dying leather dark with lighter highlights

[Go2Tex]

Received this pic from a customer who wants something like it. The question is: If you were going to try to replicate this effect, how would you go about it? I tried it with resolene as a resist and then Fiebings medium brown antique, then some Fiebings medium dye. The results were not quite the same as the picture. The edges are dark brown and/or black dye. That's not the problem. I can do that. It's the nice light highlights on the pedals and leaves that have been obviously resisted with something and I can't seem to replicate this.

Anybody care to suggest a solution? What will resist dye?? I tried saddle lac sprayed on spots and then dyed. Maybe I didn't wait long enough for it to dry, because my results were inconsitent. Oil dye definitely went right through resolene like it wasn't even there. Regular leather dye seemed to be resisted better but not good enough.

Also, my color does not match using medium browns. I get more of a redish color. It might be the lighting of the picture, of course, but I would like to match it as it appears.

Any ideas will be appreciated. Thanks.

[Rawhide]

Received this pic from a customer who wants something like it. The question is: If you were going to try to replicate this effect, how would you go about it? I tried it with resolene as a resist and then Fiebings medium brown antique, then some Fiebings medium dye. The results were not quite the same as the picture. The edges are dark brown and/or black dye. That's not the problem. I can do that. It's the nice light highlights on the pedals and leaves that have been obviously resisted with something and I can't seem to replicate this.

Anybody care to suggest a solution? What will resist dye?? I tried saddle lac sprayed on spots and then dyed. Maybe I didn't wait long enough for it to dry, because my results were inconsitent. Oil dye definitely went right through resolene like it wasn't even there. Regular leather dye seemed to be resisted better but not good enough.

Also, my color does not match using medium browns. I get more of a redish color. It might be the lighting of the picture, of course, but I would like to match it as it appears.

Any ideas will be appreciated. Thanks.

Try resisting with Bee Natural's Sheridan Resist and Finish. Also, when you did your resist with resolene, did you put on two coats?

[Go2Tex]

Yeah, 2 coats did help somewhat. Letting it dry real good helps too, of course, but takes a lot of time. Still doesn't resist dye very well. It works great against antique paste but then that doesn't give me the overall colorization I'm looking for. Could be I just need to use antique and let it set longer. But, then antique isn't really color fast.

So, the problem is essentially 2 parts. First, I need to match the color and secondly, I need a resist/dye combination to achieve the stark highlight effect.

Edited January 3, 2009 by Go2Tex

[Crystal]

How about working backwards? Maybe try resist and remove. I look at that and it looks like the high parts of the design are worn or rubbed. Try the antique and then go over with a deglazer or something like that. If you want to hit just the high parts of the design, back your deglazer rag with a sanding block or something with a flat surface and rub over. That would keep the remover out of the recessed parts of the design.

I've also noticed the red tone to most browns. I did a little experiement one time and was able to cut the red tone in brown dye by adding blue dye. Not too much or you end up with purple. :-) Somewhere here, at some time, someone mentioned a brown dye that was a true brown without the red tones...I just can't remember who, where or when.

Just some thoughts-

Crystal

[Go2Tex]

Thanks Crystal. Yeah, I was just thinking about how Tandy antique actually seems to color the acrylic resist. I was thinking about then trying to remove the acrylic to expose the highlights without then having the color bleed all over it again. That's the hard part.

I was thinging of trying a hint of black dye to the brown. It would sure darken it.

[Crystal]

Thanks Crystal. Yeah, I was just thinking about how Tandy antique actually seems to color the acrylic resist. I was thinking about then trying to remove the acrylic to expose the highlights without then having the color bleed all over it again. That's the hard part.

I was thinging of trying a hint of black dye to the brown. It would sure darken it.

This is the thread where the brown dye is mentioned.

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?s...amp;#entry77291

For some reason I am not sure just adding black will work. Give it a try though. Let us know how that turns out! I just had an interesting go with Tan gel antique. I put probably 4 coats of resist on top of white and I still ended up with yellow.... :-) Isn't this fun??

Crystal

[rdb]

Hi-lite over a resist would also be a good suggestion. I get a similar effect, and a lot more control than Antiquing. Glo-Getter also works similarly, but will darken the undyed leather more.

For the reverse of this effect I can have a light background with darker high spots by doing this:

Here's what I do on my belts...

First I load a cloth up with the full strength darker dye. Rub off most excess on cardboard. Then a long light rub onto the surface, continuing until everything (high spots) is covered evenly.

Then I mix neatsfoot oil with the dark color. You can mix it light at first, then on a sample test it. Make it darker as you prefer. I go over the whole project with the oil mix. depending on the strength of the mix, I get a light color background with just a touch of the primary color.

[Go2Tex]

Hi-lite over a resist would also be a good suggestion. I get a similar effect, and a lot more control than Antiquing. Glo-Getter also works similarly, but will darken the undyed leather more.

For the reverse of this effect I can have a light background with darker high spots by doing this:

Here's what I do on my belts...

First I load a cloth up with the full strength darker dye. Rub off most excess on cardboard. Then a long light rub onto the surface, continuing until everything (high spots) is covered evenly.

Then I mix neatsfoot oil with the dark color. You can mix it light at first, then on a sample test it. Make it darker as you prefer. I go over the whole project with the oil mix. depending on the strength of the mix, I get a light color background with just a touch of the primary color.

I've seen the Hi-lite product, but don't recall Glo-getter. Is this a Tandy product or Fiebings, or what?

So far I still have not found the perfect mix here. I need a very strong resist that will resist a dark, color fast dye. Sometimes Resolene works, sometimes not. I tried using deglazer to remove the colored resolene and that seemed to be the answer, but then I messed up one sample project this way and ended up with solid dark color, no highlights. I think as I rubbed off the resolene with the deglazer on a rag, the dye was transfered. I didn't wait long enough for the dye to dry.

Anyhow, this can't be a complex process if I'm going to apply it to a large project like a saddle. It must be simple, quick and consistent and uniform.

[tashabear]

I've seen the Hi-lite product, but don't recall Glo-getter. Is this a Tandy product or Fiebings, or what?

Apparently it's a Fiebings thing.

http://leprevo.co.uk/photos/glo_getter.html

[Go2Tex]

So, here is my best result so far. 3 applications of Resolene, the last coat was carefully painted on the areas I wanted the lightest color. Then, dried it for several hours. Then dyed with a concoction of Fiebings medium dye, (alcohol base), black and some green. That gave me the dark brown I needed since I didn't have any on hand. A quick wipe with a paper towel to remove most of the dye from the resisted areas, but not enough to rub off the resist and make it streak.

Ok, once dry, I hit the highlights with some deglazer to try and lighten it up a bit and smooth out the finish, since it had gotten blotchy in spots. I let it sit overnight. This morning I rubbed in some dark brown antique paste to give it a mellow finish, buffed it up with a wool pad and, Viola'! ...... still not exactly what I wanted but getting there.