...Experiment...or

as my friend says R & D......

[critter]

Thank you every one I'll try both on some small bagsI just made and see where we are at.There is some amazing work in the gallery here. I may have to try my hand at stamping and tooling , as if I don't have enough hobbys. $4.95 for 4oz from macphersonleather.com---- that's just my speed for "trying it out" Is there any recommendations on who to buy from on a starter kit ( swivel knife,basic stamp, backgrounds,edging) so if the better half don't like the banging around in the house I won't feel bad when I keep the tools out in the shed . How about the best wish book to see what tools I should be wanting or should make...? much appreciated again , now back to waiting for bambis grandpa to show his shoulder just right . Critter

[mendedbowl]

critter if you live near a Tandy that's where most people get their starter tools. if you're not close, just order a catalog or go over their website for ideas about what you might like. Also Hobby Lobby and other craft stores usually carry a few basic leather working tools and supplies. Al Stohlman's book Leahtercraft Tools and Leatherwork Manual are good for learning how each tool is used.

ken

[JJLeatherworks]

I use Fiebings regular dyes diluted with denatured alcohol in my airbrush. Diluting the dye makes it easier to control the amount of color and it is easy to darken the edges by additional passes with the airbrush. A good cheap airbrush can be bought at Harbor Freight for about $15, it looks like a knockoff of the $100 Badger.

Tandy is a great place to start with their catalog, and a catalog from Springfield Leather is another great source. Springfield has some Hide Crafter stamping tools under bargains for $4.95, they are much better than the current Craftsman tools. Check out E-bay for the older Craftsman tools, usually listed as "vintage", ones that were made before 1980. They are better tools than the current ones, and if bought as a lot from someone who doesn't know what they have can be quit a bargain. I got 58 older tools, wooden tool holder, a stitching pony, a strap cutter, and a cocabola edge slicker from a bookseller on Ebay for $61.00. Pays to shop around!