Oops! I Have Dyed It Too Dark...

[jessiformoe]

Hi, I am new to leatherwork and managed to get my pieces too dark on the second application. I haven't applied any finishing coats yet, and was wondering if I can lighten it up at this point. I had dyed a scrap piece of the same leather a few days earlier and was satisfied with the result. But I am new at this and don't have a routine/rhythm down yet, and somehow ended up with a darker shade the second time around when working on the actual project. I used Tandy's Eco-Flow Deep Violet dye. Any tips/suggestions are very much welcomed!

Thanks,

Jessi

[mikesmith648]

wash with soap and water and it will take most of the dye out........I use dawn, or used to, don't use Eco-crap much anymore if I can help it.

[Cyberthrasher]

Also, how long has it been since you applied it? I might wait at least a day or two to see if it happens to lighten up a little as it settles into the leather.

On your test piece, did you apply it EXACTLY the same way you applied on the real thing. I'll run into that a lot when I'm testing a new color mix. I'll brush it onto a test piece in blotches to tryout the color. But, when I spray it on or apply heavily with a rag or something, it's always a LOT darker. For some reason I never remember that and fail to plan for the difference in color between testing and actual application .

[jessiformoe]

Interesting point about how long I'd waited. It was ~24 hours this morning when it looked so dark (but felt dry). To my amazement, when I got home from work this evening after a very long day... it was notably lighter! Now I feel silly for asking the question.

Since I am new to this I don't have a routine down pat -- I am working on small projects so both for the testing and actual project, I used a wool dauber, and applied it in a circular fashion, but I may have been more liberal with amount of dye I applied on the real project than when I did the test. I guess consistency will come with time and practice.

[Cyberthrasher]

I guess consistency will come with time and practice.

Definitely!! I actually hate using daubers because I can never get a consistent coverage. I usually try to airbrush everything if it's going to be multiple colors. If it's single color, I like to just block dye and get it over with. Block dying is when you wrap a rag around a block of something and put dye on, then rub it over the length of your project. It won't get into the tooling that way, so if you need to color that too, just wrap a rag around your hand and press harder to get it into the tooling. But, I haven't played with using wool scraps for dying either. I hear that's a good way to go as well.

Just remember that the dye, or any other penetrating product, will continue to absorb into the leather over the next couple days after application. So, with a normal application I like to wait at least over night and come back to it the next evening after work. If I get it on heavy, I'll wait a little longer to see if it evens out before I do anything else to it.

[RiverCity]

Definitely!! I actually hate using daubers because I can never get a consistent coverage. I usually try to airbrush everything if it's going to be multiple colors. If it's single color, I like to just block dye and get it over with. Block dying is when you wrap a rag around a block of something and put dye on, then rub it over the length of your project. It won't get into the tooling that way, so if you need to color that too, just wrap a rag around your hand and press harder to get it into the tooling. But, I haven't played with using wool scraps for dying either. I hear that's a good way to go as well.

Just remember that the dye, or any other penetrating product, will continue to absorb into the leather over the next couple days after application. So, with a normal application I like to wait at least over night and come back to it the next evening after work. If I get it on heavy, I'll wait a little longer to see if it evens out before I do anything else to it.

With the block dying, do you get "even" coverage without overlapping dark streaks? Is it better to use the oil dye vs reg alcohol etc?

Thanks

Chuck

[Cyberthrasher]

With the block dying, do you get "even" coverage without overlapping dark streaks? Is it better to use the oil dye vs reg alcohol etc?

Thanks

Chuck

Sorry about that. Got sidetracked and completely forgot about this. Block dying will give a near perfect coverage because it's a limited amount of dye going on the leather at any one time. That's the main problem with brushes and daubers - there's just too much going on at once and you get all those lines and blotches (which can be a cool effect if you MEAN to do it ). Even just using a rag without a "block" will do awesome work. I do that a lot if I just have big area with the same color. I prefer the oil dye, but the regular alcohol isn't too much different. I use Fiebing's Pro Oil for the majority of my work, but there are better color selections in the regular dye, so as I need those I get it in that version. So far all I've really needed from that line is blue.

[RiverCity]

Thanks! I've used block dyeing for the purpose of leaving tooling undyed before, but never on a piece that was large enough to worry about streaks. I'll keep tinkering with it. I'm guessing keep the cloth on the block pretty dry and "scrub" the dye into the leather?

Thanks

Chuck

Sorry about that. Got sidetracked and completely forgot about this. Block dying will give a near perfect coverage because it's a limited amount of dye going on the leather at any one time. That's the main problem with brushes and daubers - there's just too much going on at once and you get all those lines and blotches (which can be a cool effect if you MEAN to do it ). Even just using a rag without a "block" will do awesome work. I do that a lot if I just have big area with the same color. I prefer the oil dye, but the regular alcohol isn't too much different. I use Fiebing's Pro Oil for the majority of my work, but there are better color selections in the regular dye, so as I need those I get it in that version. So far all I've really needed from that line is blue.

[Cyberthrasher]

I wouldn't say scrub. Just wipe it on and you'll be fine.

[mrdabeetle]

Same experience with the eco flo deep violet. Customer ended up liking it better that way, but I've been diluting it since, and I'm happier with it.

[JustKate]

If you're following up a water-based dye with any kind of antique, you'll want to dye it somewhat darker than you want it to end up, since the antique will lift out some of the color. Once a sealing finish is applied, it will be stable.