Feibings die all look the same colour

[bikermutt07]

9 minutes ago, garypl said:

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.

Yeah, I was joking about that. 

It takes about a 1/3 of a gallon just to fill the lines.

Edited February 12, 2018 by bikermutt07

[garypl]

6 minutes ago, bikermutt07 said:

Yeah, I was joking about that. 

It takes about a 1/3 of a gallon just to fill the lines.

LOL You got me there Mutt!

[bikermutt07]

Just now, garypl said:

LOL You got me there Mutt!

Man, I figured anybody that new about those things would get a good laugh out of it. It's left over from my remodeling company. I still use it every now and then.

[philmb]

Thanks for all the reply's =)

Just did a quick test with mixing 50/50 with alcohol, seems to make the colour a lot better - a lot less Red.

It seems like the oil dyes maybe better to use.

 

 

[bikermutt07]

51 minutes ago, philmb said:

Thanks for all the reply's =)

Just did a quick test with mixing 50/50 with alcohol, seems to make the colour a lot better - a lot less Red.

It seems like the oil dyes maybe better to use.

 

 

Just for reference....

Pro Dye = Pro Oil Dye

They are one and the same. Fiebings is dropping the pro oil moniker for confusion's sake. It is the same stuff. A few years ago I emailed them about what was what. And that was their reply.

[philmb]

1 hour ago, bikermutt07 said:

Just for reference....

Pro Dye = Pro Oil Dye

They are one and the same. Fiebings is dropping the pro oil moniker for confusion's sake. It is the same stuff. A few years ago I emailed them about what was what. And that was their reply.

Aaaah i was just thinking about that very thing. 

I was assuming that was the case.

Thanks again for the info

[grmnsplx]

Get some alcohol (methly hydrate aka methyl alcohol) from the hardware store and dilute your dye 4:1, even 5:1.  I apply one coat and then even things out with the second. Usually a third is not necessary, but you can do further applications to get it darker.

 

 

[bikermutt07]

5 hours ago, philmb said:

Aaaah i was just thinking about that very thing. 

I was assuming that was the case.

Thanks again for the info

Fwiw today my local Tandy extended their Valentine's day sale to include not just red and ox blood but all the fiebings dye for $4.00 a piece. I bought 14 bottles. I should be good for a bit.

[grmnsplx]

On 10/02/2018 at 2:29 PM, 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

Weird. This stuff is neatsfoot oil with some petroleum distillate (heavy parrafinnic) added to it. I'll have to try some.

[Jimmy McLaughlin]

On 2/10/2018 at 5:59 AM, philmb said:

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? I do most of my dying with an air brush. That does help in getting different shades of the brown family. I also like using the dye prep. It goes on very easy, I lightly brush it in with a tooth brush and dye over it while it is still wet. I find I get lighter browns. If I want to go a litter darker I will give it another coat or just put a light coat of oil.

Thank you =)

 

[koreric75]

On 2/10/2018 at 1:54 PM, bikermutt07 said:

Haha, me too. The perfect LSU purple is easy to get, right up until you put neetsfoot oil on it.

[Squilchuck]

I've thought about airbrushing, but I work in the basement and wonder if you need ventilation or a big background to catch off spray?  How messy is it? Can you spray on a horizontal surface? -John

[garypl]

7 hours ago, Squilchuck said:

I've thought about airbrushing, but I work in the basement and wonder if you need ventilation or a big background to catch off spray?  How messy is it? Can you spray on a horizontal surface? -John

John - I spray in my basement.  I put a large disposable aluminum pan (the kind you buy to roast a large turkey) in front of a box fan with two furnace filters in front of the fan.  I have a large piece of cardboard behind the pan to contain the spray.  Turn the fan on so it is pulling air from the pan area and spray away.  Overspray is sucked into the filters and for small jobs it works great.  The pan contains any overspray and drips from the airbrush.  Been doing it this way for a couple of years now with no problems.  For larger jobs that would generate a lot of fumes, I go outside, weather permitting.  In the winter or in inclement weather I have to spray indoors, but I wear a face mask to keep the nasty funes away.

Gary

[Squilchuck]

Thanks for the great ideas, Gary.  

