Dye recipe for no rubbing off when dry

[$$hobby]

hi all,

there was a post/reply several months ago regarding some recipe to use with black? dye to keep it from rubbing off when dry?

i find that after i dye my projects, there will be some residue? on the leather. I do buff the surfaces, but sometimes it take a while before that residue is gone and wont transfer to your clothes.

btw. i use the fiebings alcohol and oil dyes.

TIA.

[TwinOaks]

Start here. This is the original thread on the subject, and should get you started.

[JCCD]

In my experience there will always be some dye rub off no matter what you do. When your clothes are dry, there is no rub off but when they are damp from sweat or rain, that is when it rubs off on your clothes. I have dyed holsters from many companies and can rub them with a damp cloth and the dye will rub off easily and stain the cloth. I have never found black to be any worse than other colors. I use fiebings black oil dye. I haven't tried the homemade black dye discussed in that thread.

[TwinOaks]

Well, I won't correct you on 'dyes rubbing off', but I will tell you that the vinegaroon mix doesn't rub off at all- dry or wet. The reason for this is that there is a chemical reaction with the tannins in the leather. I believe the reaction is between the tannins and ferric acetate, the product of feeding iron/steel to acetic acid. As previously noted, my solution has settled to a nice Ph, and shows no reaction with alkaline solutions. This means ( and somebody else talked to an actual chemist about this) that a cold water bath is all that's needed to 'neutralize' any remaining acids and thereby protect the leather. It's cheap, and it works. It will also lightly etch glass, if it sits in it for several days, and permanently stain clothing. But, then, if you work with oil dyes, you already wear the mark(s) of leatherworking, right?

[JCCD]

I didn't intend to sound like I doubted the vinegaroon, because I don't. I'm sure it works fine. $$hobby said he was using fiebings dyes and was having trouble with the rub off even after buffing the surface after drying. I just have the same trouble and haven't found a way to totally prevent it. BTW, if you get some rub off on your clothes, Spray-n-wash with resolve power works very well for getting it out.

[$$hobby]

I didn't intend to sound like I doubted the vinegaroon, because I don't. I'm sure it works fine. $$hobby said he was using fiebings dyes and was having trouble with the rub off even after buffing the surface after drying. I just have the same trouble and haven't found a way to totally prevent it. BTW, if you get some rub off on your clothes, Spray-n-wash with resolve power works very well for getting it out.

TwinOaks,

Thanks for the link to the post. I saw and read it with interest. It would be neat if you could do something similar for different colors.

JCCD,

you are correct with my OP.

I thought i had read somewhere here in one of the posts that IIRC was a recipe to mix some leather dies with some other ingredients to keep the die from rubbing off the leather once dry.

im asking now since i only made leather items for me, but am now making them for some others and i dont think it would be nice to make something for them only to have some of the die rubbing off on their clothes. it maybe me, but i wouldnt appreciate it and i dont buy expensive clothes either.

i will keep on searching for the post, but if i cant find anything, then i guess i will have to do a work around.

Edited June 11, 2008 by $$hobby

[Shorts]

Folks having trouble with rub off, are you sealing it? If so, with what? Don't mean to make it sound like a dumb question

[$$hobby]

Folks having trouble with rub off, are you sealing it? If so, with what? Don't mean to make it sound like a dumb question

no. i havent been sealing w/anything.

however, im goingt to try some stuff soon.

[Hennessy]

hi all,

there was a post/reply several months ago regarding some recipe to use with black? dye to keep it from rubbing off when dry?

i find that after i dye my projects, there will be some residue? on the leather. I do buff the surfaces, but sometimes it take a while before that residue is gone and wont transfer to your clothes.

btw. i use the fiebings alcohol and oil dyes.

TIA.

heres one i learnt recently,clean surface,dry, oil,dry,neatlac,dry,dye,let dry good ,buff excess surface,neatlac again for me no rub off,almost a patent lea black,first time in 40yrs i've enjoyed dying black.the vinegarooning sounds besr tho.

[Shorts]

no. i havent been sealing w/anything.

however, im goingt to try some stuff soon.

I've used Satin Sheen, Tan Kote and Resolene. For overall better feel, I prefer the way Resolene finishes. TanKote and Satin Sheen feels hard & plasticky and makes quality leather feel cheap. I have a couple belts I built and they are excellent examples of the 'feel' each finish produces.

[TomLine]

Will the vinegaroon method work with other dyes? I mean instead of dissolving iron (rust) in vinegar, could one dissolve commercial dyes and achive better staying results? Or would it be a mess?

Heck, I think I'll try it. I'm going to dissolve dye in vinegar and see what happens. Then rinse in water to neutralize.

I hate rubbing on oil, and having color come off the leather.

vinegaroon

hi all,

there was a post/reply several months ago regarding some recipe to use with black? dye to keep it from rubbing off when dry?

i find that after i dye my projects, there will be some residue? on the leather. I do buff the surfaces, but sometimes it take a while before that residue is gone and wont transfer to your clothes.

btw. i use the fiebings alcohol and oil dyes.

TIA.

[TwinOaks]

Hi Tom,

No, dissolving dyes in vinegar isn't going to do much. Soaking walnut, pecan, etc., does. The thing to remember is that with the vinegaroon, there's a chemical reaction taking place---not just a way to transfer suspended dye particles onto leather.