Dying Deerhide - Take #... - I've Lost Count!

[Tracym]

I remember neatsfoot oil from my horse days - that will darken them. But I seem to have read recently that neatsfood oil can cause leather to degrade. Not sure where I would get beeswax. I am wondering why those finishes, as opposed to the leather balm or resolene?

[Geneva]

This is something you don't need to worry about. I am very sure there are no ducks or geese for that matter looking for a specific color of a piece of leather.

[Tracym]

I am assured by the hunter that something bright white is a problem, and would scare ducks away. That's why the hunters wear camo.

Unfortunately, it appears I cannot dye this. I've tried Rit, Fiebing's dye, atom wax, resolene - no matter what I do, it bleeds when damp. I have spoken to Fiebing's, Tandy, some misc. tannery in Colorado who was nice enough to try to help me.

What people seem to think now is, that it is a chrome tan, and will repel dye. Guess I'm not going to solve the problem it appears.

Edited January 14, 2015 by Tracym

[bucksnort]

Tracy, Rinse your strings in hot water until you get the excess dye out & then dye them in some strong coffee if you need more color. Neatsfoot oil, make sure its pure neatsfoot oil not neatsfoot compound, will darken it some & I've never seen any sign that it will cause any damage. Buck

[Tracym]

I rinsed one string for literally 2 hours in running water once, and it never completely stopped shedding dye. I think now that I've done the resolene, my current strings are shot.

I could try some scraps with coffee and neatsfoot oil, and see if I have enough to cut more string.

Thanks

[Rawhidelady]

When I die my rawhide strings I soak them in Rit Dye for a couple of hours or until I get the color I want. Then I put them in a bowl of warm water with some vinegar in it, this sets the dye. Then I rinse them in cold water till the water runs clear.

[Tracym]

I gave up - Bambi won. Cannot die that hide. Rit with vinegar was my first attempt. Fiebing's another. Coffee another. Tried resolene. Other products I've lost track of by now Talked to Tandy, die manufacturers, and a stray tannery that took pity on me. Nothing worked, dye comes off the minute it gets damp. Bambi rules.

And after all this - the guy said go ahead and braid it natural - he'll just get it dirty!