Darken Edges

[Bert03241]

I don't know what the process is called. I'm not talking about the edges that you burnish and kote. What I lookin to do is give the outer edge some darkening , whats it called and How do you do it.?

[garypl]

Called blocking or the easiest way to do this is to airbrush darker dye around the edges.

[Bert03241]

I don't have an air brush and not buying one LOL . Is there a manual way?

[battlemunky]

Best way to describe it is to direct you to YouTube. Search for "block dying leather" and there should be some examples. 

Basically though, wrap a block of some hard material, like wood, with some t-shirt or paper towel and then apply some dye to it and then mush the cloth/paper towel on some dry news paper to remove some of dye so that it is damp and not wet, then work on the leather in the starburst pattern. You can either apply multiple layers of dye beginning with the lightest and working out to the darkest in gradients or you can attempt to go dark in the areas you want, but that is far more prone to effin' up in my experience. If you aren't going to airbrush it, that is the way to do it. When you pull it off the way you want it to be it is super rewarding but like most things that give you the reward feeling, it usually comes with struggle.

If that isn't clear or you have any questions, please ask more. What I said is by no means in full detail so if something needs elaboration please don't be bashful.

Edited February 19, 2022 by battlemunky

[fredk]

Basically , but I'd go a bit differently. Used diluted/thinned dye. A dye of a darker shade than your main colour. Then make several applications working towards the edge so it get the most applications and thus more dye

[JLSleather]

without airbrush --
I haven't watched the whole thing, so no endorsement here .. just FYI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t4E2ciGg30

OR you can use a pre-fabbed "preval" sprayer attached right to a 4 oz  bottle of dye
I've never tried these, but they've been around a LONG time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcrhorxYhmI

 

WITH airbrush -
This one I have watched ... and semi- approve.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMVHrTPf1AQ&t=14s

 

 

 

[toxo]

This is a great idea from Youtube. Put a tyre stem valve into an empty spray can and refill and re-pressurise again and again. You could have one for air/dye/paint/wd40 etc.  Watch from half way.

 

[fredk]

There is one commercially available, has been for over 30 years. Called Jennican. Kinda hard to find now tho. Last place I knew which had them was W.Hobbys in London

I used to use a few when I worked on my own cars. For occasional spray painting etc without having to get the full-rig spraying equipment out

[Bert03241]

Hey Guys thanks for all the replies and Ideas. I've watched the video's and read your ways to do this. So now I have to giver it a try.

[battlemunky]

POIDH!

[Bert03241]

what?

[tsunkasapa]

POIDH =“Pics Or It Didn’t Happen”  It's an abstract theory that some people subscribe to.

[battlemunky]

Yeah, it's another way of asking for pics of how it turns out.

[Bert03241]

Well it turned out crappy LOL so I dyed the whole sheath brown to cover it up. If you want a pic of the brown sheath I can do that

I'll try again sometime

 

[jrdunn]

I know that you are determined to not own an airbrush but it does make it easier.

JM2C,

Jim

[Bert03241]

Well your right no air brush. I'm not buying something I'm only gonna use a few times . I've done that all to often and have a house full of stuff I don't use, LOL. I do this purely for fun . I'm to old to want to do more then just keep busy . Make a sheath here and there, a holster for fun now and then. I see what you guys do and I want to try it making some of those things. 99% of the stuff I make is still here in a cardboard box LOL. I must have 50 knife sheaths a half dozen gun holsters and tons of key fobs and other stuff.

[fredk]

20 hours ago, Bert03241 said:

Well it turned out crappy LOL so I dyed the whole sheath brown to cover it up. If you want a pic of the brown sheath I can do that

I'll try again sometime

 

Did it? or did it just not come out the way you expected it to?

We've had others on here who had 'problems' with dyeing. Some dye spilt on the leather, or not evenly applied et cetera

After some encouragement those crafters took another look at what they had and turned that 'ruined' piece of leather into a unique OOAK

Sometimes you just gotta look beyond the norm and see the piece in an artistic light

[Bert03241]

I'll try again someday.