Members philmb Posted February 10, 2018 Members Report Posted February 10, 2018 Hi all =) So far i have tried Russet, Tan, Light, medium and dark Brown and they all look the same colour - a Red-Brown colour. Slightly different shades and densities but all a very similer colour. The only colour that was different was Chocolate. Could it be the colour of the leather thats giving everything a red colour or Some how the way im applying it? Its a nice colour but everything i have is the same-ish colour Im looking for a Brown without the Red but just cant get it. I want a brown similer to this: Any suggestions? Thank you =) Quote
Members philmb Posted February 10, 2018 Author Members Report Posted February 10, 2018 For example this is Medium Brown. Quote
Members CaptQuirk Posted February 10, 2018 Members Report Posted February 10, 2018 Someone said to add a drop or two of green, to subdue the red. Quote
bikermutt07 Posted February 10, 2018 Report Posted February 10, 2018 I was told, add a light coat, and walk away for a day. I had the same problem with this stuff in the beginning. Over saturation makes everything dark brown. You might try dipping your dauber into a paper towel or rag before hitting the leather with it. This may retard the oversaturation (think I'm gonna try it to). Quote
Members Webicons Posted February 10, 2018 Members Report Posted February 10, 2018 I had the same issue when I first started. It’s not a bad color but not what I wanted. I diluted the colors down by at least 50% with alcohol and that helped tremendously. If you like the color but don’t think it’s dark enough, don’t worry. It gets considerably darker by itself over time. This is one of the reasons that I stopped dyeing myself and just purchased the color that I wanted. I wasted more leather trying to get a particular color than I care to say. Quote
bikermutt07 Posted February 10, 2018 Report Posted February 10, 2018 (edited) 3 minutes ago, Webicons said: I had the same issue when I first started. It’s not a bad color but not what I wanted. I diluted the colors down by at least 50% with alcohol and that helped tremendously. If you like the color but don’t think it’s dark enough, don’t worry. It gets considerably darker by itself over time. This is one of the reasons that I stopped dyeing myself and just purchased the color that I wanted. I wasted more leather trying to get a particular color than I care to say. Haha, me too. The perfect LSU purple is easy to get, right up until you put neetsfoot oil on it. Edited February 10, 2018 by bikermutt07 Quote
Members Webicons Posted February 10, 2018 Members Report Posted February 10, 2018 Geaux Tigers! https://www.etsy.com/listing/542267089/graceful-pansy-purple-signature-leather Quote
bikermutt07 Posted February 10, 2018 Report Posted February 10, 2018 1 minute ago, Webicons said: Geaux Tigers! https://www.etsy.com/listing/542267089/graceful-pansy-purple-signature-leather Well that certainly isn't enough for my needs. Ha Quote
terrymac Posted February 10, 2018 Report Posted February 10, 2018 Bikermutte, throw that Neatsfoot oil in the trash and get yourself some Bee's Natural Saddle Oil. Won't darken your leather at all. I quit using that other stuff years ago. Didn't like what it did to my leather. Terry Quote
bikermutt07 Posted February 10, 2018 Report Posted February 10, 2018 37 minutes ago, terrymac said: Bikermutte, throw that Neatsfoot oil in the trash and get yourself some Bee's Natural Saddle Oil. Won't darken your leather at all. I quit using that other stuff years ago. Didn't like what it did to my leather. Terry This is the first I heard of that?!? And dang it, I just bought a 16oz bottle of neetsfoot oil. Quote
Northmount Posted February 10, 2018 Report Posted February 10, 2018 Yes neetsfoot oil does darken leather all by itself. If you are using a dark dye, that may not be a problem. But if you wish to maintain the lighter original colour of the leather, don't use it. Tom Quote
Members cradom Posted February 11, 2018 Members Report Posted February 11, 2018 I just discovered this problem myself. My mahogany almost looks black. Then I found that if you bend and flex the leather, the color comes out, kind of like pull up. I will dilute it next time though with alcohol. Does that need to be denatured or will isopropyl work? Quote
Members Webicons Posted February 11, 2018 Members Report Posted February 11, 2018 2 hours ago, cradom said: Does that need to be denatured or will isopropyl work? Either one will work fine. The extra water in the isopropyl will slow down dry time but negligible. Always test dyes out on the exact leather you will be using and as close to the same cut of leather. Different cuts absorb dyes at different rates. Quote
