Fiebings Oil Dye - Totally Uneaven - Why? :-(

[Pennypower]

Hi everyone!

My dyeing skills are kind of hit or miss, so on this belt I thought SURELY if I dip dye it, it will be even enough right? Does anybody know why it looks like this?

This picture is taken a few hours later, so it's not totally dry yet, but I would be shocked if all of a sudden it was even once it's dry. Shocked but happy!

Also, it seems to have like a greenish shimmeryness to it, in blotches. Not sure what that is either.

Oh and I dip dyed it in Fiebings Oil Dye, saddle tan :-D

Thank ya'll for your help!

[Pennypower]

The only thing I did to it before I dyed it was sand the edges and buff the surface with water :-) So there is no soup or oil on it, at least not from me. Could it have just been too dirty? Do I need to clean with saddle soap before I dye it?

Oh and one more question....if I use an airbrush, will that control the unevenness entirely? Because this is dip dyed so I'm under the impression that the problem is with the leather it'self. But I've never tried airbrushing so I don't know.

[Dwight]

Well, for starters, . . . you picked the one Feibings oil dye that I will probably never use again myself when my bottle is done.

But, . . . you might just allow it to dry thoroughly and it will be OK, . . . it has done things like that to me.

What are you using for the finish coat?

Resolene has a habit of helping to smooth out what would otherwise look kinda blotchy for me. I use it almost exclusively on belts.

Best wishes, may God bless,

Dwight

[Pennypower]

Dwight, I've been using clean lac, or clear lac, or whatever that's called LOL.

I like how shiny it makes it but sometimes it cracks. I'll try Resolene. Is there a certain brand I should get, or is that the brand?

Oh I see, Fiebings resolene.

[CanadianGirl]

Mix it 50/50 with water and use sparingly. I usually do two or so coats of it.

[Dwight]

Like Canadian Girl said, . . . mix 50/50 with water.

I use a cheap bristle brush, . . . put a good wet coat on the belt (always start with the back), . . . and keep adding and brushing until I build up almost a bubbly lather.

I then turn it over and do the same thing for the front.

Come back to the back, . . . add a little more, . . . brush the bubbles left, right, up, down, crossways, . . . until they have been brushed out.

Turn it over and do the same for the front, . . .

Hang it up on a hook and very carefully make sure wherever I have touched it that it gets a good brushing of Resolene, . . . especially the edges.

You really do want a plastic, or latex glove on the "handling" hand. That stuff won't hurt you, I don't think, . . . but it's sticky nasty, . . . kinda like a 1 year old handing you her sucker,..........

You also want to be sure to do all the bending necessary (buckle end especially) because when this hardens and dries, it can crack. Do the bending while it is still wet, . . . then touch up where you touched it bending it.

May God bless,

Dwight

[Pennypower]

THank you! I just checked it recently and it seems to have evened out a lot as it has dried more. I'm kind of shocked that it was that obvious and easy :-P

[Cyberthrasher]

You'll solve some of those problems by putting a light coat of oil on first. It helps to pull the dye in more evenly. Basically what's going on is that certain parts of the leather are dryer than others, so they suck in the dye a lot faster, where those that have some moisture in them don't - leaving those dark spots until it settles.

For your green - it's not just saddle tan. All of the browns have green in the mixture. Think of when you were a kid and mixed your colors. When you decided you were really fancy and mixed all those pretty colors and it ended up looking like poop - that's how they make brown. It's got more green in it than anything else. I have a bottle of Walnut that's horrible about it. That bottle, I apply light thinned coats and buff buff buff with a little bit of oil to settle it down. Sometimes the mix is just a little off and it comes through like that.

You will see a much more even application with an airbrush due to the way it atomizes the color and doesn't build up in any one spot more than the others. The downside is that you have to work a little harder to get the dye to penetrate into the leather deeper like it does when using a dauber or brush. That's best accomplished by applying a light coat of oil and then putting on your first coat of dye reduced by 50%. If it's already a 50/50 color, reduce it to 25/75 for that first coat. Then go through a second coat with your intended mixture.

[Pennypower]

Cyberthrasher....awesome. That makes a lot of sense. I'm going to oil first from now on.

