Questions About Deglazing And Dyeing Problems

[Cat Balou]

Hey All,

I'm hoping to get some answers on a dyeing problem I'm having. I've browsed back on this thread and read posts with similar problems, which have helped a lot, but also lead to more questions.

I'm making some hip quivers and two that I've dyed (using Fiebling's "Light Brown" alcohol dye) have both turned out to have patchy areas where the dye will not absorb well or at all. Weirdly enough both areas on both quivers are on the upper part of the quiver, and I've never had this problem before. I'm leaning towards there's something on the leather that's blocking the dye penetration. Or, does dye have a shelf life? I haven't used this colour in a few years.

Anyhow, through reading other messages I've discovered "denatured alcohol" or rubbing alcohol for "deglazing", great! But now I've got questions….

- Are denatured alcohol and rubbing alcohol the same thing? If not which is better?

- How much do I apply on the leather for it to do its job?

- This will also work as a dye thinner correct? (I use the "preval" spray system sold through the Leather Factory for dyeing)

- I'm thinking of using the deglazer on the quiver I just dyed last night to try and repair the area that's not taking in dye, should I apply the deglazer to the whole piece or can I apply it to the general area, then re-dye it?

- How long should I wait between de-glazing and dyeing?

- Because I water harden the leather before dying (so it'll maintain a stiff cylindrical shape) should I deglaze before I water harden, or after wards just before I dye it? I really soak the hell out of the quivers to get them the proper shape, (warm water) and I'm wondering if this is bringing oils etc to the surface which has affected the dyeing process. But I've made quivers before the same way and I've never had this problem. But if I apply the deglazer after water hardening, and it needs to be a heavy application I'm worried that will affect the stiffness/shape.

Any and all help/advice on the above would be greatly appreciated!

I'm loving this site and am glad I found it, I've already learned a lot browsing through past threads and am inspired.

Cat Balou

Eddited to add one more question, will the deglazer work on oil dyes as well as alcohol based ones?

Edited February 1, 2012 by Cat Balou

[Cat Balou]

Update:

I couldn't find any denatural alcohol anywhere in town so I picked up some isopropanol alcohol (99%) that I read on another thread could also be used. I applied it to the affected areas, waited about 15 min and tried dying over the areas - didn't work, still have areas that aren't taking in dye.

Not really sure what to think or do about this current quiver, and am a little worried about the next one I was planning on dyeing tonight.....3rd ones a charm?

[js5972]

Denatured alcohol is the thinner (reducer) to use for Fiebing's. It is a mild solvent. In the US, you can buy it anywhere paint is sold. Oxalic acid (wood bleach) and lemon juice are even milder. Acetone is also used as a De-glazer...VERY STRONG! Whatever you use, do a small test patch. Why don't you post a picture of your problem.

Welcome to the forum!

[Cat Balou]

Thanks Js!

I bit the bullet and pulled out my camera to try and take a few pix, hopefully it'll load below. It's a pic of the top front and back of the quiver where the dye will not take.

Again any help or answere's to the above Q's will be greatly appreciated!

[Sylvia]

Thanks Js!

I bit the bullet and pulled out my camera to try and take a few pix, hopefully it'll load below. It's a pic of the top front and back of the quiver where the dye will not take.

Again any help or answere's to the above Q's will be greatly appreciated!

I went through this with black dye. I deglazed it twice and redyed but had the same results. Some folks here said to mix the dye with neatsfoot oil. That didn't work either. It wasn't until I said screw it and put some eco-flo dark cocoa brown that it evened out and looks black. Weird.

The leather I used was fairly old and had a nice golden color I don't know if that would cause the problem or not but it sure was a pain to fix.

Good luck I hope you find a solution.

[Cat Balou]

Thanks Sylvia, so far no luck.

Update 2: I just tried dying the 3rd quiver grey,(1 part fieblings black oil dye, 5 parts thinner), before dying it I really went over it with the deglazer, basicaly soak the top portion, and let it dry out overnight....... same problem occured in the same areas?!?!?

The leather's from the same hide, recently bought at the Leather Factory...but at this point I've ruled out the leather and the dye as any part of the problem. It must be process oriented.

The rest of the quivers have taken the dye well, tickity-boo in fact, I'm just trying to figure out what the heck I'm doing to the top portions that are cauing these problems.

Very discouraged......

We recently moved and this house has hard water, I'm wondering if that could be part of the problem since I soak the heck outta these quivers to form them?...but why would it only affect the top in a random pattern?!

Edited February 2, 2012 by Cat Balou

[Cat Balou]

Update 3: I read on another thread here that wetting the leather helps to absorb the dye, which seems counter-intuative untill I read on another thread that oil dye doesn't actually contain any oil. So I tried it on the grey quiver and it worked but the finish was patchy because of overlapping dye lines, so I just over-dyed the sucker black. It worked with the brown quiver as well 'tho it's now alot darker than I had wanted....Even if they're not the colours I wanted at least they're not a complete waste.

I'm still trying to figure out what's causing the problem in the first place.

[ACarver]

when you try covering larg area with dye, my advice to you use either airbrushing or dipping in....