Help salvaging a project with USMC black?

[Gabriel Rasa]

So I dip-dyed a bunch of leather for small pouches in an acetone/USMC oil black mix (not ideal, I know, but I'm under a time crunch and Because of Reasons I don't have access to regular alcohol-based black right now), and it left a powdery black residue ON EVERYTHING, that smudges off EVERYWHERE. It's easy enough to buff the worst of it off the grain side, and after I put a sealant on it, the outside of the bags should be fine, but the flesh side is too nubbly to buff -- basically, if people actually try to put anything inside the pouch, it's going to come out looking out looking like it was rolling around in a bin of charcoal.

Does anybody have any suggestions for what to do to the inside to bind down the excess pigment so it's not smudging off all over the place? Gum trag? Some sort of acrylic spray sealant?

Not looking for advice on what I should have done, I'm just trying to salvage this current mess.

[Rockoboy]

Definitely not an expert here, but once the acetone has totally dried, I can only think I would try some sort of clear coat, like resolene or mop-n-glo, or maybe gum trag if you can get in to buff the surface with a bone folder. It is definitely going to take a test or 2 to get it right. Good luck.

[TheCyberwolfe]

Buff the nubbly side with a shoe brush and that should help get the particles out of the fibers. If the project is already sewn, you might need to use a toothbrush instead due to space limitations. I'd do this outside if you can, and wear a carpenter's mask or respirator.

[Gabriel Rasa]

On 6/4/2018 at 7:46 AM, TheCyberwolfe said:

Buff the nubbly side with a shoe brush and that should help get the particles out of the fibers. If the project is already sewn, you might need to use a toothbrush instead due to space limitations. I'd do this outside if you can, and wear a carpenter's mask or respirator.

:D ! This is pretty much exactly what I wound up doing. I didn't need a respirator because I scrubbed it underwater to get the particles loose, but had to empty and refill the bucket three times. Definitely not the most efficient use of time, but it did work out in the end -- the bags are good now and not smudging black.

[Sheilajeanne]

Needless to say, I don't think you will ever use this dye again.

I've heard nothing but horrible things about it on  this board!

[TheCyberwolfe]

USMC black has a couple of specific uses where it does a good job, provided you prep the leather properly. Dip-dying is really not one of those uses, unfortunately.

[Gabriel Rasa]

On 6/10/2018 at 7:28 AM, TheCyberwolfe said:

USMC black has a couple of specific uses where it does a good job, provided you prep the leather properly. Dip-dying is really not one of those uses, unfortunately.

Agreed. If you're doing a blended/gradient edge, oil dye is the only thing that will get the smooth blend you want -- alcohol or water dyes don't "smudge" and just turn out streaky.