How Are You Applying Dye On Edges?

[Spaceblues]

Are you painting spirit dye on with a brush? Using a dauber? A refillable pen?

Just curious because when I used a dauber it was difficult to keep a clean line and it crept down on the sides of the leather. Might just be I was using a good method and just need more practice and to be more careful. 

[Thor]

If I'm dying edges at all I'm using a damp high density sponge.

[terrymac]

A refillable felt pen sold by Lisa Sorrel.  She is a sponsor on this site.

Terry

[Troy I]

I use a wool dauber.

[NVLeatherWorx]

There is a neat little trick to using the wool daubers that has been around since the days of Al Stohlman and it works great.  Take a small wool dauber and light it on fire to burn off all of the loose fuzzy stuff.  Once you have burned that off make sure that you remove any residue from the remaining dauber head (which will be much more compact than before) by wiping it with a cloth.  Now you have a precision application tool that won't let the dye creep down the sides.

[Spaceblues]

Thank you all for the replies. The old Stohlman book I've got from the 70's showed the use of a felt dauber held with a clothespin and I hadn't seen/heard anyone doing this so I was curious. 

[Thor]

  On 3/27/2016 at 2:34 PM, Spaceblues said:

Thank you all for the replies. The old Stohlman book I've got from the 70's showed the use of a felt dauber held with a clothespin and I hadn't seen/heard anyone doing this so I was curious. 

Expand  

A friend of mine does that for edge paint, but not for dye.

[Red Cent]

I use the dauber, the one with a cotton ball on the end of a piece of wire. I do burn the fuzz off.

I do not dye a raw edge. The dye will be sucked in erratically.

If I am making a CC gun belt that is 1/4" thick, I take the glued (dried) together belt to the belt sander. I square the edges and make sure there is no smear from either piece of leather. Two defined pieces of leather. I bevel all edges with a #3 beveler on all sides. Then I hand sand the edge round leaving the defined line of the beveler on the belt side of the line. I use a little water on a rag to wet/dampen the edge of the leather and use a motorized burnisher. Usually this produces a glass like rounded edge colored as only a burnisher will do. Let it dry. I do not use edge dye, edge kote, edge enamel or other stuff. I simply dye the edge with a choice of regular dye.

I dye a path at the top of the curve  the full length and both sides of the belt and then I slow down and do the edges. Be careful and not overload the cotton ball. And, hold the object in such a manner if the dye does run, it runs down the edge. PS: Find a place to steady the arm/hand.

A semi loaded cotton ball will produce a better line than a barely wet one. With practice, you can create a crease in the cotton ball and use this to create an even line on the edge. Don't try to stretch coverage. Do a safe 8" or so AND use the beveler line as a fence. The dye will stop (within reason) at the fence and soak in. About an hour later burnish. I have found that different leathers will react....well, differently. Some react by dulling the dyed edge. Stop and grab the faithful, very smooth and well used dowel rod. Rub light and vigorously at first. With my belts, I lay the belt along the edge of table and hand burnish. You can create a very straight burnish line doing this. Turn as needed.

Hmmm, I wrote a novelette.

 

None of these have an acrylic coat on the edges. The third picture (sorry) is simply water and burnisher . Really. I do add a mixture of bees wax and paraffin to the edge and "burn" it into the leather with the motorized burnisher.

 

 

 

Edited March 30, 2016 by Red Cent

[NVLeatherWorx]

And that is exactly how to do it; thank you Red Cent for the full tutorial on how to properly finish edges.  It is nice to know that there is someone else (besides me) who does it the old school way, you know, with water and all, and then finishes it all of with plain old dye instead of these newfangled shortcut processes.

[johnv474]

I use a horsehair inking brush, which looks like a toothbrush. It is intended for applying dressing/ink to the edges of dress heels.

I put a small amount on the brush and then I use the EDGE of the bristles, not the ends. That way, the dye doesn't flick. I usually set the piece I'm applying dye to on the work table and tilt forward and back so it's steady.