Problem dying Veg- Tan

[dfrensdorff]

Hello all you dye experts.... I’m having trouble when finishing a dyed veg-tan belt, that has no tooling.  I normally dye my basketweave tooled belts (after casing and tooling), and then seal with 50/50 resolene, and never have a problem. With a basic strap of veg tan, after dying and letting dry overnight, in which there is no sign of an uneven, blotch problem, I put on the resolene, and get a few areas, like the resolene couldn’t penetrate.  I’m using Feibings Pro Dark Brown dye. See pics and thank you in advance for any help or suggestions. ..... Don

 

Edited June 30, 2019 by dfrensdorff

[fredk]

Possibly, could be, uneven penetration by the thinned resolene  due to the belt being a bit too dry. I'd try a few more coats of thinned resolene, maybe even thinning it a bit more - just about almost but not quite soaking the leather. Then see how it dries out over several days

[YinTx]

Have you oiled the leather or put any treatment on?

What kind of leather are you using?

YinTx

[dfrensdorff]

2 hours ago, fredk said:

Possibly, could be, uneven penetration by the thinned resolene  due to the belt being a bit too dry. I'd try a few more coats of thinned resolene, maybe even thinning it a bit more - just about almost but not quite soaking the leather. Then see how it dries out over several days

I could give that a try ....

 

[dfrensdorff]

30 minutes ago, YinTx said:

Have you oiled the leather or put any treatment on?

What kind of leather are you using?

YinTx

No oil or any treatment .... clean veg-tan from Sepici Brothers. Here is a pic of a basketweave belt I did with the same leather just two weeks ago .... the only difference I can think of is I mixed some new resolene and water together  ... after it is dyed, it looks very even.

 

 

 

 

[fredk]

Thing is, I reckon, cos I wouldn't, you'd not notice a wee bit of uneveness in the colour as it dried out due to the stamping pattern - which looks very nicely done

[YinTx]

@dfrensdorff, what @fredk says is likely true.  I usually put some oil on my leather after dye, and buff after it has had a few minutes to soak in.  Wait a day, then apply finishes.  If you don't oil, you can end up with cracking later, particularly around buckles and such.  The oil also seems to even out the dye work some.  Try a different brand of leather like Wickett and Craig, or Hermann Oak, and see if you get different results.  Your belts are nicely done, and deserve great leather.

YinTx

[dfrensdorff]

14 minutes ago, YinTx said:

@dfrensdorff, what @fredk says is likely true.  I usually put some oil on my leather after dye, and buff after it has had a few minutes to soak in.  Wait a day, then apply finishes.  If you don't oil, you can end up with cracking later, particularly around buckles and such.  The oil also seems to even out the dye work some.  Try a different brand of leather like Wickett and Craig, or Hermann Oak, and see if you get different results.  Your belts are nicely done, and deserve great leather.

YinTx

Thank you both for the suggestions ... a few questions, as I’ve never oiled after dying, before finish.

* How long after dye do I oil?

* What oil?

* How long do you wait to put on the finish? 

once again, thank you both. 

[fredk]

9 minutes ago, dfrensdorff said:

Thank you both for the suggestions ... a few questions, as I’ve never oiled after dying, before finish.

* How long after dye do I oil?

* What oil?

* How long do you wait to put on the finish? 

once again, thank you both. 

1. as soon as the dye is dried in, or just about dried. As I do my oiling later YinTx might have something else to say on this.

2. Neatsfoot Oil, aka NFO. I use a beeswax and NFO mix which I put on after sealing with resolene or Super Sheene  [ both thinned, 1:1] ~ YinTx puts his oil on before final sealing, we both get results we are happy with. Either way, the NFO really helps. Note: use Pure NFO not NFO Compound

3. as soon as my resolene coat is dry, or sometimes as it is nearly dry I apply the beeswax/nfo

[YinTx]

15 minutes ago, fredk said:

1. as soon as the dye is dried in, or just about dried. As I do my oiling later YinTx might have something else to say on this.

2. Neatsfoot Oil, aka NFO. I use a beeswax and NFO mix which I put on after sealing with resolene or Super Sheene  [ both thinned, 1:1] ~ YinTx puts his oil on before final sealing, we both get results we are happy with. Either way, the NFO really helps. Note: use Pure NFO not NFO Compound

3. as soon as my resolene coat is dry, or sometimes as it is nearly dry I apply the beeswax/nfo

Yes to above. I tried to experiment with both ways, my results are that the resolene does not adhere as well if I have a lot of beeswax nfo mixture applied first, and if I do the resolene first, I can't get much beeswax nfo mixture to soak in.  Resolene will adhere if you only use NFO.  So I have adjusted, and either put the beeswax nfo mixture, or nfo then resolene.  

I have recently tried a new method I am really happy with, and that is mixing the regular Fiebing's dyes (not the Pro dye) with neatsfoot oil per Fiebengs instructions - I think 4% dye to 96% oil - shake well and apply.  Results in very even coverage, and no drying and cracking on your leather.

YinTx