Color Fastness

[Rumblestiltskin]

Hi All,

I am having issues with Feibings Black retaining its color fastness, both during work and afterwards. Neatsfoot seems to be drawing the dye out of the leather when i apply it resulting in parts that look faded. Bagcoat goes on OK, but doesnt seem to offer any real protection to the color in the event that it gets wet. Color doesnt run as such, but tends to come off the leather when rubbed. is this a regular thing or perhaps I am doing something incorrect?

I have no probs with any of my other Feibings colors, just the black, and it is only recently started happening, perhaps my dye is tainted or i got a bum bottle?

on an entirely different note, does anyone have a home made receipe for a deglazer for veg tan leather?

Many thanks in advance!

[TwinOaks]

Black dye is somewhat notorious for what we call "rub off". It is probably the worst of the dyes, and is caused by the solids not being absorbed fully into the leather. Before you dye the leather, you should clean it. There's no telling how many hands have been on it during the manufacturing and shipping process, or how many of them were dirty/sweaty/oily. Any of those three factors can cause inadequate absorption. To clean, wipe down with deglazer or alcohol and let fully dry. You're just cleaning the surface, so try not to soak it. After you've cleaned and dyed the piece, you need to buff off the non absorbed particles. You can use cloth rags or paper towels, and just keep going until you don't have any more color transfer. This may develop a light glaze on the leather caused by surface burnishing, but it shouldn't be noticeable under your finish. If you need to reapply the dye, for better color, repeat the process of applying and buffing until you're satisfied. Once you've removed all the unabsorbed particles, condition (oil) and seal/finish the piece.

If you are interested in a permanent black leather, go to the search box and type in "vinegaroon". It's a home brew concoction (safe, but do it outside because of the smell and you don't want to drip any) that makes ferric acetate.....which reacts to the tannins in the leather to produce a deeeeeeeeeep rich black that ages wonderfully. It's permanent because it's a chemical reaction inside the leather. Once it's dry, it's black, and there is no rub-off.

As far as a "homemade" deglazer......no. Deglazer is a chemical, with pretty high VOCs, and is not suitable for making at home. However, you can pick up gallons (if you like) of Acetone and Denatured Alcohol at a hardware store and use it the same way. Adequate ventilation strongly recommended.

[Rumblestiltskin]

Thanks for the feedback Mike. As you mentioned, i do buff the leather after the dye has dried, I think maybe i am not putting enough elbow grease into it and maybe leaving some of the solids behind.

Thanks for the vinegaroon tip, that looks to be excellent!