Liquid Sequence

 This post is intended for anybody not sure of the sequence of applying dyes, paint, antiques, sealers, and conditioners.

You can download and print this chart at the "Downloads" tab at the top of this blog.

Resist and Antiquing

 I did a test to show some of the options with resist and antiquing. 

This photo shows my preparation for the process:

I first stamped the top piece of leather with the hats and slightly beveled around them.

Then I applied Neatlac in specific spots as I will soon explain.  Those areas stayed dark, even after the Neatlac dried, and I realized I would have to do the same on another piece of leather that was tanned differently.  You can see the difference in the effect of the Neatlac.  I did the same on both pieces, so when I refer to "B", it is the second hat from the left in the top row, on both pieces of leather.

A:  No resist, no dye.

B: Both hat and background resisted.

C: Just the hat is resisted with the Neatlac.

D: Only the background is resisted.

E: No resist, no dye.

F: Hat painted with white acrylic paint

G: Background dyed with Java brown water-based dye.

H: Background dyed and hat resisted.

After this, the Hi-Lite stain was applied:

Here is the result:

On both pieces the background dye around G and H almost completely disappeared - I think the Java brown dye and the Chestnut Hi-Lite colors were too close for the dye to show through in contrast.

And here is a quick tip:

After applying Hi-Lite stain, you always have to seal it in, because the stain leaves a residue on top of the leather.

If I am happy with how my project looks at this stage, I will often simply spray it with Leather Sheen aerosol - goes on shiny and then after five minutes you cannot even see that it has been sealed. 

In this case however, I wanted to get the Hi-lite stain off as much as possible and also make sure that the color was on as even as possible.   To do this, I applied the Neatlac with a sponge as you can see in this video:

All that remained now was to apply white acrylic paint to the hat in E.  In this case it was not very successful, but with things like flowers, it is often nice to get a bright color going on top of the Hi-lite stain.  I prefer option F where the Hi-lite stain slightly dulled the white of the hat, but you can see how much contrast there still is.

 The final result is as follows:

So I hope you can now see how you can use different pathways to achieve different results.

*

COLOR 106 - DYES SIMPLIFIED

[Originally published August 2019] 

 I do recommend Al Stohlman's book, Coloring Leather, (not How to Color Leather).  It is still a very relevant book. 

There are a few changes happening in the world of dyes - solvent (spirit based / alcohol based) dyes are being upstaged by the water based dyes.  Some states have stopped the sale of solvent (alcohol) based dyes. 

 Fiebings Pro-dye is a higher quality version of alcohol / spirit based dye - it is simply alcohol based dye (no oil) with a bit of an improved recipe and a superior oil-based pigment -  it gives better penetration into the leather and takes a bit longer to dry.  The coverage is a bit more even.  First choice if you can get it.

 Eco-Flow water based dye - the new generation dyes - so far looks to be an equally good choice, mainly because they are  proving to be a lot more color fast than the old regular spirit based dyes. 

 I know your leather craft store is stocked with hundreds of little bottles, so I will expand on this theme as much as I can, but here is the short version:

1. The first liquid to hit your leather, is water if you want to tool and/or shape your leather ("casing").
2. The next liquid to touch your leather, is dye, if you want to change the color of the leather or parts of the leather.
3. The third possible liquid you use, is a resist (in order of preference: Neatlac / Eco-Flo Top Coat / SuperSheen), if you want to shield some parts of the leather by being colored by the next liquid.  There is another article on this blog about resisting. 
   Fiebings Pro Resist only works with Fiebings Antique Paste.
4. Now you can consider using an antique finish/stain on the leather, if you wish to have an antiquing effect, mostly on tooled leather (it leaves a dark residue  in the tool impressions and makes them more pronounced).
5. Lastly you add a finish / dressing / conditioner:  for working leather I prefer Dubbin, Dr Jackson's, Neatlac or Aussie; for leather that was painted with acrylic paints, I prefer and acrylic finish like Supersheen or Satinsheen.

If you want a light stain and thereby enhance the tooling on the leather, one way you can try is to dye your project with a much diluted (with water) Eco-Flo dye, or spirit based dye diluted with rubbing alcohol. To further emphasize the tooling, you can use an antique finish/stain over the dye - the antique stain will add its own color to the project, unless you have the project fully or partially resisted. For a more subtle effect, the Eco-Flow Hi-lite Stain dilutes very successfully! 

 I hope this sheds some light!  (... and color....) 

 (Updated 21 October 2019)

COLOR 105 USING A BRUSH

[Originally published August 2006] 

For this mini tutorial, Fiebings Pro Dye is being applied with a brush.    

(In 2006 it was still labeled as Oil Dye, but that really only referred to the fact that they used an oil pigment in the dye - it is still just an alcohol based dye.)

 The same technique would be used with water based dyes - water based dye tends to flow a fraction further than alcohol based dyes, so test it first. 

 The background of an inverted carving is being dyed - the design is left natural. Take note how the fully loaded brush is never set down right next to the edge of the area to be dyed - this is to prevent the dye from bleeding into the area that has to remain dye free. 

 Because the black dye in this case is quite forgiving, mere application of the dye will ensure even coverage. So as the dye in the brush is used up, the brush is brought closer and closer to the edge of the design. [No sound on the following video]

 

(Updated 26 October 2019)

COLOR 104 ALL-IN-ONE

[Originally published August 2006] 

  

All-in-One is a product sold by Tandy Leather. It is both a dye and a finish all in one! 

It works very well in situations where you want to dye a complete piece of leather. It also has a darkening effect in tool impressions. The finish is much like Super Sheen, a water based acrylic finish. There is therefore no fumes to sniff or worry about. 

