Purple dye has metallic sheen

[SouthernCross]

I stained, via airbrush, some pieces with purple Pro-Dye and they have a kinda goldish cast or sheen to them.  I haven't put my final finish on them yet and I'm wondering if the sheen will go away when I finish with Tan-Kote.  Also, to avoid the sheen, should I dip with the purple rather than spray it?

[billybopp]

Rub the daylights out of it.  Most if not all of that will buff off.

Bill

[SouthernCross]

Thanks, Bill.

[bikermutt07]

Yeah, it will buff off.

I have found diluting the dye will make it just about perfect when you add moisture back to the piece.

[SouthernCross]

Thanks.  I tried rubbing it with a paper towel, but it didn't do much of anything.  Hopefully when I put Tan-Kote on it and buff it it will go away.

[bikermutt07]

Get some canvas at the fabric store.

I have used old denim in the past, but canvas works better.

[SouthernCross]

10-4.  I'll try some canvas.

Thanks.

[Colt W Knight]

What happened is your leather had some residual grease and oil on the surface from tanning and handling. Applying an alcohol based dye basically creates an oil slick on the leather. 

To avoid this in the future, simply clean the leather with saddle soap while you are wetting the leather for tooling or casing. 

You can also take a demo tag with some saddle soap and wipe it off now. 

[YinTx]

I have this same effect with several Angelus dyes I have.  I think it is a pigment in the dye, as I generally clean my leather prior to dye.  When I put the neatsfoot oil on, it reduced the effect, and rubbing in Aussie completely eliminated the pearlescent look, and gave it a beautiful shine.  Using Angelus acrylic finish also seemed to do the trick.  You might try dyeing a sample piece and trying different finishes to see if it has the effect you want.  Let us know!  and photos can go a long way to clarifying your issue....

YinTx