Paint, Dye or Stain?

[MtlBiker]

I'm ordering some veg tan leather and will want to make some pouches which should be black when finished.  Checking the Tandy Leather (Canada) site, I see there are paint, dye and stain choices?  What are the pros/cons of one over another?

After using something to make the leather black, is that it, or does some kind of top coat / sealer need to be applied?

Thanks!

 

[Handstitched]

There are many opinions regarding sealers. I'm in Australia, The one I use mostly is called Top Coat , a water based sealer. Another is ' Seal & Shine' , a chemical polyurethane sealer, leaves a nice shine and feel.  I prefer to seal my projects as I don't wish for any dye to come off onto clothes, like on belts . Sealers give a nice finish too   I use paints on carved patterns , makes flowers etc. really stand out .

HS 

[MtlBiker]

4 hours ago, Handstitched said:

There are many opinions regarding sealers. I'm in Australia, The one I use mostly is called Top Coat , a water based sealer. Another is ' Seal & Shine' , a chemical polyurethane sealer, leaves a nice shine and feel.  I prefer to seal my projects as I don't wish for any dye to come off onto clothes, like on belts . Sealers give a nice finish too   I use paints on carved patterns , makes flowers etc. really stand out .

HS 

Thanks very much for your comments.  I'd ordered some "Eco-Flo Satin Shene" from Tandy Leather a few days ago and I'm waiting for it to arrive.  But as far as putting die onto the leather, what are the pros/cons of using paint, dye or stain?  I see that all those are available in black.  I'll be using some veg tan leather for my little project and I want the final thing to be black.

If I'm not mistaken, paint would be used to paint some parts of the leather or make a design, so it probably wouldn't be a good choice for making my black pouch.  Dye or stain might be good but I don't know what the differences are between them.  (Total beginner with leather here.)

 

[CastleLeatherWorks]

7 hours ago, MtlBiker said:

Thanks very much for your comments.  I'd ordered some "Eco-Flo Satin Shene" from Tandy Leather a few days ago and I'm waiting for it to arrive.  But as far as putting die onto the leather, what are the pros/cons of using paint, dye or stain?  I see that all those are available in black.  I'll be using some veg tan leather for my little project and I want the final thing to be black.

If I'm not mistaken, paint would be used to paint some parts of the leather or make a design, so it probably wouldn't be a good choice for making my black pouch.  Dye or stain might be good but I don't know what the differences are between them.  (Total beginner with leather here.)

 

I would use dye preferably alcohol dye but you could get away with water based like eco flo from Tandy. Then use some sort of sealer. i think i bought some satin sheen once and it made the dye come off if i recall and never touched it after that... ive finished several hand dyed projects with just fiebings Aussie leather conditioner and haven't had any troubles with dye rubbing off, plus it conditions and waterproofs the leather. so win win right

Ive also heard of people using mop n glow... As they say there's more than one way to skin a cat.

At the end of the day you just have to see what works for you.

[MtlBiker]

2 minutes ago, CastleLeatherWorks said:

I would use dye preferably alcohol dye but you could get away with water based like eco flo from Tandy. Then use some sort of sealer. i think i bought some satin sheen once and it made the dye come off if i recall and never touched it after that... ive finished several hand dyed projects with just fiebings Aussie leather conditioner and haven't had any troubles with dye rubbing off, plus it conditions and waterproofs the leather. so win win right

Ive also heard of people using mop n glow... As they say there's more than one way to skin a cat.

At the end of the day you just have to see what works for you.

Mop n Glow????  I guess you're not kidding.

 I wanted to buy the Fiebing's leather dye, but Tandy Leather (Canada) is completely sold out (both regular and pro versions).  That's why I ordered the Eco-Flo instead.  It's not easy to know what to buy (or even what you'll need) when you're a total beginner with leather like I am.

I wouldn't have imagined that the Fiebing's Aussie Leather Conditioner could be used to top coat or seal the leather.  I'll put some on my next order to try.

Thanks very much for your comments!

 

[LeatherLegion]

5 hours ago, MtlBiker said:

I wanted to buy the Fiebing's leather dye, but Tandy Leather (Canada) is completely sold out (both regular and pro versions).  

 

 

    Call your local store for Fiebing's  dies (pro or regular) and order them over the phone . I am also sure they might be able to answer some of your questions too

Edited May 7, 2021 by LeatherLegion
added text

[Handstitched]

The dyes I use are also water based, but with a little bit of alcohol to aide drying. They soak in into the leather better.  I have tried oil based dyes in the past, but I had no end of trouble with dyes rubbing off, hence  the water based dye  + top coat sealer.  Good comment about the ' mop & glow . Since ' neat lac' is not available where I am, and it variants are costly to transport ( can't be transported by air) , I used a water based varnish  from my local hardware shop , only  on particular projects , so far so good, dries quick,  flexible, no rub off. 

Like Castle Leather Work  said, you may have to see what works, experiment a little on some scraps. 

HS

[chuck123wapati]

for black i use vinegaroon, it is basically iron dissolved in vinegar and reacts with the tannins in the leather to change the color to black. Can be made at home for cheap. Throw a steel wool pad in a jar of vinegar for a few days.  it wont leach out like some dyes if you leather gets wet.

[MtlBiker]

10 hours ago, LeatherLegion said:

    Call your local store for Fiebing's  dies (pro or regular) and order them over the phone . I am also sure they might be able to answer some of your questions too

My local store?  As far as I can tell, there is no local store that carries this product.  I've been to the only two local places that sell leather and neither has tools nor dyes, etc.  And the online sources I've checked (OA Leather, Tandy) don't have it.  And other online sources I checked don't have the Pro version.   I just got a tip via PM about a place somewhere in Canada that very likely has it.

In any case, I've got that stuff I ordered from Tandy (Eco-Flo) arriving today.  And as a total beginner, at least it will help me get started.

 

 

[MtlBiker]

9 hours ago, Handstitched said:

The dyes I use are also water based, but with a little bit of alcohol to aide drying. They soak in into the leather better.  I have tried oil based dyes in the past, but I had no end of trouble with dyes rubbing off, hence  the water based dye  + top coat sealer.  Good comment about the ' mop & glow . Since ' neat lac' is not available where I am, and it variants are costly to transport ( can't be transported by air) , I used a water based varnish  from my local hardware shop , only  on particular projects , so far so good, dries quick,  flexible, no rub off. 

Like Castle Leather Work  said, you may have to see what works, experiment a little on some scraps. 

HS

The problem with experimenting as a total novice, is that it's hard to tell if the results are good or not.  That's why I was asking here... if I can try proven products first, it would give me something to compare with later if/when I experiment with other things. 

I had no idea that folks also use products that they buy in hardware stores which are not designed for leather.  Interesting!  I will certainly do my share of experimenting, once I get a little more experience under my belt.

Are "oil based dyes" what you get with Fiebling's Pro dyes?

Cheers!