Members Mattsbagger Posted February 11, 2018 Members Report Posted February 11, 2018 That's why I switched to an airbrush. I get a nice even color that is the color I want. Quote
Contributing Member fredk Posted February 11, 2018 Contributing Member Report Posted February 11, 2018 A suggestion; and I'm not being facetious or silly with this. Get your colour perception tested. 95% of men have some degree of colour blindness whereas only 10% of women have some colour blindness [figures are approximate] I am colour blind. On a scale of 1 [perfect colour perception] to 10 [black & white only] I come in at about 8 Most browns and dark browns, dark greens and very dark blues look the same to me Quote
Members Webicons Posted February 11, 2018 Members Report Posted February 11, 2018 9 minutes ago, Mattsbagger said: That's why I switched to an airbrush. I get a nice even color that is the color I want. That’s a skill that I’d like to someday pickup. I can see that being a game changer. Just seems like a lot of work and cleanup. On my to do list though. Do you have any photos of airbrushing using dilutions of the same color? That would be interesting and relevant to this thread. Quote
Members battlemunky Posted February 11, 2018 Members Report Posted February 11, 2018 Airbrushing really isn't that much extra work. Cleaning up may take 5 minutes and use a few thimblefuls of isopropyl and a couple paper towels. Quote
bikermutt07 Posted February 11, 2018 Report Posted February 11, 2018 2 hours ago, battlemunky said: Airbrushing really isn't that much extra work. Cleaning up may take 5 minutes and use a few thimblefuls of isopropyl and a couple paper towels. Does it save a bunch on the dye supply? Quote
Members Mattsbagger Posted February 11, 2018 Members Report Posted February 11, 2018 Way Less dye! Quote
garypl Posted February 11, 2018 Report Posted February 11, 2018 1 hour ago, bikermutt07 said: Does it save a bunch on the dye supply? Mutt, you would be amazed how much less dye you use when you airbrush it. Granted, the dye doesn’t penetrate as deep as when you dip it or apply heavily with a sponge or dauber, but I find it perfectly acceptable for most of m6 projects. Airbrushing dye is very forgiving - hard to mess anything up! Gary Quote
bikermutt07 Posted February 12, 2018 Report Posted February 12, 2018 24 minutes ago, garypl said: Mutt, you would be amazed how much less dye you use when you airbrush it. Granted, the dye doesn’t penetrate as deep as when you dip it or apply heavily with a sponge or dauber, but I find it perfectly acceptable for most of m6 projects. Airbrushing dye is very forgiving - hard to mess anything up! Gary Shoot, I'm sold. I got a Graco 390. You think that would work? Quote
Members battlemunky Posted February 12, 2018 Members Report Posted February 12, 2018 1 hour ago, Mattsbagger said: Way Less dye! Yes, way less dye and pretty forgiving, yes. I think, with the coupns, I have all of $40 for my rig. It is the Harbor Freight cheapo jobber but so far, it is wholely and fully acceptable for leather working. Quote
Members Brooks125 Posted February 12, 2018 Members Report Posted February 12, 2018 Chuck at Weaver gives a great explanation. "leather dyes" are a powder based colorant, "pro dyes" are an oil based colorant. He even explains the similarity in color results. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zokhe6oxhjc Quote
garypl Posted February 12, 2018 Report Posted February 12, 2018 On 2/11/2018 at 6:02 PM, battlemunky said: Yes, way less dye and pretty forgiving, yes. I think, with the coupns, I have all of $40 for my rig. It is the Harbor Freight cheapo jobber but so far, it is wholely and fully acceptable for leather working. I also use the cheap Harbor Freight airbrushes - I like the one that uses the plastic bottles - easy to switch bottles and airbrush stays clean. Sprays dyes and Resolene and costs less than $10. Small oil-less compressor was about $80. Quote
garypl Posted February 12, 2018 Report Posted February 12, 2018 56 minutes ago, bikermutt07 said: Shoot, I'm sold. I got a Graco 390. You think that would work? That’s a powerful airless sprayer - I think it would be difficult to control the output when spraying small amounts of dye - overkill and looks like it would not be able to spray unless you have a large container of dye. Quote
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