Members morb Posted April 18, 2014 Members Report Posted April 18, 2014 I haven't had a chance to try it yet, hopefully this weekend. Quote
Members BDAZ Posted April 18, 2014 Members Report Posted April 18, 2014 The steel wool (iron) in the vinegar (acetic acid) produces ferric acetate which reacts with the tannins in the leather and turns them black through a chemical reaction. It is NOT a dye as the solution is the color of tea and the reaction is almost instantaneous. Ferric Acetate can be purchased but it is very expensive. I have heard that the less expensive ferric nitrate will perform in a similar fashion. Cya! Bob Quote
Members veedub3 Posted April 18, 2014 Members Report Posted April 18, 2014 The steel wool (iron) in the vinegar (acetic acid) produces ferric acetate which reacts with the tannins in the leather and turns them black through a chemical reaction. It is NOT a dye as the solution is the color of tea and the reaction is almost instantaneous. Ferric Acetate can be purchased but it is very expensive. I have heard that the less expensive ferric nitrate will perform in a similar fashion. Cya! Bob We are actually talking about steel wool in coffee not in vinegar. Morb, I actually did a batch yesterday. I used a dark roast and made the strongest coffee I could. I placed a piece of leather in the batch before bed yesterday. As soon as I get some coffee in me I am going to go to the shop to see what it looks like and I will post pics of the color. Karina Quote "The only man who makes no mistake, is the man who does nothing." Theodore Roosevelt
Members BDAZ Posted April 18, 2014 Members Report Posted April 18, 2014 Duh! That's what I get for posting at 2am, BUT coffee is high in tannins and possibly the steel wool is having a similar reaction with the tannins. One trick with vinegaroon is to presoak the leather in very strong tea to add extra tannins to the leather for a better reaction. Cya! Bob Quote
Members veedub3 Posted April 18, 2014 Members Report Posted April 18, 2014 Just made it into the shop. Here is the piece that I placed in the coffee over night. It was 4/5 oz veg tan and I think I placed it in the coffee brew around 5pm yesterday. It is still wet so I will post another one once it dries to see the final color. BDAZ you may be on to something, I really would like a darker brown so this weekend I am actually going to try it with steel wool in it. Hopefully I can get a darker brown. Morb since you said you got a dark brown almost black, I think I am going to try the technique you posted. I didn't boil the coffee, I just brewed the strongest pot of dark roast coffee as possible. I packed the coffee down until I filled the coffee filter to the brim. It was so strong it was giving me a headache. Smelled awful, like burning tar/rubber or something. I am going to take this outside and do it on the stove top on my deck because that smell was in my shop for hours, I had to turn on the roof vents to clear it out. Luckily the leather don't smell bad so I guess that's a good thing. Karina Quote "The only man who makes no mistake, is the man who does nothing." Theodore Roosevelt
Members morb Posted April 18, 2014 Members Report Posted April 18, 2014 Karina Here's a link to the breast collar I made for my horse. The pic doesn't show the color that well but you'll get the idea. I like the color on your piece, it turned out nice. Be sure to oil it once it's dry, it will make it a little darker as well. http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=54753&hl= Quote
Members veedub3 Posted April 18, 2014 Members Report Posted April 18, 2014 Karina Here's a link to the breast collar I made for my horse. The pic doesn't show the color that well but you'll get the idea. I like the color on your piece, it turned out nice. Be sure to oil it once it's dry, it will make it a little darker as well. http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=54753&hl= That color you achieved is awesome! I really wanted mine to be darker so I am definitely trying it out with the steel wool. I will post a pic of the final color once dry and oiled. Karina Quote "The only man who makes no mistake, is the man who does nothing." Theodore Roosevelt
Members BDAZ Posted April 18, 2014 Members Report Posted April 18, 2014 As a suggestion why not brew the coffee with vinegar and then add steel wool, maybe a quarter of a pad, of 0000 and let sit for a couple of days. Cya! Bob Quote
Members morb Posted April 18, 2014 Members Report Posted April 18, 2014 I read that someone tried that and it turned black like vinagaroon. Quote
Members BDAZ Posted April 18, 2014 Members Report Posted April 18, 2014 I guess the coffee would indeed turn black. Cya! Bob Quote
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