My black belt is blue, is there a fix?

[Jaan]

Forgive me if this has been answered but searching came up with too many results.

I have a good gun belt made by Ross in South Africa.  I just bought it cheap because Ross went out of business.  It's supposed to be black, but it's turning blue.

What's the best way to repair this?  Can I just dye it, or should I used something to strip off the top coat first?

Thank you!

[YinTx]

Not an expert, but have done a few years of work, so take my advice with the proverbial grain of salt.  

You could try to dye it through the top coat, but if you do that, do a trial run on a section you are not likely to see, such as the underside of the loop.  Depending what it was dyed and sealed with, as to whether or not you can dye through it or effectively strip of the top coat.  Either way, a pro oil dye from Fiebing's is probably your best bet to get a deep black that won't rub off.  If you have to strip it, they also make a deglazer.  Keep it off the stitching as best you can so it doesn't degrade the thread.  You'll have to oil and seal again when you are done.  If you can remove all the hardware, or protect it, you'll want to do that also.

 

Just looking at the photo, it seems to me it was actually a deep navy blue dye, not black, and the finish coat is rubbing off, causing it to look lighter where it is rubbed off.  You might just get better results refinishing with a topcoat like TanKote or Resolene, with a lot less stress and work.  Again, try on an unseen spot first.

YinTx

[paloma]

clean all traces of wax with methylated spirits,( alcohol to burn ) leave to dry and then re-stain in black.

Edited September 7, 2020 by paloma