rustynail Report post Posted June 24, 2008 Hello everyone, I tried to put a bit of leather dye on my practice watch band last night. I applied the dye with a sponge to try and get an even coating. No matter what I did, I still got an uneven distribution of color on the leather. Should I apply more than one coat? what is the trick to make it look like it was originally that color? Is there a primer or something? Thank you! Brett Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dindinbaby Report post Posted June 24, 2008 I usually dampen the leather a little several times. This way the dye is absorbed a little more evenly. I also use a piece of an old t-shirt and rub the dye in. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rawhide Report post Posted June 24, 2008 Hello everyone, I tried to put a bit of leather dye on my practice watch band last night. I applied the dye with a sponge to try and get an even coating. No matter what I did, I still got an uneven distribution of color on the leather. Should I apply more than one coat? what is the trick to make it look like it was originally that color? Is there a primer or something?Thank you! Brett Depends on what look you're after. Sounds like you. want a solid color. If that's the case, take a piece of t-shirt or other clean cotton material, about 4 to 5 cotton balls and wrap them with the t-shirt into a ball and gather the shirt at the top like you do a garbage bag. Place a rubber band around the gathered top to keep it together, load this pad up with the dye you want, then apply to leather in a circular motion. You may have to do several coats, but you'll get beautiful results. (Another Peter Main special) Marlon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rustynail Report post Posted June 24, 2008 Depends on what look you're after. Sounds like you. want a solid color. If that's the case, take a piece of t-shirt or other clean cotton material, about 4 to 5 cotton balls and wrap them with the t-shirt into a ball and gather the shirt at the top like you do a garbage bag. Place a rubber band around the gathered top to keep it together, load this pad up with the dye you want, then apply to leather in a circular motion. You may have to do several coats, but you'll get beautiful results. (Another Peter Main special)Marlon Okay! I'll try wetting a little first, then make this ball of cotton and see what I can do! Thanks! I'll let you know how it all turns out... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CitizenKate Report post Posted June 24, 2008 What kind of dye are you using? Kate Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rustynail Report post Posted June 24, 2008 What kind of dye are you using?Kate Hi Kate, I'm using the eco stuff from my local tandy store... I think it's called Eco-flo? Brett Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CitizenKate Report post Posted June 24, 2008 Okay, water-based, then. First of all, yes, you need at least 3 or 4 applications of the dye before you get the full intensity of the color, and the more times you apply it, the more even it gets. Diluting the dye on the first pass also helps. If you are applying with a brush, try to make your brush strokes blend gradually from wet to dry. Avoid leaving hard water lines around your brush strokes. If you're going for a solid wash, the broader the application technique, the more even it will be. I really like Marlon's suggestion for making an applicator. Wool daubers have also worked well for me. You might try experimenting (on a piece of scrap first!) with dindinbaby's suggestion to slightly dampen the leather before applying the dye. That will probably help it spread more evenly throughout the leather fibers, but I will also caution you that damp leather can cause the dye to spread to places on the piece where you don't want it to go. As I said, experiment first. Hope this helps.... Kate Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
