Members nicholas482109 Posted January 23, 2013 Members Report Posted January 23, 2013 I have been dying some scraps with Eco-Flo Canyon Tan. I really like the color and I want to dye a belt in it but I have a hard time getting a even color when dying scraps. I can get a pretty nice finish to it when I throughly clean the leather with denatured alcohol then apply the dye with a dauber and throughly buffed with a cotton cloth. But it comes out pretty uneven, areas darker than others. I've had the idea to wet the leather once the alcohol dries, but will that only leave the same spots that an unclean peice of leather has when dyed? Also to use a sponge and likely have to do multiple coats. I'm all out of scraps now so I am coming here for some advice. Can anyone give me some advice on getting an even dye on a long peice of leather with water based dyes? Quote
Members Studio-N Posted January 23, 2013 Members Report Posted January 23, 2013 apply LIBERALLY with sheep wool. You'll never get it even with a dauber. Quote
Members nicholas482109 Posted January 23, 2013 Author Members Report Posted January 23, 2013 Do I need to trim the wool down or so i want it long to absorb all a lot of dye? Quote
Members cjdevito Posted January 24, 2013 Members Report Posted January 24, 2013 When I'm dyeing with eco-flo stuff, the usual way I do it is to first lightly dampen the leather then apply a small amount of the dye to a damp-but-not-soggy sponge. You get a light coat this way, but it's the best way I've found to get the dye on evenly. If you need it darker after the first pass, apply a bit more dye and make another pass at the leather. Sheepswool as suggested definitely works better than a dauber. I still prefer the damp sponge, personally, but try both routes and see which one you prefer. Quote
Members mikesmith648 Posted January 24, 2013 Members Report Posted January 24, 2013 definitly trim the sheeps wool... several coats usually work better and thin it some. Quote
Members nicholas482109 Posted January 24, 2013 Author Members Report Posted January 24, 2013 Thanks for the replys. I tried with the sponge previously and was able to get even coats on a small peice. Should I wait until the first coat is totally dry before applying the second coat and is buffing between coats necessary? Quote
Members bubbaisaboerboel Posted February 10, 2013 Members Report Posted February 10, 2013 apply LIBERALLY with sheep wool. You'll never get it even with a dauber. I'm sorry i'm brand new to this site and im sure im going about asking this question wrong and im sure there is some way to look up other newbie questions but i saw this thread about the stain/dye? im using "Eco-Flo all-in-one water based! I'm brand new to leather working and wanted to do some dog collars, Long story short i tried using the Eco-Flo stuff and get bad results (un even) i only have a hobby lobby in my area and can only get black tan brown and super sheen! Is there a better dye i can buy? or one i should be using for dog collars! If you could help that would be great again im sorry if im asking in the wrong way! Also i used a medium wool dauber from hobby lobby did not see anything else at that location for applying dye? Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.