Tan Commander

[SooperJake]

Thank you for the compliments - I sure do appreciate it!

I think the trick to dip dying is to use good dye. I say it so often, but I stopped using Feibing's products for dye a long time ago because I could never get even shades of any brown without using an airbrush. Even then, after I got the holster wet, it bled all over my white thread and tinted it to off-white...or worse.

Angelus makes great dye that can be used for dipping, and yes - the leather panels get dipped in dye, then pulled out and left to dry. After they're dry, they get buffed and kicked down the line. There's no special trick (that I know of, at least) to getting detail after dying. I've tried molding then dip dying and my results weren't as good as my current method. I think it all comes down to the type of dye. When I started dipping, I had to buff for days using Feibing's dye, but as soon as I switched, a few quick wipes and I was moving on. There's no way to preserve white thread if you're building then dying.

Chris

Chris,

Could you elaberate a little on your dye and finish process, please? For instance, are you cutting the dye with solvent and, if so, to what ratio? Is the 600 straight from the bottle or cut with water or ? Do you pre-clean the leather before dyeing it? Do you just toss the holster in and pull it out or leave it in for some seconds or minutes? What do you buff with?

Thanks!

Jake