Has anyone ever dyed BEFORE tooling?

[skivery7]

I do a lot of large scale tooled leatherwork projects - walls, big furniture pieces, etc - and the most anxiety provoking part of every project is the dyeing. If I use 8 hides for a project, I could get 3 that have areas that don't take the dye evenly or are a cooler/warmer hue than the others.  I spray dye using Fiebings Pro dyes on my work and am pretty even in my application.

I' trying to think "outside the box" here, and wondering if I can spray dye the hides (without oiling them) first, then mount them on their wood panel backings, and then tool them. The thinking goes that if there is a glaringly weird spot I'll be able to see it before its ever on the work - and if the hides are slightly different colors I'll be able to manage how they are arranged in the project.

I've tried some small tests and it seems like maybe this order of operation will work - but I'm curious if anyone else out there has given this a go before I get brave and try it on larger pieces.

Thanks,

Casey

[JLSleather]

It will work, in some ways BETTER than dye after tooling.

 

[YinTx]

I have just tooled some W&C black bridle leather, worked just fine.  And I must say their dye work is almost always more even than mine.  It is not sealed in, though, and will get on you, your tools, your bench...until it is dry and you have sealed it yourself.

YinTx

[fredk]

I sort-of have, by accident sort-of, having to add something I forgot or customer wanted added in

a. not tooling but just stamping

b. dye not sealed, but dry

c. if excess dye is not buffed off it gets on you, your clothes, your work surface ~ just as YinTx says

d. I've stamped after a first light coat of resolene as a sealer, helped limit the rub off but still allowed the leather to get wet enough for the stamping

e. you can buy pre-dyed veg tan leather which is toolable so you pre-dyeing will work too

[MolyCW]

Why shouldn't it work? I started working with leather just recently but I have dyed beforehand and the results are just great. So your idea is absolutely sane!

[skivery7]

Well thank you all for throwing in your 2 cents. Really appreciate it - and sorry it took me so long to get back to you all. For whatever reason I thought maybe I'd get an email if someone responded to my post - but apparently that's not how its done around here and I just checked in and BAM! I have some answers. All with a vote of confidence!  I'm going to give it a go on a big sample. I use feibings pro dyes and often end up using a lot of water on my work - its too big to keep cased and I often work on it so long that I fear it would get moldy if I did - so it gets wet and then dry many times before the work is completed....It'll be interesting to see if the project looks different in the areas where it was really "worked" once its been bag noted and antiqued. All said, I'm really hoping this allows me to see funky areas in the hides before the artwork is on. Thanks again!

[fredk]

3 hours ago, skivery7 said:

Well thank you all for throwing in your 2 cents. Really appreciate it - and sorry it took me so long to get back to you all. For whatever reason I thought maybe I'd get an email if someone responded to my post - but apparently that's not how its done around here and I just checked in and BAM! 

Check your notification settings, you should get an email. I used to turned it off. I chose to only get an email notification when I get sent a PM.

Also check your spam box and check that emails from this site are 'white listed'

 

3 hours ago, skivery7 said:

 I use feibings pro dyes and often end up using a lot of water on my work - its too big to keep cased and I often work on it so long that I fear it would get moldy if I did . . .

add a small amount of disinfectant to the water

[Frodo]