[Northmount]

Be careful of alcohol fumes being drawn through a fan where the motor is open to the fumes.  The motor needs to be a non-sparking type, no switch in the motor or totally enclosed fan cooled (TEFC).  A spark in alcohol fumes can give you quite an unwelcome surprise!

Tom

[garypl]

1 hour ago, Northmount said:

Be careful of alcohol fumes being drawn through a fan where the motor is open to the fumes.  The motor needs to be a non-sparking type, no switch in the motor or totally enclosed fan cooled (TEFC).  A spark in alcohol fumes can give you quite an unwelcome surprise!

Tom

Tom, I agree with you about the alcohol fumes - that's why I generally try to apply dye to large pieces outside.  Thanks for bringing this important point to everyone's attention.

Gary

[howlback]

These are mostly all Fiebing’s pro and a couple standard leather dyes. There is definitely a difference. The colors you spoke of actually vary much more than their light tan colors. I have a lot of customers ask for ridiculous colors (i.e. “electric blue” not pictured) and as mentioned before, an airbrush is the only way to go. You can dip and dob all day long but you waste a ton of dye and have little to no control over how much dye you’re applying. With an airbrush, you can spray on a few light coats back-to-back and you’re finished. No streaks, no drips plus the leather dries much faster since it’s not being drown in dye. (Disclaimer: airbrushing is a learned skill, it takes time)

Edited March 17, 2018 by howlback

[Jimmy McLaughlin]

Great photo howiback, that explains it all. I also spray in my basement. I have a plastic back drop that painters use. I do have a window for ventilation and I wear a respirator . As you can see from Howlbacks photo above, how even the shades are, you just can't do that any other way, except with an airbrush. His hands are clean to, LOL,great job Howlback.

 

Jim

[MorningStarL]

I finished a costom order last night for six matching lighter brown knife sheaths.  I was dying the first Saddle Tan when I knocked the bottle over.  Much cussin'.  There was enought to do the second but they're both streaky and dark brown.  Same bottle and (I think) same hide as two I did last week.  I knew this order wuld run me out so I ordered more Wednesday night, but we had to e-mail the client to say, "Not Saturday now."  i' m searching for a way to lighten what I've got.  Was using a damp sponge on damp 9-10 ounce vegtan.  Operation's too small for a sprayer topay off 

[Jimmy McLaughlin]

Check out Harbor Fright they have a reasonable priced spray brush set. The compressor  works great, I purchased a different air brush. A NEO, works great.

Jim

[howlback]

Quick sidenote about airbrushing: When using an airbrush, the dye won’t penetrate as deep. When I am dyeing items that will undergo significant wear (such as belts) I tend to use a dobber instead. Obviously, my color options decrease significantly because, as mentioned before, many Fiebing’s dyes look similar (when using a dobber to apply). However, using a dobber means I can rest easy knowing my belts will wear-in without the bright paleness of the natural veg tan showing through. This is something that I haven’t been able to avoid yet when airbrushing on my dyes. If a buckle wears in the edges of the leather, you can start to see the natural veg color underneath pretty quickly.

[MorningStarL]

What about dipping?  Although I can see that might be hard with a belt.

[Rockoboy]

On ‎7‎/‎08‎/‎2018 at 3:54 AM, MorningStarL said:

What about dipping?  Although I can see that might be hard with a belt.

Not so difficult. I have dipped long articles by using a vertical PVC pipe. All you need to be aware of is, the volume of the pipe and the amount of dye in the pipe, and how full the pipe will be when you add the object being dyed.

One idea I have never used, but considered, is after gluing end caps on to the pipe cut the piece of pipe along its length, making a long narrow trough. Use gloves to protect hands and fingers and a floor cover sheet to catch the drips, hang your object to dry.

[fredk]

Thats doubly clever, that pipe.

For dipping belts I use plenty of dye in my dip tray and pull a belt through, one end in each hand, back and forth. It takes time and care to get an even coating of dye.

I forsee a visit to a builders merchants soon for some PVC pipe.

[Rockoboy]

I used to dip my POC wooden arrows that way. It only took a minute to figure out how much coating to pour in the vertical pipe, then dip each arrow and hang them up to dry with a pin in one end.

So much better than a brush, and spraying was not a possibility for me at that time.