Vinegaroon - Baking Soda Burn?

[jfirth]

I'm getting ready to try vinegaroon for the first time on a project, so I made up a batch and tested it on a scrap of leather, brushing it on some of the scrap, waiting a day, and then soaking the leather in baking soda dissolved in water for a few (less than 3) minutes. I only vinegarooned the very end of the scrap, but I dunked the whole scrap into the baking soda solution. The vinegarooned portion came out perfect, and all vinegar smell was gone. However, the un-vinegarooned end of the leather seems to have been significantly darkened by the baking soda solution; it's now a medium to dark brown. My baking soda solution was about 2 tbsp dissolved in about 8-10 ounces of water.

So, I have two questions:

1. Can a baking soda solution be used as a cheap dark brown dye, similar to the way vinegaroon is used for black?

2. I'm assuming the darkening of the leather is a result of the baking soda burning it, which presumably could lead to problems similar to not neutralizing vinegaroon. So, is it necessary to use a specific strength formulation of baking soda solution to prevent a swing from one end of the ph scale to the other, rather than ending up in the middle?

[aaljarbou]

I would like to know this, as well. I like to do surface dyeing in vinegaroon so that I can maintain the natural color on the flesh side, therefore, I am loathe to do full dunking in baking soda mix and therefore only wash the surface in baking soda (usually within half an hour of dying), which does not end up eliminating the smell, but I hope gets rid of some of the acidity. Does anyone think that full dunking is necessary? Is it also good to wait a day or so before applying the baking soda?

[jrny4wrd]

Great question. From former posts I had read you can use too much baking soda and it will "burn?" It or color it pink. From this information I gathered (I may be wrong) is that baking soda is really just there to nutralize the acidity from the vinigaroon. If thats whats its used for then puting it on leather without the vinegaroon will probably cause the PH to go way out of wack in the other dirrection. I do not dip in the roon rather just paint with it. I put the baking soda on the same way or with just a quick wipe letting it penetrate as much as the roon did. I then use a damp rag and gobover that as so there is none resting on top of the leather. I had just started this process because it seems to make sence so I too would love input from professionals.

[Red Cent]

Making and using vinagroon is a very subjective matter.

I use a large kitty litter plastic container (not airtight) I use one gallon of cheap white vinegar and two steel wool pads. I throw them in as they are. I don't put the container in the sun. Ain't necessary. Stir a few times. There is not this magic time when it is done. Try the mixture on scrap leather. My mixture goes to a vary dark brown quickly.

The method I use is to drop the belt (or whatever) in the container and when the air bubbles are about done, I take the belt immediately to the big plastic sink in the washroom, run about 2 "s of water, sprinkle about three heaping tablespoons of baking soda and stir it up. Dump in the belt and swish around. I let it set for about the same time I left it in the vinagroon. Take it out and hang it in front of a fan. Sunshine or heat will make that belt into a lethal weapon. When totally dry, I wipe it down sparingly with Neat Foot's Oil. Let it dry naturally and I don't put it in the sun.

Occasionally I will use Fiebling's black dye very sparingly for a rich black shiny color. Use very little.

[Halitech]

Vinegaroon is not a dye, it's actually a chemical reaction with the leather so it's not really something that is going to work well with just trying to get the top layer colored. And it should take close to a month for a batch of vinegaroon to really work well. And as Red Cent says, dunk it, wait only a few minutes then put it in the baking soda solution. If you let it sit for a day and it barely touched the surface, your vinegaroon wasn't ready to use. Vinegaroon shouldn't have much of a vinegar smell once it's ready to use.

[Red Cent]

And the neutralization is very important. That stuff will rust stuff overnight.

[jrny4wrd]

I top paint mine on. It doesnt give it as rich of a black as dunking it but it does work for detailed stuff. After nutralizing it and letting it dry I will often paint black dye over that. Sounds like a waste of time but the vinigaroon works better than some that would normally use blue. Plus, makes a neat smokiness when you sponge dab it on and then dye a bag another color.

I top paint mine on. It doesnt give it as rich of a black as dunking it but it does work for detailed stuff. After nutralizing it and letting it dry I will often paint black dye over that. Sounds like a waste of time but the vinigaroon works better than some that would normally use blue. Plus, makes a neat smokiness when you sponge dab it on and then dye a bag another color.