Eco Flo or Fiebing

[chrisash]

Looking to make my first purchase of Dye to use on Veg Tan cowhide, have looked at old posts but there seems to be two opposite views on what to use Spirt v Water based

Perhaps someone can explain the main difference between the two if any, and if there are any other good consistent makes available in the UK.

Resolene, seems well spoken of for the final coat, would that be a good choice for me to start with or any other outstanding finishes

[bikermutt07]

I have always used the fiebings pro or regular spirit dyes. 90% of posts I have seen here are "what did I do wrong with this Eco flow dye" and "how do I fix this?". Some people have had some luck with it, but I just avoid it altogether.

Resolene is well liked around here. Mostly people spray it 50\50 with water thru a cheap airbrush. I haven't tried it yet, either. I usually just finish my stuff with a coat of Aussie. But I'm just a hobbyist.

[charon]

+1 for Fiebings. You can also watch Ian Atkinsons vieo on dyeing leather to get an impression of various dye types. However, I'm pretty happy with the antiques that you can get from Eco Flo. Depends on what item/tooling you're giong to make. Regarding the finishes there are lots of options and again it depends on what you're trying to achieve. Resolene gives a shiny, glossy and finished surface, I like to use it for heavy duty items such as belts that might get contact with dirt/moisture. Using that for a wallet is way over the top (in my opinion). For wallets I always use Carnauba creme with a good rub and it never let me down. I suggest you buy a small bottle of both and try them. I've also had good results with Japanese finishes off of Goods Japan.

Tan Kote has some friends too but I only use it to finish the flesh side of the leather

[Gabriel Rasa]

Alcohol based dye beats water based, any day of the week. Water-based is better for the environment, but that's about the only upside it has -- it's NOT waterproof (even putting a sealant on it is no guarantee) and it'll bleed like crazy if it gets wet, the colors tend not to be as vibrant as alcohol-based dyes, and Eco-Flo is *always* trying to change up their product line, and creating a bunch of duds that get phased out within a year or two. (Anybody else remember their attempt at "all-in-one"?) Learning how to work with alcohol-based dyes will stand you in good stead because the formula for that probably isn't going to change in your lifetime.

Fiebings is Tandy's alcohol-based line, and Eco-Flo is their water-based. Depending on your state's chemical laws you may not be able to get Fiebings at your local Tandy's, nor can they ship it to you -- an equally good alternative (and what I use) is Angelus; their alcohol dyes behave exactly the same way as Fiebings' alcohol dyes, and somehow they manufacture it in a way that's legal under California's chemical laws. [Gah, just reread your first post and realized you're in the UK -- well, Fiebings or Angelus if they can ship to you, or any other "spirit-based dye" that's available on your side of the pond.]

And chiming in with my support for resolene, diluted 50/50 with water. It's durable and flexible and gives you good control over how shiny/matte you want the surface to be, just add more coats to add more shine. Personally, I loathe Tan Kote and I don't even know how it still exists. There was an ~incident~ involving water-based dye and Tan Kote, and when I remarked on it the next time I was at Tandy's, the guy was like "lol yeah, Tan Kote runs if you so much as sneeze on it" and I'm like ...THEN WHY DO YOU ****ING SELL IT?? What Charon said about using it for the underside of the leather could work, though I haven't tried that, I just use gum trag for the flesh side.

Edited April 13, 2018 by Gabriel Rasa

[Hildebrand]

I was asked to do a bible cover for my wife's coworker and she provided a piece of leather and the dye she picked.  I am very much an amateur leather worker and had zero experience with dye.  She had picked up the eco flo all in one.  It worked fine on the bible cover and she let me keep the left over materials for doing the work.  I thought cool something to experiment with.  I made a pancake style knife and multi tool case and thought I would dye it.  What a train wreck, it looked great after the dye job.  Problem was when I ran it under the water to wet it to form I had dye everywhere.  It definitely doesn't work if you are going to wet form the object after dying.

[eternoui]

I am using also fiebings dye and it doesnt leak if you allow it to dry properly after each application. very good!. i prefer to avoid acrylic resolin as a finish and I am using carnauba cream. 

[Gabriel Rasa]

  Oh, I should add -- spirit dyes won't run or bleed, but sometimes you do get a dusty layer of pigment remaining on the surface after it dries. This is why the old-timers are always urging you to buff your pieces very thoroughly afterwards, so that the pigment won't rub off on anything, and so that the topcoat will adhere better.