Dye Is Killing Me Detail ..re-Tool?

[Twisted 66]

ok I did some tooling on a fender bib I'm trying out..( 7-9oz veg tan leather) first off it's my first real project so I'm doing what I can..I got the tooling done and I was going to do a 2 tone dye job using a hi-light stain..I added the highlight and it seems to have washed out my textured background first of all..secondly it looks like it's erasing some of my detail..I have added a before and after pic..my question is however..can I re-tool after I have added the highlight stain to areas I want to bring out?I'm going to airbrush in the dye after this so I have more control over the colour and contrast etc..should have done it first really but then what fun would learning be if I didn't get to screw up a few days of hard work lol.. comments and advice always welcome. ( for an idea...the skulls will be greyed , and the background oval will be greyed..the flames and actual bib will be black to give it a contrast..or that's the idea anyway)

[RavenAus]

I'm certainly not an expert but from the looks of things the antiquing has gone quite well. When you say it's lost detail, I think what's happened is that the antiquing has been rubbed out of the shallower areas, especially on the background where it's hard to get the stuff to stay in from my experience Where the antiquing has stayed it shows a much better contrast so the rest looks washed out, but careful re-application should pring it back out.

[camano ridge]

When you wipe off the antique, wrap a cloth around a block of wood or something hard then wipe off the antique. This will help you keep from wiping out of the impressions.

[Twisted 66]

I'll give that a try..can I still re-tool the leather?? think maybe if I add a little more texture to the background it'll help..I haven't sealed it..just stained it.

[Twisted 66]

okay so after wiping and drying and wetting and wiping and re-applying and a whole lot of frustration..I was lucky enough to get some invaluable advice from a few people on this site..a little more from the internet..a little from an article and well...I'm done with it lol I'll take it..it's not bad for my first bib..still have the double loop to do but otherwise..I'm so done lol. man I have Sooo much to learn but damn it..I'm having fun!

[camano ridge]

Looks pretty nice. The detail on the skulls came out pretty good.

[cgmartin]

I think that turned out great!