Leather Consistency And Dye

[Colt Hammerless]

I put one to two coats on with sheeps wool, both on the grain and flesh side. This gives good penetration of the dye and is fairly even. After it has dried, I go over it with the airbrush (only on the grain side) to really even it out. Works nicely. I'm still experimenting with colors, so once I standardize on what colors I want to offer, I'll buy enough to just dip dye. If you're going to do a large amount of black projects, do what Malabar does, and buy it drum dyed. I know Wickett and Craig only charges 15 cents a square foot for drum dyed. I doubt you can even dye it yourself that cheap. They have other colors too.

Colt Hammerless

[Shooter McGavin]

I really like when the browns take on a marbled effect.

I even offer a color that is marbled intentionally

[DoubleBarP]

Thanks for the information. I like the marbled look....

=P

[Dwight]

I have found that if I want a brown to be consistent, . . . even, . . . etc, . . . the ONLY way for me is to do the dye job first.

Pour the dye into the 11 x 14 baking pan, . . . drop in the leather, . . . turn it over, . . . pull it out, . . . lay it flesh side down on newspaper for about a half hour, . . . then grab a corner with a clothes pin on a string over my wood stove or a register (hang in the window for sunlight in the summer), . . . let it dry for at least 24 hours.

Lou Alessi told me before he passed on that he always dyed his holsters before he did any of the forming stuff, . . . and it was always dip dyed. I like dip dyeing better than anything else because you get a deep color, . . . tried the air brush and found out it is only a light surface color, . . . not what I personally wanted. YMMV.

May God bless,

Dwight