Dye Fading

[SpursNM]

I am having a problem with the dye fading on the spots that I form on the holster. I use a rub stick to wet form the outline of the gun and where i rub, the dye fades. I let the dye dry completely (24 hrs). before wet forming. I have to dye before wet forming because I hand stitch with white thread. I am using Feibing pro oil dye.

Any suggestions? Thanks

[Dwight]

Actually, . . . you don't.

I have contact cemented holsters together in the past, . . . wet formed them, . . . let them dry, . . . dip dyed the rascals (touch up the forming and details while the dye is wet), . . . let it dry again, . . . sew it with that pretty "clean" white thread.

I use only Weldwood contact cement, . . . it has never let me down yet.

May God bless,

Dwight

[katsass]

From the old grump; I also use only Weldwood Contact Cement, and only their solvent based version. Been using is for a long time. Also, it really depends on what your desired outcome is after molding. If for retention, take your time, use your grubby mitts, and shape your wet dead cow skin to your shooter --- if your desire is to allow everyone to see the engraving on the slide or barrel, and every line of the shooter, well, do as Dwight suggests. FWIW. my opinion in the latter case is that it can very easily be overdone, to no good purpose. Mike

[Lobo]

When wet-forming and boning the leather you are stretching and compressing the leather fibers, resulting in areas of greater density that absorb dyes differently. There are a couple of things you might try to improve your results.

1. Dampen the leather slightly prior to dyeing. A damp sponge or spray bottle can be used for this purpose. The moisture helps to open the pores of the leather which allows dyes to penetrate more readily.

2. Dye the leather prior to wet-forming. This will just about always result in more even coverage. When using this method it helps to allow the dye to set up completely prior to wet-forming; otherwise you will experience some dye transfer to your hands and tools.

Over the years I have used a number of methods for dyeing. I used to form and dry each piece, then dye by dunking in a bucket of dye. Then I dyed prior to forming. Now I dye right after wet-forming using a spray applicator, while the piece is still just damp. There is considerable difference in the results, and even more difference in the time required to achieve the desired results.

Dip-dyeing usually requires two or three applications, and a quart of dye usually does about 60 pieces (or about 1/2 oz. per piece). Dip-dyeing can also result in noticeable shrinkage in formed leather holsters and pouches.

Dyeing prior to forming adds another step to the production process and requires hours of drying time before production can continue (usually overnight). A quart of dye usually does about 60 pieces (about 1/2 oz. per piece).

Spray application on damp leather takes only a few seconds, then the piece can go into the drying cabinet as usual to complete the drying process. Some pieces will require a second spraying after drying to even out the results. A quart of dye usually does about 100 pieces (about 0.3 oz. per piece).

Spray application is easily done with an air brush, however there is some time involved in set-up and clean-up with each use. I found a very handy alternative in the PreVal sprayer units (Home Depot stocks these locally, about $6.00 for the complete unit and about $4.00 for the refill compressed air containers). Basically, the PreVal is a self-contained mini-air brush consisting of an 8-oz. jar to hold the liquid to be sprayed, a tube to draw out the liquid, and a spray cannister with push button nozzle like a rattle-can paint sprayer. The glass bottles are reusable and come with a lid to keep contents from drying out between uses. Each "power unit" (compressed air container) will spray-dye about 15 pieces (holsters, belts, etc). The power unit can be changed out in under a minute when it has emptied.

We keep several units set up with our different dyes, and use up 3 or 4 power units per week doing 35 to 50 products (holsters, belts, pouches). There is no set-up time or clean-up time required with this method. My cost runs about $12-$15 per week for the power units, in return for which I estimate that we are saving 3 to 4 hours of work during dye applications.

The PreVal sprayer functions much like an air brush, but is not to be compared to the better air brushes for special effects dyeing. They work great for general purpose use, but I wouldn't recommend them for artistic applications such as fading, edge effects, etc, that some folks excel at with an air brush. For the hobbyist doing occasional leatherwork or for the small production shop the PreVal sprayers are great.

[malabar]

Lobo,

that's genius. Thanks for sharing that.

tk