Problem With Finish After I Molded Mag Holster

[JasonL70]

Next time, on a scrap, oil the leather and put it in the sun for a few hours. The leather will tan and you can get the same color.

As for your problem its possible that you compressed the leather near the top while you were forming it or it is just the way the leather is. Light tans are hard to do. Its why I let them tan in the sun instead. YMMV

I've been wanting to try that, but it's been raining every time i think of trying

[JasonL70]

oil & tons of conditioner took care of it, but now i doubt I'll be able to replicate the end color on the belt. one more accessory to toss in the drawer

[JLSleather]

We've all got "that" drawer!

[Oldtoolsniper]

One thing to remember is that each piece of leather will take stain differently, even from the same hide. I doubt anyone will ever win that battle. Al Stolmans book on coloring leather mentions it on almost every page. Woodworking has the same issues and after many years of doing it you learn to embrace the color shifts as part of the project. Kydex will stay the same color but I'm not to fond of plastic holsters.

How did you apply the dye?

I've found on some leather if I pre wet the leather with denatured alcohol before I spray (airbrush) on the dye it seems to penetrate better. I've never tried this with applying the dye by the dauber method but it might help. It works on wood that's prone to blotching.

[malabar]

If you dyed the leather before working it, you should have been all right. Molding will stretch the leather; burnishing it will close the cell structure. Both will cause uneven dye absorbtion

How did you apply the dye?

What brand of leather is it?

tk

[Paramedic04]

If you dyed the leather before working it, you should have been all right. Molding will stretch the leather; burnishing it will close the cell structure. Both will cause uneven dye absorbtion

How did you apply the dye?

What brand of leather is it?

tk

I was thinking along the same lines. I wet mold first before I dye, because I had some inconsistencies such as what you've experienced using water based stains and dyes. I switched to Fiebing's Pro Oil and now I can do the dye job before or after, the color stays regardless.

[malabar]

I've never been satisfied with the results I've gotten from any of those techniques (you may have better technique than I do), that's why I prefer drum-dyed leather. When I need a custom color, I'll spray it. I've gotten some OK results by first applying an even coat of neatsfoot oil, then applying Angelus leather finish over top. But you have to do that on the leather pieces before you put them together.

tk

[JasonL70]

i had applied a second application of stain a day after the first, still a few days before wet molding. someone pointed out to me that this might be an issue when using the ecoflo pro waterstains since they contain waxes, etc. The second coat may have not penetrated well and sat on top of the previous coat, and sloughed off. the lightened area happens to be the area that was directly under the faucet that had hot water running (in the future i will stick to submerging in water).

one of the colors I used is yellow, and I've had odd issues in general with yellow. it seems to seal the leather quite a bit when it dries compared to the other colors i have. oil will sit on top for an hour, instead of minutes. odd. so I'm working on a new mix of colors avoiding the yellow.

Edited July 30, 2015 by JasonL70

[snubbyfan]

On these I used Fiebings Professional Oil Dye in saddle tan.

How I prepare the leather for dyeing.

Applying the dye.

Edited August 3, 2015 by snubbyfan

[snubbyfan]

Finish explained.

Damp sponge method, the leather was left damp too.

Finished sheath.

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=65104

Edited August 3, 2015 by snubbyfan