How to dye a large piece of leather?

[kenwallace]

I am trying to dye a large piece of leather, about 18"X18". I have never done this, but my concern is that the color will not be uniform across the entire piece. I have heard some suggestions about getting the leather damp, using brushes instead of wool, etc. The dye I am using is water based, "Saddle Tan" High-Lite. Any suggestions on procedure or tools would be appreciated.

[wildrose]

I formerly used daubers on everything...until I went to a Jim Linnell workshop. He used wool scraps. I'd heard of this, but after actually seeing it done, I gave it a try, and that's what I do now. Sometimes I'll even use old white "tube socks".

[celticleather]

I have sometimes had to dye large expanses of leather for desktops, and I use a short-haired sheepskin pad (about 3" x 3").

Tip a generous amount of dye into a shallow tray. Dampen (not wet) the leather evenly all over. Dip the pad and wipe onto the leather boldly, in a broad, sweeping movement from one side of the piece to the other. Try to work fairly quickly. As soon as the pad shows any sign of drying out, dip again and continue. Then turn the leather through 90 degrees and repeat the process. If streaks are still visible, turn the leather through 45 degrees and repeat the process, and continue, turning as necessary, until the whole surface is covered and streak-free.

I think the secret is not to be afraid of soaking the leather with dye, so long as it is evenly soaked. It will probably start to look a bit dark, but water-based dyes tend to dry back quite a lot. It may take a day or more to dry out completely, depending on the weight of the leather.

[rickybobby]

I am trying to dye a large piece of leather, about 18"X18". I have never done this, but my concern is that the color will not be uniform across the entire piece. I have heard some suggestions about getting the leather damp, using brushes instead of wool, etc. The dye I am using is water based, "Saddle Tan" High-Lite. Any suggestions on procedure or tools would be appreciated.

Ken,

I use sheepskin for most pieces. For your 18 x 18 a piece of shearling about 1/2 the size of your hand will do it. Keep a couple of others handy to wipe excess off after you are sure of coverage. Like others have said, don't panic over light/dark streaks they will go away when completely dry! (do not predampen leather, it will act like a resist!)

Good luck, be sure to post finished results!

Rick J.

[Luke Hatley]

Ken , what has helped me the MOST, when i dye a large ps of leather is to spray it

with the Preval Sprayer , it can be bought at Tandy or a large Paint store,

such as Sherwin Williams (sp) good luck.

[Timbo]

Ken , what has helped me the MOST, when i dye a large ps of leather is to spray it

with the Preval Sprayer , it can be bought at Tandy or a large Paint store,

such as Sherwin Williams (sp) good luck.

That is also what I use for large pieces and they work really well. Most auto parts stores also carry them.

They spray very even and you will be surprised at how little dye you actually use. I cut the feed tube down on mine and stick it right on top of a small bottle of dye. It doesn't screw on perfect but if you tape it on it will not fall off. The dye also comes out very uniform and even compared to daubers and wool scraps. It also takes less time for it to dry and see the light spots you need to hit again, which is really easy to fix since you can feather it in.

Down side........after you do this go blow your nose........you'll understand.

Tim

[CitizenKate]

Down side........after you do this go blow your nose........you'll understand.

Better yet, don't spray anything without either a spray booth or a respirator and good ventilation.

But I will agree that spraying it is a great solution. If you have to do this often, you will save lots of buckazoids by getting a $12 single-action sprayer.

Kate

[celticleather]

(do not predampen leather, it will act like a resist!)

Pre-dampening leather will act as a resist with spirit-based dyes, but I've never had a problem with water-based dyes. I find that pre-dampening prevents the leather from taking up the dye too greedily, which can result in uneven colour.

[kenwallace]

I have sometimes had to dye large expanses of leather for desktops, and I use a short-haired sheepskin pad (about 3" x 3").

Tip a generous amount of dye into a shallow tray. Dampen (not wet) the leather evenly all over. Dip the pad and wipe onto the leather boldly, in a broad, sweeping movement from one side of the piece to the other. Try to work fairly quickly. As soon as the pad shows any sign of drying out, dip again and continue. Then turn the leather through 90 degrees and repeat the process. If streaks are still visible, turn the leather through 45 degrees and repeat the process, and continue, turning as necessary, until the whole surface is covered and streak-free.

I think the secret is not to be afraid of soaking the leather with dye, so long as it is evenly soaked. It will probably start to look a bit dark, but water-based dyes tend to dry back quite a lot. It may take a day or more to dry out completely, depending on the weight of the leather.

Thank's, I really appreciate your help. Question: The "Hi-Lite" dye that I am using is like an "Antique Gel" in that once it sits for a little bit you need to wipe off the excess, will this change any of the advice you are giving above?