Horrible Trouble Dying

[Reds Leather]

I have tried Eco-flo Antique gels and now Fiebings Alcohol based dye and nothing is coming out right. I like the way the Fiebings works but the "medium brown" came out Brown/Redish... more along the lines of Rosewood....

Whats the key?

They are all being applied to veg tanned leather. Do i need to wet the leather first???? Mix a little water with the dye?

And how long should i wait between coats? Until its dry? Or hours?

Here is the pre dyed picture and two dyed pictures of the same belt.

PLEASE HELP THIS IS DRIVING ME NUTS!

Red

[pete]

personally I really like it as is. Use a coat of Bison brown as I think that you will get what you want more than say a dk. brown.

pete

[abn]

I agree with Pete. Looks good as-is. However, if you're really after a medium brown, try one of the following two options (on scrap first, of course):

(1) Mix Lexol with your Fiebings Medium Brown spirit dye. This will cut the absorption rate of the dye and lead to a lighter, richer color. (It will also properly condition the leather.)

(2) Try Eco-Flo Leather Dye in the Timber Brown color. Apply in several very light coats until you get the color you're after.

Good luck -- achieving a decent medium brown is a significant challenge for all leatherworkers! You're not alone in trying to figure this out.

[Treed]

I usually use walnut with a quick dip or cut with denatured alcohol. After drying I start to had light coats of oil with 24 hours of dry time between coats to reach the brown color that I want.

Bobby R

[katsass]

I have tried Eco-flo Antique gels and now Fiebings Alcohol based dye and nothing is coming out right. I like the way the Fiebings works but the "medium brown" came out Brown/Redish... more along the lines of Rosewood....

Whats the key?

They are all being applied to veg tanned leather. Do i need to wet the leather first???? Mix a little water with the dye?

And how long should i wait between coats? Until its dry? Or hours?

Here is the pre dyed picture and two dyed pictures of the same belt.

PLEASE HELP THIS IS DRIVING ME NUTS!

Red

FWIW from the old grump; I use Fiebing's Pro oil dyes mostly, but also some of their spirit dyes. I start by diluting them 50/50 with denatured alcohol. I use the least expensive airbrush (quick change airbrush @ about $6.00) that Harbor Freight makes, along with their smallest airbrush compressor (total, with airbrush, of less than $70.00 with the omnipresent 20% coupon) to apply my dyes in a uniform manner. Fiebings Dark Brown and Med Brown dyes have some red in them as they come, so for a more 'true' brown I use either their Walnut or Chocolate browns. I wouldn't use any water on my leather prior to using a solvent based dye of any sort, but I do shoot a light shot of neatsfoot oil after the dye has dried. I shoot all parts prior to assembly, and since I make holsters primarily, and wet mold them, I have found that the use of any water based dyes is just not compatible with my construction techniques. Mike

P.S. I wait about long enough to consume an adult beverage between coats of dye.

Edited January 4, 2012 by katsass

[Reds Leather]

Thank you very much! Im going to give those a try! My work is getting better, im just struggling to get the colors i want.

[Sylvia]

I have tried Eco-flo Antique gels and now Fiebings Alcohol based dye and nothing is coming out right. I like the way the Fiebings works but the "medium brown" came out Brown/Redish... more along the lines of Rosewood....

Whats the key?

They are all being applied to veg tanned leather. Do i need to wet the leather first???? Mix a little water with the dye?

And how long should i wait between coats? Until its dry? Or hours?

Here is the pre dyed picture and two dyed pictures of the same belt.

PLEASE HELP THIS IS DRIVING ME NUTS!

Red

Ah yes, shades of browns... green browns, black browns, red/orange browns, and yellow browns. It can see where it would be frustrating when you are expecting a chocolate brown and get mahogany.

For what it's worth I like this color.

Fiebing's dark brown is a nice Dark Chocolate color.

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=55558

[Suicide]

PLEASE HELP THIS IS DRIVING ME NUTS!

I had exactly the same issue with Fiebings Oil Dye on the belt I made. After dye dryes , I just put thin layer of neatsfoot oil on top of it and seem oil turned that redish tone into quite normal medium brown as I guess it supposed to be.

That time I didn\t worry much about final belt color, so had a room for experiments

Try it on scrap, hope it helps

[Art]

On a busy weekend, we'd be a rockin' in the shop, at least to the point where we would all fall down. Last man standing make sure all the caps are on the containers.

Art

P.S. I wait about long enough to consume an adult beverage between coats of dye.

[katsass]

On a busy weekend, we'd be a rockin' in the shop, at least to the point where we would all fall down. Last man standing make sure all the caps are on the containers.

Art

Well, I run a one-man place, do only custom stuff and don't carry any stock pieces, so my customers have to wait anyhoo. Also, I'm old and grumpy so nobody expects an old fart to ANYTHING in a hurry --- and I may just decide to go fishing now and then. Mike

[Sylvia]

... Also, I'm old and grumpy so nobody expects an old fart to ANYTHING in a hurry --- and I may just decide to go fishing now and then. Mike

LOL

[Reds Leather]

On a busy weekend, we'd be a rockin' in the shop, at least to the point where we would all fall down. Last man standing make sure all the caps are on the containers.

Art

When i said id give these ideas a try, i was talking about having an adult beverage and this. GREATEST IDEAS YET!

[Reds Leather]

i used the Fiebings alcohol based Tan dye and its coming out more brown than the medium brown did... haha

Im going to give the chocolate dye a try and some of those other techniques everyone has thrown out there. i just need to buy some more scrap to mess around on.

[Sylvia]

i used the Fiebings alcohol based Tan dye and its coming out more brown than the medium brown did... haha

Im going to give the chocolate dye a try and some of those other techniques everyone has thrown out there. i just need to buy some more scrap to mess around on.

I wonder if you have to shake it up before you go to dying? Just don't go shaking up your beer and drinking your dye.

[Reds Leather]

I wonder if you have to shake it up before you go to dying? Just don't go shaking up your beer and drinking your dye.

i do, i shake them up before using them. Tonight i finished a belt and used Tan dye to try and see if it would come out brown, but once again i have a red-ish/brown-ish/now tan-ish colored belt.

Its extremely aggravating to do the work and then almost feel like i have ruined it once i threw some dye on it....

[Suicide]

i do, i shake them up before using them. Tonight i finished a belt and used Tan dye to try and see if it would come out brown, but once again i have a red-ish/brown-ish/now tan-ish colored belt.

Its extremely aggravating to do the work and then almost feel like i have ruined it once i threw some dye on it....

Yesterday I finished my belt with Tandy's bison brown dye and got kinda grey-dark green instead of any kind of color I could call brown....

This should give us a hope as seem they have very broad spectrum of colors which they just don't know how to call and thus just in case put "blabla-BROWN" label onto it

Edited January 7, 2012 by Suicide

[JLSleather]

Fiebing's spirit dyes have always had a bit of a reddish tint. If you don't like the red tint, add a bit (just a bit) of green to the mix .... this will "kill" the red.

[oldtimer]

"Horrible Trouble Dying I JUST CANT GET IT RIGHT"

Dying often comes naturally and happens only once in a lifetime, so brother, be cool!

/ Knut

[Reds Leather]

"Horrible Trouble Dying I JUST CANT GET IT RIGHT"

Dying often comes naturally and happens only once in a lifetime, so brother, be cool!

/ Knut

HAHAHA. I think of that every time i read something where people are complaining about dying! HAHA