Help! My Dye Won't Stick

[Jj5685]

I switched to fiebings oil dye recently from eco flo. This western stevie ray guitar strap I spent hours tooling is a nightmare. First I for mold on it. For rod of it with lemon juice. It darkened but I didn't mind. The tooling I'm happy with. I used saddle soap in the back because I want going to dye it anyway. The dye looks like Crap. It is uneven and didn't stick in the grooves. The splotchiest piece of crap I did. I'll post pics in a minute. Is it ruined or can I fix this. The lemon juice had dyed for a week. I used a sponge brush to apply. I'm really pissed off right now so any input would be great

Stupid auto spell check. I meant I got mold then put lemon juice on it

[Cyberthrasher]

I have some ideas, but I gotta see it to know if I'm thinking right. Remember, dye doesn't "stick", it penetrates. usually if your color isn't taking, it's because something else is blocking it.

Edited October 18, 2013 by Cyberthrasher

[Jj5685]

Before

After...

I've dyed a belt and a sling with fiebings so it's not the dye. Is the lemon juice or saddle soap in the back side

I think I put lexol in it too but that didn't mess my belt up at all

[Cyberthrasher]

Your problem is in the sponge brush, or more the technique used while you're using it. Every one of those dark spots is likely where you first placed the brush on the leather and ended up with a large pool of dye so it ended up getting really dark in that spot. There are a couple of things you can do. First, blot the brush off on some paper, and don't over-saturate it to begin with. Second, thin your dye first so that it goes on in several lighter applications building up the color gradually. Another thing that will help is a light coat of neatsfoot oil prior to dying. That will aid in keeping things even.

This problem happens the most with the mid-range colors like browns. To fix this one, I would start by applying some oil and then after about 10 or 15 minutes apply a thinned down mix of the dye. WHILE that's setting in, add a touch more to the lighter spots to balance things out. I like to use a blue shop paper towel for this step and just blot it on. Once you finish that - put it aside and don't look at it until the next day. Then you can decide if you need another application.