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3 minutes ago, fredk said:

Dampening the leather sure does work; it helps the dye flow through and penetrate the leather. I use Fieblings dye, its an acylic dye, I dilute it with methylated spirits - an alcohol

Dilute the dye more that 1[dye] to 3 [thinners] and you can build up the density of the colour by the number of times you dip

I use Fiebings dye too.. I'm pretty sure it's not acrylic? But doesn't matter :). How do you go about the diluting and dipping? I imagine you need quite a lot for dipping (so far I've only dipped some straps, I would just pour the dye back into the container afterwards), so where do you leave the leftover after dipping?

Also, what kind of product specifically do you use for diluting? Fiebings has a reducer but I imagine that is unnecessary. In the Netherlands you can buy 'spiritus' in supermarkets, it's really cheap. Mostly ethanol and methanol, but unfortunately it has a blue colour in it.. So what do I buy?

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Oh I just realized.. we have things like 'terpentine' which is white spirit and is also used as a thinner for paint, and 'wasbenzine'. They seem to translate to the following things:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_spirit

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_gas

You think that works? I don't want to ruin my dye ;) 

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Posted
13 minutes ago, IrisLH said:

I use Fiebings dye too.. I'm pretty sure it's not acrylic? But doesn't matter :). How do you go about the diluting and dipping? I imagine you need quite a lot for dipping (so far I've only dipped some straps, I would just pour the dye back into the container afterwards), so where do you leave the leftover after dipping?

Also, what kind of product specifically do you use for diluting? Fiebings has a reducer but I imagine that is unnecessary. In the Netherlands you can buy 'spiritus' in supermarkets, it's really cheap. Mostly ethanol and methanol, but unfortunately it has a blue colour in it.. So what do I buy?

Last first; do NOT use anything like white spirit or turpentine - it will not mix with the dye and may actually make the dye colour separate out

I use Methylated Spirits; it sounds like you 'spiritus'. Meths has a purple colourant in it - this has never tinted any dye or even acrylic paint I have used it in. If in doubt just dilute an egg cup full to see. I believe someone on here has pointed out that Fiebings Reducer is just a mix of alcohol and it is over priced for what it is.

I take a bottle of dye and pour it into a new HDPE bottle. HDPE = High Density PolyEthylene. You can buy them cheap off ebay. I get them at £6.60 for 6

Fiebings comes in small 120ml bottles. The new bottles are 500ml. I add about the same amount of meths, ie about 120- 130 ml

To dip dye I have stainless steel oven trays, they are about 35cm x 25 cm x 5cm deep. I pour the diluted dye in, dip the leather, hang the leather to dry, pour the dye back into the big bottle - easy-peasy

For long items I just pull them through the dye in the tray; pulling to and fro a couple of times.

I hold the the dipped leather over the tray for half a minute to let excess run off then I hang it to dry over some newspaper to get any drips

>> Remember to label just what you have in the new bottle; not only colur but dilution as well

 

9 minutes ago, IrisLH said:

Oh I just realized.. we have things like 'terpentine' which is white spirit and is also used as a thinner for paint, and 'wasbenzine'. They seem to translate to the following things:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_spirit

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_gas

You think that works? I don't want to ruin my dye ;) 

No, no, no, no

Al speling misteaks aer all mi own werk..

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Posted
9 minutes ago, fredk said:

Last first; do NOT use anything like white spirit or turpentine - it will not mix with the dye and may actually make the dye colour separate out

I use Methylated Spirits; it sounds like you 'spiritus'. Meths has a purple colourant in it - this has never tinted any dye or even acrylic paint I have used it in. If in doubt just dilute an egg cup full to see. I believe someone on here has pointed out that Fiebings Reducer is just a mix of alcohol and it is over priced for what it is.

I take a bottle of dye and pour it into a new HDPE bottle. HDPE = High Density PolyEthylene. You can buy them cheap off ebay. I get them at £6.60 for 6

Fiebings comes in small 120ml bottles. The new bottles are 500ml. I add about the same amount of meths, ie about 120- 130 ml

To dip dye I have stainless steel oven trays, they are about 35cm x 25 cm x 5cm deep. I pour the diluted dye in, dip the leather, hang the leather to dry, pour the dye back into the big bottle - easy-peasy

For long items I just pull them through the dye in the tray; pulling to and fro a couple of times.

I hold the the dipped leather over the tray for half a minute to let excess run off then I hang it to dry over some newspaper to get any drips

>> Remember to label just what you have in the new bottle; not only colur but dilution as well

 

No, no, no, no

Thank you for this very clear reply :). I will try this out! You think the purple/blue colour in spiritus won't even do anything to eg. a yellow dye?

Thanks for all your answers so far, I really appreciate the help!

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Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, IrisLH said:

Thank you for this very clear reply :). I will try this out! You think the purple/blue colour in spiritus won't even do anything to eg. a yellow dye?

Thanks for all your answers so far, I really appreciate the help!

To be honest I can not be 100% certain. It does not show up in the browns or green dye. I've used meths to thin white, red and yellow acrylic paints and it did not tint the paint

Edited by fredk

Al speling misteaks aer all mi own werk..

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Posted
1 hour ago, fredk said:

To be honest I can not be 100% certain. It does not show up in the browns or green dye. I've used meths to thin white, red and yellow acrylic paints and it did not tint the paint

Thanks, I'll just give it a try :)

I just ordered some HDPE bottles and will bring 'spiritus' from the supermarket tonight. We'll see what happens. I'll find myself a nice tray for dipping larger 'sheets' of leather. Can't wait to give it a try!

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Posted

I got my stainless steel trays in a £1 shop. Might you have something like a 1 or 2 Euro Shop or a discount home goods shop any place near?

Al speling misteaks aer all mi own werk..

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Posted
6 minutes ago, fredk said:

I got my stainless steel trays in a £1 shop. Might you have something like a 1 or 2 Euro Shop or a discount home goods shop any place near?

Yeah we have shops like that, I'll check them out! If that doesn't work out I'll try IKEA maybe ;)

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