Do You Normally Dye The Inside?

[wizard of tragacanth]

When I bought my first piece of leather, I had no idea what to look for. At that time, to me, leather was leather. I bought it in person at Tandy and did not even consider what the flesh side looked like. So I wound up with a side that is far from what I would like to have. I found that I could use 120 grit sand-paper on a sanding block and with not too much effort, remove much of the offending stuff. Sanding sometimes works better in one direction than another so, if you do this, try it in more than one direction.

I haven't tried gum tragacanth for smoothing the flesh side... I have used Satin Shene though. I put Satin Shene on a dauber and rub it all over. It lays the nap down nicely. I will have to do an experiment with gum tragacanth to see if there is any difference. I started using Satin Shene because I was finishing the inside of a holster where there was one side of flesh and the other of grain. I didn't want to put gum tragacanth on the grain side so I just used a dauber with Satin Shene to do both surfaces simultaneously.

Here is a pic of the back done with Satin Shene.

[lonestar tactical]

I dye both inside and out before I glue and stitch - I prefer the look compared to unfinished inside.

[particle]

It should be noted that when ordering from W&C (assuming you are buying their 8-10oz hides), the areas that are 8oz will likely have a more fuzzy flesh area than the 10oz areas. On my last order, I had them split it to 8oz, and it made a world of difference.

[katsass]

thanks for the replies. i probably should have dyed the inside before i glued it together but i thought i was just going to leave the inside natrual color with some gum trag and seal, but i didn't anticipate how hard it was going to be to dye the edges and not get any bleeding into the inside. i tried to throw a coat of dye inside the holster, which was hard since it's already stitched up, but i guess that's part of the learning process.

next time i'll take the advice you guys have given.

Guy: FWIW from the old grumpy guy. I have found that to get an even edge of dye, I use a little Dremel (or any rotary tool) hard felt buffing pad ... around 3/4". I don't use the smaller ones because I have stubby fingers. I don't use them for anything but dyeing the edges of my projects, and they can be reused many times. (same color only) After an initial quick edge burnishing, I soak one down well with the color of dye wanted (wear gloves) Lay the unassembled piece (holster, shell carrier, sheath, etc) flat on a hard surface with the edge overhanging a little. Rub the pad across the edge until you have the depth of color wished. Finish burnishing, (the damp dye assists in this) assemble, and apply finish. For some reason, this very seldom allows any overage on the rest of the leather, and produces a smooth, even line. ... unless it's the morning after and you have a bad case of the shakes. In that case stay off it until well, or get a bit of the "hair of the dawg" to speed up your recovery. Mike

Edited September 21, 2011 by katsass

[Steven Kelley]

It should be noted that when ordering from W&C (assuming you are buying their 8-10oz hides), the areas that are 8oz will likely have a more fuzzy flesh area than the 10oz areas. On my last order, I had them split it to 8oz, and it made a world of difference.

Excellent point. The hide I posted a pic of above was split to 6/7oz.