I can't wait to get an airbrush!

[Yetiusmc]

Pennypower,

If you have a Harbor Freight close by, they have air brushes super cheap. They work generally the same as ones that will cost 4 times as much, so it may be worth it for you to learn on before you decide you like the air brush method. Good luck!

[Pennypower]

Yetiusmc, yes actually, I was at Harbor Freight yesterday getting a ventilator mask. As soon as I get a chance I'm going to run over there and get one! Thanks, I didn't know they had them :-)

[Pennypower]

I just looked it up and they have one for $11!

Also, fwi, they have a huge sale going on this weekend. I'm also going to get the 80 peace rotary tool kit for $8. Can't beat that! Even if it only works for like a week LOL.

Edited January 11, 2014 by Pennypower

[Pennypower]

Well, major blonde moment. I didn't even think about a compressor. Here I am thinking how awesome it is that I got an airbrush for only $14. Well, looks like I'll be saving up a little longer :-P

[Yetiusmc]

Yeah, you kinda need both pieces for it to work right! LOL There are canned air systems too, but for your money, best to get the compressor!

[harley45]

What oil is everyone using before dying?

[CanadianGirl]

If dying dark I use neetsfoot oil 100%. If I need it lighter I use olive oil.

[Dwight]

Actually, . . . I never oil before dying, . . . and I only oil after, if I'm convinced that the leather is dry.

It will take a looooooooong time for the oil in the leather to dry out, . . . BUT, . . . it is real easy to get too much oil on the project to start with.

Most of my products rely on the inherent stiffness of the veggie tan created by wet molding, . . . even the slightest too much oil can ruin that effect.

My lifetime rule is we will all err, . . . but it pays to know which side on which to err, . . . in this case, . . . too little oil will come about far less times by not oiling, . . . than too much oil will come about by oiling.

Just my thoughts, . . .

May God bless,

Dwight

[Cyberthrasher]

I use Neatsfoot for all my oil. If I don't want it to darken, I don't apply as much.

Penny, careful with those HF airbrushes. The Red one SUCKS!!! Get the Blue deluxe model.

[Pennypower]

Yeah I'm actually going to take the HF one back. If I'm going to spend that kind of money I may as well get a better brand. I'm still looking to spend no more than $100 for my first one but anything has to be better than HF. My husband HATES HF. He says everything he has ever bought from there fell apart. So I only get stuff there that I'm experimenting with LOL.

[Yetiusmc]

I agree about the HF stuff. It is definitely NOT Craftsman Pro quality. As in all things, it depends on the application or intended use. I find that I dont need a top of the line Badger airbrush to dye stuff. First, because using an airbrush takes a lot of finesse and practice to be proficient, you really need to almost use it everyday. Second I only use my airbrushes to cover larger areas to get the airbrushed effect. Great for blending from light to dark with a more even appearance. For my application, my HF airbrush suits me currently. If I ever try to get detailed I will probably get a higher quality airbrush, but I have destroyed three that I can think of because I was not a proficient user of them. Hard for me to justify paying that kind of money for something I rarely use and will probably ruin again anyway! Just my $0.02!

[JLSleather]

This onewill spray whatever you need to spray (#1 tip for dyes/detail, #3 if you want to cover large areas - not necessary to switch but maybe a little faster, and #5 will spray finishes/lacquers).

You can order this set WITH a compressor, but the table model compressor is pretty sad, and I think not worth getting. The 12" x 13" binder and the 3.5"x 7" wallet colored with the same brush (without changing tips).

There are other brushes (hundreds) but this one has a pretty good "bang for the buck". Speaking of bang, if you 'ding' it, which we have, a new needle is available in most hobby stores for about $5. Nearly indestructible. The "extra" one I bought "in case" is still in the drawer unopened several years later.

\

Oh, that sounds confusing. The needle (especially the smaller #1) I have replaced many times. The "extra" is an extra SET, still in the box. And, this brush also painted that chicken in my avatar (as my skill increases, I hope to have that look more and more like a horse)

Edited January 15, 2014 by JLSleather

[Pennypower]

NICE! Thanks I'll be looking into this one some more for sure.