Dip dying uneven an blotches

[1CJK]

These holsters were all made from HO shoulders and dyed with Fiebings pro oil in dark brown and saddle tan reduced 3:1 DA/dye. After wet molding they were allowed to dry 48hrs. I have tried dobbers and just couldn't over come streaks unless I put so much on a light brown would be super dark brown. So after reading about dip dying I thought I would give it a try. Well as the pictures show it's not going so good. I'm new and lost at this point as to dying my work. Any help would be appreciated 

[1CJK]

This one was dipped and came out two toned.

Edited March 17, 2017 by 1CJK

[Troy I]

Did you dye before or after assembling? How long have your holsters been drying?

I always dye before assembling and let dry for at least 24 hours.  I use saddle tan a lot and have never diluted it. My method is to submerge the leather for 10 to 15 seconds, then wipe off any excess and put on my bench to dry.

This is what works fome...l'm sure someone else will respond with the way they do it.

[1CJK]

This one was acutely perfect after I dipped it. Let it dry 24hrs and put a 50/50 water resolene. Then the dye bled and the over all color looks splotchy.

[1CJK]

These were all dyed after final assembly and wet molding with 24hrs of drying. 

[Troy I]

I have had the same results with resolene...I now use Belvior leather balmsam and then use at least 3 or 4 coats of Renaissance Wax. 

The color stays pretty close to what it looked like before the finish coats were put on, remember that almost anything you put on the leather will darken it some.

Dye before assembling,  this way the leather is of the same thickness,  this will help in getting a consistent color.

[1CJK]

I tried dying before assembly once  but when wet molding the color bled everywhere. I guess it's just part of the newbe learneing curve. Even though this was a HO hide it was a craftsman grade from Springfield Leather. I don't know if that matters or not. That is the reason I bought it to practice on. The only other leather I have used in my very new hobby was some import veg tan that I almost had to use a chainsaw to cut out my parts. Those I finished with Neatsfoot oil.

Edited March 17, 2017 by 1CJK

[Troy I]

They say HO hide is good...I've never used it.  The leather that I use is from Wickett & Craig,  and always use there Standard grade, good leather,  the only problem I had was with their lower grade of leather when I first started.

Most of the time you just have to try different techniques and see what works for you, and remember that every piece of leather "acts" different even when it's cut from the same hide.

 

Edited March 17, 2017 by Troy I

[Dwight]

The last time I ran across the exact same problem, . . . I found out it was my dye.

Earlier when I didn't have any Feibings reducer, . . . used something else, . . . and threw out a quart of Saddle Tan dye because of it.  I won't make that mistake again.

Now when I buy dye, . . . I buy reducer, . . . still mix em all at 50 / 50, . . . and don't have that problem.

I also found that if I form first, . . . and dye later, . . . the dye is ALWAYS more uniform.

May God bless,

Dwight

[1CJK]

Last night I realized that these were not done with the Pro oil. I forgot that a few weeks ago while I was at Hobby Lobby that they had some Fiebings low voc on sale and I bought there saddle tan and dark brown. I had some pro oil walnut that I had been using with dobbers and just forgot and didn't pay any attention to the bottle labels when in mixed them with the denatured alcohol. Not sure if this could cause problems. I'm going to order these two colors in the pro oil line and there reducer to see if I have better success. At this point I'm not looking to save a few bucks I just don't want to keep ruining my pieces.

Edited March 18, 2017 by 1CJK

[Dwight]

46 minutes ago, 1CJK said:

Last night I realized that these were not done with the Pro oil. I forgot that a few weeks ago while I was at Hobby Lobby that they had some Fiebings low voc on sale and I bought there saddle tan and dark brown. I had some pro oil walnut that I had been using with dobbers and just forgot and didn't pay any attention to the bottle labels when in mixed them with the denatured alcohol. Not sure if this could cause problems. I'm going to order these two colors in the pro oil line and there reducer to see if I have better success. At this point I'm not looking to save a few bucks I just don't want to keep ruining my pieces.

I think you will be pleasantly surprised when you see the results, . . . 

May God bless,

Dwight

[JLSleather]

I've had my third and final issue with Fiebings saddle tan dye.  I'm not sure what they're doing different than before, but that saddle tan just doesn't work any more.  I used quite a bit of it in the past.

One batch, I tried mixing with that alchohol everybody was on about.  Got splotchy, ugly results. Pitched the holster it was on, and tried again on a different piece of leather.  

Got same results second time, so I threw out the dye and got a fresh bottle (it DOES get old, you know).  But I got the same results - in different leather -- I tried that next bottle 3 ways - thinned with alcohol, thinned with reducer (fiebings), and straight out the bottle.  Tested after glue/sew and tested flat on teh table, and tested hanging on a hook.  All tested on A-grade HO, from the same "batch" (order) but not from the same hide.  All same results.

All of this going on, EVERY other color I used came out just fine - -it was ONLY the saddle tan.  So, I'll just use another color,or combination of colors.

[1CJK]

What are some other dye company's available? On the  commercial side of thing. Not the Tandy or hobby store stuff. What do the full blown big commercial operations use in the leather goods industry or what dyes does say HO or W&C use on there hides?

Edited March 18, 2017 by 1CJK