Leather Dye Question

[Tom Militano]

I need some info on the proper way to dye leather. I can't get an even dye job on a sheath, it's always streaked and never the color on the label, always to dark. Is something done to the leather prior to applying dye? After the sheath has been dyed how long do you have to wait before stitching the sheath? I always end up with the thread picking up dye. Help!!!
Tom

[Chuck Burrows]

Tom - I copied this from an earlier post - hope it helps. Read the entire post as there is some VERY important info at the end.

You should always de-glaze your leather first. I use denatured alcohol and if that doesn't quite cut it I use acetone. You can get leather de-glazer from Fiebings or Tandy but the above two are cheaper and work just as well.

You can thin most dye with alcohol to get a lighter color. Apply a couple of lighter coats until you get the color you want. When wet the leather will look darker than when dry. It's not a bad idea to take a scrap of the same leather and dye it first to get the color you want. There are so many variations in leather itself that no dye will ever come out exactly the same twice or necessarily match the color on the bottle.

Do all the following after deglazing.

1) Thoroughly dampen your leather with water just before dying. This opens the pores and will help you get an even coat, but it is still difficult to get it perfectly even. Really slopping the dye to it helps. Let it soak in for a few minutes and then wipe off any excess.

2) Use an airbrush or paint sprayer. I've lately been playing around with one of those cheap plastic spray bottles like you use for window cleaner and surprisingly it seems to work good. Wet it with water first and wipe off any excess dye after it soaks in for a while.

3) The simplest and easiest way to get an even coat - and the method I use is to dip dye. When making a sheath I first dye the inside (before sewing) by using a swab and then seal it with either Fiebings Bag Kote or a satin coat polymer wood finish. Use 3 or 4 LIGHT coats of sealer instead of heavy ones. After everything is sewn together I gently plug the mouth of the sheath. For pouch type sheaths I use a wadded up plastic bag, for blade only type sheath I use a piece of wood whittled to fit. I keep five gallon buckets of dye on hand most of the time, but for a small batch I take a quart of dye and pour it into a plastic container that is big enough to put the whole sheath into at once (those cheap plastic "sweater" boxes work great - just don't store the dye in them as they aren't air tight and the dye will evaporate). If the dye isn't deep enough to cover the sheath completely just turn it over and roll it around until you get a nice even coat. Take it out of the dye and wipe off any excess. With either type sheath after a while remove the plug and hang the sheath up to dry. On a pouch type sheath some of the dye will have probably leached down inside around the plastic bag plug. Just pull out the bag and wipe it off with a rag dampened with denatured alcohol while the dye is still wet.

When the sheath is COMPLETELY dry no matter what method you use: thoroughly wipe off the fine film of dye powder left on the surface. If you don't get this film off before applying your final finish it will leach through and rub off onto everything. Use an old towel or something similar and it must be CLEAN or you will just rub the film back onto the leather.

I can't help much with the thread color problem because with my aging process I want the thread to soak up some color. Then again I've never cared for bright white thread anyway.

[Tom Militano]

Thanks, That's what I was looking for.
Tom

[MtMike]

Tom, I know of one way to get bright white thread without the dye or stain. After the sheath has been dyed and dried thoroughly, "floss" your holes with a clean piece of heavy cotton thread. Just insert a short piece of thread into a hole and pull it back and forth to remove any of the powder residue that Chuck mentioned above. Repeat for each hole, chasnging thread as it gets discolored.
Personally I don't like the bright-white contrast myself, but if white is what you're going after this will help.
Mike

[Chuck Burrows]

Never thought of that Mike, but it sure seems like it would work.

Of course I have a hard enough time making myself floss my teeth so I can't even imagine how it would be to floss your thread holes - "honey what are you doing? Umm uh flossing my - oh nothing!"

[MtMike]

Reminder to self --- "Self, never open one of Chuck's replies with a mouth full of coffee"

LOL


Mike
PS: Another trick I discovered the hard way, re- stitching a sheath after screwing it up the first time (uneven tension on the stitches). The second stitching came out looking much cleaner. Just made sense that "flossing" would have the same results, and it does.

[Chuck Burrows]

OH sh!$@! Sorry about that - just kept imagining how I would have to explain that one. (for instance my time on the forums is research! - actually Linda is VERY understanding - but then she would have to be living with me. 22 years as of today!
Of course we ain't exactly whooping it up - Linda is beading and I'm taking a break before finishing a gun rig for a PITA customer. AUUUGHH! be glad to get this one out of my hair.)

Just had a thought - wonder if the wire core pipe cleaners would work? Might be worth a try????? :confused:

[MtMike]

22 years Congratulations ! Yet another sign that you may truly be a dinosaur -- those of us with double-digit anniversaries seem to be in the minority these days.

Pipe cleaner !! Great idea, depends on what size holes you use.

Breaking news -- in the interest of science, I tore apart my "junk room", and found a humidor from bygone pipe-smoking days. Sure enough there were a few Dill's pipe cleaners laying in it. They work just fine for 5/64" holes, and for somewhat smaller awl-punched holes as well.
Gotta love this place
Mike

[Chuck Burrows]

Thanks Mike - Dinsosaurs Eh? Wonder if that's why Linda and I are feeling so fossilized these days.

For me bouncing ideas around is much better than sitting in a shop all by myself everyday and..... Most of the time the idea of sole authorship just seems sterile. :confused:

[MtMike]

Quoth Bob Hope, "There are no new jokes, just new comedians"
Mike