Cold Weather And Dying Leather

[Matt Alsaker]

I live in south central Wisconsin and am entering my first winter where I need to be able to continue dying my projects. I'd like to keep making holsters, belts, and accessories over the next 4 - 5 months until things warm back up. I tried using a sponge, cloth, and other methods of applying dye by hand - never really had any luck. I've been using an airbrush this summer out in the garage, wearing a mask, and keeping the big door open. I'm pretty sure that is going to come to an end in the next month or so as the temperature drops. I don't have a particularly good room in my house that I can easily ventilate (one single window) and even then, I'm not sure what I should be using to ventilate. I've read concerns about Pro Oil Dye being flammable and don't want a fan motor turning into a blow torch out the side of the house. I've been considering dip dying, but have never had enough dye on hand to fill a small tub. I think I can dip dye inside with the minimal ventilation I have and not have the same concerns I do about using an airbrush inside. Any thoughts on how to safely work with Pro Oil Dye in a semi-confined area over the winter????

[renegadelizard]

Hey Matt,

im facing the same issue here in kentucky...the only solutiion i could find was to order a couple of sides from wickett and craig, drum dyed...i figure those should last until the weather warms up again...

[oldtimer]

OMG! At first I thought the leather froze to death !

[Matt Alsaker]

I just saw the typo....love your reply...that's pretty darn funny...made my day.

OMG! At first I thought the leather froze to death !

[oldtimer]

Dip dying, that´s same as drowning, huh? :-)

Made my day too, Matt! Thank´s!

/ Knut

[Matt Alsaker]

I actually had not considered this as an option, but it's at the top of my list now. I think this will be the way to go for me. Thanks.

Hey Matt,

im facing the same issue here in kentucky...the only solutiion i could find was to order a couple of sides from wickett and craig, drum dyed...i figure those should last until the weather warms up again...

[Northmount]

If you are handling just a small amount of dye at a time, a simple fan in the window sucking the fumes out will not get to an explosive mixture. Also if you pick a fan with no starting winding (no electrical switch contacts inside the motor), there will be no sparks to initiate combustion. So most box fans and window fans that start slowly and take time to get up to speed are none sparking. If you are handling large amounts of dye, or spraying, two windows would be nice, blow air in one and let if find its way out the other.

Different inflamable fluids have differing lower explosive limits (LEL). You can look up and compare alcohols, naphtha, diesel fuel, gasoline, natural gas, propane, butane and see what the LEL for each happens to be. It will give you some idea of how much risk there is. Also look at the flash temperature to see what temperature a hot surface has to get to before it will cause ignition. Like if you have an electric heater in the room!.

One of the worst fluids for a wide range from LEL to higher explosive limit is hydrogen. It is explosive from 5% to 98% in air. I have seen a 99% hydrogen atmosphere in a compressor house. I asked the supervisor if he wanted me to shut of the power to the building remotely at its source. He said no, we'll just ventillate it. The fire crew brought in water powered fans and placed in the doorways. They brought the concentration down from 99% to next to zero, safely passing through that explosive zone. Then they couldn't find the source of the leak!

As you are doing, it is important to consider the the risks of explosion when handling inflammable fluids. I know of many instances where serious explosions and fires have occurred due to cleaning paint brushes near an open flame, trying to repair leaking gas tanks in an enclosed space (garage), etc.

Buying drum dyed makes a lot of sense!

CTG