Dying stamped letters

[Frodo]

If this hs been asked 100 times, please forgive me for not reading every old post.

 

I have a project coming up, the wallet is to be mahogany and the stamp lettering  black

What is the best way to dye the bottom of the stamped leather 

[fredk]

If its the whole letter ~ a very small paint brush

If its the outline of the letter ~ a gel ink or a fine tip paint pen

[mikesc]

Watch out for the "gel inks" ..a lot of them ( even sometimes from the same manufacturer some will, some won't ) will "smear" if you put a water based acrylic ( like say resolene and similar ) over them*, could try a waterproof sharpie , might still "smear", or not, ( fine or broader, depending on if it is the letters or their outlines that need to be black ) , test first.

* Can be a nice effect and quite controllable if you are looking for that in an illustration, if you aren't though...

btw..what you are trying to do is colouring with paint or ink..( "paint , ink sits mostly on the surface" ) dyeing is something different."dye penetrates the surface, sometimes right through, which can be a problem", think "blotchy marks on the inside"..Just to complicate things, some "inks" are partly dyes..as are some "paints".

To further complicate things..a lot of the waterproof pens and markers, use water soluble inks, which, when dry, are then insoluble ( "waterproof" to varying degrees ) in water, or water based liquids and finishes.Some might be insoluble in water, but soluble in something else which is in the "finish"..which is why you have to test. You can't trust the labels to be true for every use.

Edited September 11, 2019 by mikesc

[DJole]

I have used permanent Sharpie pens to color fine lines like you describe.
There are also re-fillable dye pens which might work for your project: (https://www.dharmatrading.com/tools/angelus-dyeliner-refillable-dye-pens.html)

[HeatherAthebyne]

I recently used a Fantastix pen (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013JN8DI/) to good effect for detailed dye work.

[Sheilajeanne]

And to complicate things, most dyes contain alcohol. Some things that aren't soluble in water are soluble in alcohol, so if the sharpie ink is touching a dyed area next to the letter, that can cause problems, if the dye isn't completely dry!

Always wise to do a test piece first!

[garypl]

I use a small bottle equipped with a needle point to paint letters with acrylic paint.  Allows for very precise placement of the paint.  I then seal with Resolene or you can use the finish of your choice - everything I have tried seems to work okay over acrylic paint.  Here is a project I worked on last night using the acrylic paint bottle.  I bought the bottle and needle tips on Amazon, but you can probably find them at Hobby Lobby or other craft stores.

Gary

[HeatherAthebyne]

4 minutes ago, garypl said:

I use a small bottle equipped with a needle point to paint letters with acrylic paint.

 

Sheesh, and here I was getting out the tiny brushes. I like your way much more.

[DJole]

4 hours ago, Sheilajeanne said:

And to complicate things, most dyes contain alcohol. Some things that aren't soluble in water are soluble in alcohol, so if the sharpie ink is touching a dyed area next to the letter, that can cause problems, if the dye isn't completely dry!

Always wise to do a test piece first!

Always do a test piece on a piece of the same leather the project is made from!

[TargetRockLeather]

2 hours ago, garypl said:

I use a small bottle equipped with a needle point to paint letters with acrylic paint.  Allows for very precise placement of the paint.  I then seal with Resolene or you can use the finish of your choice - everything I have tried seems to work okay over acrylic paint.  Here is a project I worked on last night using the acrylic paint bottle.  I bought the bottle and needle tips on Amazon, but you can probably find them at Hobby Lobby or other craft stores.

Gary

That came out really great. Can you post a picture of the bottle with needle so I know what I'm looking for? I've used the fine paint brush with acrylic paint option which works ok but not nearly as nice as yours. This is how mine came out: