Dying Trick For Beveled Edges?

[stef73433]

I'm trying to make the Batman symbol.started great, carved the bat and the black outlined edge.my problem came in the the little tiny edge where I beveled, the tiny raised edge.I had trouble getting color there without bleeding over.how can I get nice crisp dye lines? Here's the piece before I tried during it.luckily a trial piece.I'm very, this is my first figure carving so don't judge carving to harshly, lol. novice

[JustKate]

Sorry, gotta pelt you with a few questions about what you're doing...

How big is the piece? What kind of dye are you using? What method are you using to apply the dye?

[Cyberthrasher]

You'll probably want to work carefully with a dry brush technique. Blot your brush on some paper after dipping it in the dye, then start somewhere in the middle of the black space to get the rest of the flowing dye off the brush. From here you'll have a fairly dry brush that you'll be able to carefully move over to the beveled edge. Takes practice, but once you get the hang of it, it's pretty easy.

[stef73433]

It is 3 by 6", its a small pony Bronc nose band I'm using fiebings oil dye.started out heat with a dry brush, until I realized I want getting that little raised edge like I thought.precise piece so its ok.

[JustKate]

Okay, you're using oil dye with a brush. Good dye for very solid color and clean boundary lines. As Cyberthrasher pointed out, you'll want to experiment more with different amounts you load your brush with dye, and dab off a certain amount of it before making that first stroke with the brush on leather. How much you dab off will vary from one job to another, or even just depending on where you are in the design, and what kind of effect you're trying to achieve.

Also, when you first hit the leather with your brush, it sometimes helps to make that first touch a little away from the boundary of where the dye will go, because the dye usually spreads out a bit from there. Then work gradually toward the boundary you want to define for the dyed area (in this case, the beveled line).

[Cyberthrasher]

Also, when you first hit the leather with your brush, it sometimes helps to make that first touch a little away from the boundary of where the dye will go, because the dye usually spreads out a bit from there. Then work gradually toward the boundary you want to define for the dyed area (in this case, the beveled line).

that's what I was trying to portray

I've been having a bad problem with jumbled thoughts lately.

[stef73433]

i have been doing exactly what you guys said! its just really hard to get that ledge. I think i need to really hit the area good with the yellow dye, then very carefully do the bat itself in black. Would it help to dye the yellow, seal it with a topcoat, then dye the black, so if the black spatters at all, it will wipe off top coat?

[Cyberthrasher]

No, I wouldn't try any topcoat, it probably won't perform as a resist the way you're hoping. I haven't really found any topcoat that reliably resists dye. What size brush are you using? It could be that you just need a smaller/different style brush. If it were me doing it, I would probably start with a number 3 round brush, and if that was too big I'd go to a number 5. If you're really trying to get into a fine line, a 10/0 will get you there, but it takes a lot of re-dips since it doesn't hold much dye at all.

But I do have to say if it's getting where you don't want it, then you probably just need less dye on the brush - barely anything left - when you hit that spot. It just takes a steady and slow hand. Maybe we're not looking at the exact spot you're talking about. Can you circle it on the picture or something? I can also say that getting the side of your beveled design is easier if you round off the top edges with a modeler, instead of leaving the artwork sticking up at a 90 deg angle.

[JustKate]

[Northmount]

It may help to dampen the leather slightly, so it doesn't tend to wick the dye as easily, since it is already moist. Experiment!

Tom

Edit:

Another thing you can do is put a light finish on, then dye with an alcohol based dye. It won't wick, but also doesn't really penetrate the leather, so is not good for items subject to any amount of wear. You will get different response than normal for the colour. Also, be careful putting the finish on over the dye. It will smear easily, so air brush is best. You need to test this first before you try it on a final product.

Edited June 17, 2013 by northmount