Crispy Leather Dilemma

[vwdoyle]

Hello everybody,

Thanks for taking the time to read my post, I have just begun my adventures with leather crafting and I am most definitely hooked. My current dilemma is dying the nice and soft leather I have only for it to become tough and crispy once the dye has dried. So my question is how do I prevent this from happening? I am using a thin 2 oz leather to make a wallet. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

If it is an issue of the type of leather I am using what would the best type and weight of leather to use for wallets(tooled and non-tooled)?

[Northmount]

Use neatsfoot oil or extravirgin olive oil (EVOO) to lightly oil the leather after it is dyed. Some people also lightly oil before applying the dye. Don't apply too much. More is not always better. Neatsfoot oil darkens the leather more than EVOO. Let the item sit 12 to 24 hours after oiling so it can soak in evenly and any splotchy areas will even out. Hard to make it look perfect immediately after oiling without getting too much oil on. So don't panic. Uneven or blotches will disappear after sitting.

Tom

[Matt S]

Are you using spirit dye by any chance?

[vwdoyle]

Are you using spirit dye by any chance?

I am using ECO FLO dye.

Use neatsfoot oil or extravirgin olive oil (EVOO) to lightly oil the leather after it is dyed. Some people also lightly oil before applying the dye. Don't apply too much. More is not always better. Neatsfoot oil darkens the leather more than EVOO. Let the item sit 12 to 24 hours after oiling so it can soak in evenly and any splotchy areas will even out. Hard to make it look perfect immediately after oiling without getting too much oil on. So don't panic. Uneven or blotches will disappear after sitting.

Tom

Thank you Tom for your response. I will give it a try.