Advice On Dye Reduction

[DanTheMan]

I have dyed a few projects using Fiebings dye (not Pro Oil) and they have all been too dark. I have been reading past topics on the forum and discovered I need to reduce the dye with denatured alcohol to lighten the color. I have some Fiebing med. brown, but I am not sure where to start with the mixing as far as 3:1, 4:1, etc. The link below is a picture of a Justin work boot. I would like to get something in the ballpark of that color. Any wisdom shared is greatly appreciated.

http://www.justinboots.com/boots/8_Lace_R.html?424fccf8=WK906 *I just realized the link does not take you directly to the correct boot. It's the "Tan Premium" at the bottom of the page.

Edited May 23, 2012 by DanTheMan

[katsass]

I have dyed a few projects using Fiebings dye (not Pro Oil) and they have all been too dark. I have been reading past topics on the forum and discovered I need to reduce the dye with denatured alcohol to lighten the color. I have some Fiebing med. brown, but I am not sure where to start with the mixing as far as 3:1, 4:1, etc. The link below is a picture of a Justin work boot. I would like to get something in the ballpark of that color. Any wisdom shared is greatly appreciated.

http://www.justinboots.com/boots/8_Lace_R.html?424fccf8=WK906 *I just realized the link does not take you directly to the correct boot. It's the "Tan Premium" at the bottom of the page.

FWIW from the old grump: I dilute all my dye at the minimum of 50/50. From there I will go down as far as 30 to one --- denatured alcohol to dye. It's a matter of trial and error, but for the color you want I'd try 10 to 1 and have a go on some scrap of the same leather you want to use. --- with a minimum of two coats and most likely 3 or 4. Remember different leather takes the dye differently, AND a shot of neatsfoot oil will darken it more, as well as a a finish coat --- so take that into consideration. You may even have to go down to 20 to 1, but the scrap will quickly show you. To measure I find that a large, calibrated baby medicine dropper works pretty well. Available at the local drug store. Mike. .

Edited May 23, 2012 by katsass

[Matt Alsaker]

I recently started using denatured alcohol to change the ratio, but since I'm new at it take this with a grain of salt. I used Fiebing's medium brown and tan. I started with a 4:1. That worked perfect for the tan, but was still very dark for what I wanted with the medium brown. I took the medium brown to 8:1. It was a big improvement, I'll probably try a 10:1 down the road. One of the other issues I had was the leather. When I started testing to see where my color was at, I used some scrap leather from Tandy. When I went to make the holster, I used Hermann Oak. Put the test piece and the holster side by side, the color was very different. I'm starting to even keep the small pieces of Hermann Oak scrap around to test one. Good luck, let me know what you settle on.

[DanTheMan]

Thanks for the info. I will start mixing this weekend and see what I come up with.

[Mudruck]

To measure I find that a large, calibrated baby medicine dropper works pretty well. Available at the local drug store. Mike. .

That right there is pure gold. Never thought about using the big baby dropper.... Ive been using a little dropper and counting the dammed drops!

Thanks again Katsass!!

[UberSquid]

I mix all my finishes using cheap disposable pipettes that I get from Ebay. The last round I bought I got 50 for $4 with shipping. They are graduated in half Ml markings and have 3Ml capacity. I mostly make holsters, cell phone cases and knife sheaths. Usually six to ten Milli Liters will do just about any project that I'm working on. I keep one pipette for each color of dye, one for each finish and one for Neatsfoot oil. Each one is labeled and I rinse them with alcohol after I'm done. They usually last a week before cracking and being tossed. I'll order a hundred at a time once a year and don't have to worry about possibly contaminating any of my dyes or finishes and I know that I'm getting consistent repeatable amounts of each substance mixed together. That with a small log book and labeled scraps saves me a lot of time wasted trying to remember how I got a certain color or finish the last time.

But then again that's just me...