Pro Waterstains-What Am I Doing Wrong

[aaron61032]

I've been trying the new water stains lately but I am having problems with the blue and sporadically the other colors showing too dark. I am following the instructions using a sponge. In the videos they seem to reaaly rub the stain in. What is a good way to get consistency with these?

[lightingale]

You can dilute them with water for lighter shades. Some skins absorb more dye than others, so it's always a good idea to test it on a piece of scrap that came from the same hide to see how the colour will turn out.

Personally, I found the blue and green pro waterstains (Eco flo) to be dull and ugly. The browns and reds are fine. Fiebings spirit dyes are much brighter, and I've heard great things about angelus dyes as well.

[olds cool]

I've been trying the black and I have the opposite problem. I can't seem to get it to soak in like it should. It usually takes 2-4 coats just to stop seeing brown through it. Then 1/2 the time it rubs off when I buff it lightly with a cloth. I've tried it on 2 pieces of leather that were purchased from different places and have gotten the same results. I'm ready to throw this crap in the circular file.

[aaron61032]

I got a decent color on the blue last night. I ran a wool dauber across the leather in lines then picked up excess. I will see how well it held in tonight. I'm not sure what abuse it can take because the stain wasn't rubbed in st all.

I got a decent color on the blue last night. I ran a wool dauber across the leather in lines then picked up excess. I will see how well it held in tonight. I'm not sure what abuse it can take because the stain wasn't rubbed in st all.

[cjdevito]

With the pro waterstains I find I have to use a damp sponge on dampened leather. If I don't, it goes on unevenly and much too dark. First time I used one was saddle tan and I made the mistake of using it full strength, end result was a dark red. The blue is especially bad at going on evenly without dampening first.

I've had a completely different experience with the pro black than olds cool, though. That one I has gone on like a dream when I've used it, full black with no uneven-ness and no rub off.

[capsterdog]

I have used the water stains with no problems. I found that just a consistent circle motion and not over saturating th sponge works well. I have used the blue, black, red and the cordivan color with very good results. Also the brown works well, when I first used the brown it looked like maroon but when it dried over night it was very nice brown.

I pour my dye on a plate and just dab the sponge about three times to load it up. Hope this helps you.

[SooperJake]

Are you refering to Eco Flo Pro waterstains?