Redyeing

[bcflyguy]

I have dyed a piece too dark. The piece is not sealed yet.( no Resolene)How do I redye it to make it a different color

thanks

Neil

ps I originally used Fiebing Eco flo

[Troy I]

You could try to buff it out with rubbing alcohol...I have done this with professional oil dyes, but not with Eco Flo. Try on some scrap leather first. Just a suggestion...good luck.

[bcflyguy]

Thanks for the idea Troy

[camano ridge]

First thing we need to carify what dye you are using. Eco Flo is Tandy's water based dye. Yes you can use a coarse cloth with alchol, you will only lighten the color you will not remove it completely. You could also try oxalic acid it will bleach leather and again will probably only lighten the color not remove it completely. You are not going to be able to go from dark brown to light tan type of change. What color did you dye it and what color do you want to change to. One thing in using dyes does not matter if it is Fiebings or Eco FLo I thin my dyes and then apply light coats until I get the look I want.

[CoreyChiev]

No to hijack the thread, but I've also got a similar problem to this one. I went a little bit too dark. I used Fiebings Light Brown alcohol based dye. Would there be something I could use to lighten it a tad? I'm not looking for a miracle eraser, but I'm curious to try something on it.

Thanks,

Corey

[camano ridge]

Corey, see my post above yours. Alcohol will lighten it just put some on a rag and rub. Try it on an out of sight area to see if it gives you the effect you want.

[CoreyChiev]

Would the dye reducer work, or should I go get some isopropyl alcohol?

[camano ridge]

I don't know what dye reducer you are using. Read the label if there is a fair amount of alcoholl in it may work. Try it and see.

[byggyns]

Fiebing's dye reducer is a mix of Ethanol (denatured alcohol) and Propanol (rubbing alcohol) acording to their MSDS. So, yes, dye reducer would work for what he is suggesting.

It's also a good idea to keep that in mind for the future. You can mix your own dye reducer formula for less than $10 a quart. That's a lot less than the $20 that Tandy charges (at Elite club level). The effective differences between the two types of alcohol are not much when dealing with leather. So, using either the 90% rubbing alcohol or denatured alcohol by themselves is also an option.