 In this little video, you will see how this product is applied and how the excess is wiped off. Take care to wipe off lightly enough so that the All-in-One is left in the tool impressions, and do not get wiped out of those depressions - you want it to dry there to have the eventual darker effect.

   

 The photo below show the finished piece of leather incorporated into a card holder. 

 (The back part of the card holder was done in the frog skin pattern shown else where in this blog and then it was colored with acrylic paint.) 

(Updated 22 October 2019)

COLOR 103 ANTIQUEING

[Originally published August 2006] 

 

Applying Antique Finishes

• This step can be left out so that your dye job remains clean and fresh looking.
• Antique Finish/Stain, like Eco-Flo Hi-Lite stain and Antique Gel, can be used after you have optionally dyed leather.
• Although antique finish is water based, it is not an acrylic, so it is not very permanent and will wear and wash off. It has to be sealed with a finish / sealer.  For this I like Fiebings Leather Sheen in a spraycan.

The intended use of antique finish is as follows:

1. Let your project dry completely after applying water-based, alcohol/spirit-based dye.
2. Optionally cover the project with a resist, which can be any of the following : Eco-Flo Top Coat, Neatlac, Supersheen, or RTC.
3. Let the resist dry, as in overnight.
4. Now apply the antique paste or liquid with a damp sponge very liberally, so that it gets into all your tooling impressions and cracks.
5. Have a clean damp sponge or dry paper towel handy and start wiping off the excess finish from the non-tooled areas. You do not want the antiquing to dry and cause streaking on the leather where there is no tooling. Gradually work towards the tooled areas and wipe the excess finish off there as well, leaving only the accentuated tooled areas with finish in.
6. Let the antiquing dry overnight again and then apply the finish of your choice to seal the antique.

This video shows how Hi-Lite Stain is applied - the technique is exactly the same for Antique Gel (also by Eco-Flo).   You will also see a resist and dye being used first and then how that pans out when you do the antiquing over it.

Here is a long winded "Live" video that shows Hi-Lite stain even used over vinagroon:

 

 (Updated 23 August 2020)

COLOR 102 DYE BASICS

[Originally published August 2006]

Leather can be left natural and not dyed - in time it will turn a beautiful honey color. 

This natural darkening of vegtan leather, will be accelerated if some oil is put on the leather as a dressing (oxidation - has nothing to do with light!). (See the posting about dressings and finishes.) 

The oil and spirit (alcohol) based dyes sold by Tandy and Fiebings are meant for dyeing veg-tan leather only. 

Although it might look successful on any other leather, it will most likely bleed off or rub off on clothing. In other words, it is not meant for leather fibers that has some sort of finish on already. 

Clean Leather 

In order for the dye to take evenly on the leather, the surface of the leather has to be clean and free of oily marks. 

I prefer to keep the leather surface clean from the start of the project. If I have to lean on the leather or rest my hand on the leather, I rest it on a piece of off-cut leather to reduce the possibility of natural oil from my hand or arm to cause marks on the leather. 

If you have to, you can clean the leather with a damp sponge or rag with some diluted saddle soap on. Then rinse it and let it dry.

Or you can use deglazer to clean the surface.

Dye Even 

Give this a thought: Perfectly evenly dyed leather will look like factory produced leather or vinyl. Leather is a natural product and uneven in nature. 

Getting an acceptable even dye job pivots around one key factor: the surface of the leather has to be saturated with the dye. 

Using the dye out of the bottle full strength might end in a too dark effect, especially if you put so much dye on as to get an evenly saturated surface. 

You can dilute the spirit based dyes with the solvents sold for the purpose, or with rubbing alcohol. 

 You can always dye in two or more "layers" to get the color darker, but by working with diluted dyes, you can saturate the leather and not get it so very dark. 

 There are experienced leathercrafters that believe in lightly oiling the leather and letting it stand a day or two and then applying the dye. The oil is supposed to resist the dye so that it spreads around a bit more before it actually gets to the fibers to color them. (This has historical roots, so remember:   In the old days the leather was different, the liquids had different recipes, the methods of the old timers is not always well explained, etc..)

My opinion is that you then place a barrier around the fibers and some of the dye pigments will not penetrate the fibers, but sit on top of the fibers and later rub off on your clothes. Especially when now working with water-based liquids.

 So for alcohol-based dyes, you might rather try the following to get the color even: 

First saturate the leather just with clean rubbing alcohol or solvent and while it is still good and wet, apply the dye - this will allow the dye to bleed and spread more evenly on the leather. 

Deliberately Uneven 

Some of the best leatherwork I have seen, have been where the dye was applied uneven on purpose - like darker around the edge. 

Whether you are trying to color evenly or not, I have found that long lengthwise strokes with the applicator is more successful and gives a more natural effect than working in small little circles. [I hope Al Stohlman does not turn over in his grave....]

"Saturate the leather with the dye......"  

 Here is the two pieces of leather I dyed in the video - they do not have any conditioner or finish on in this photo:

 

In General

• You can dye on damp leather - only use stain on dry leather.
• When you apply dye to leather, the leather thinks it is wet, and it will show darker - as the solvent in the dye evaporates, the color will lighten considerably.
  It is a good idea to let the project sit for a while to dry before you judge whether you dyed dark enough or not.
• Bright colors like turquoises will loose their brilliance as the leather turns naturally darker with exposure to oxygen (oxidation).
• White is not a leather color. White can only successfully achieved on leather if it is applied as part of the tanning process. Basically you can dye leather darker, but never lighter.  The one exception is diluted white acrylic paint.
• To dye veg tan leather black, you might consider first dyeing it in a dark shade of brown or navy blue or even purple. If the dye then fades a bit, it will not show the natural light brown underneath. However, nowadays the new black dyes come so strongly pigmented that two coats or a dark undercoat are hardly necessary.
• Make yourself a base of sponge, or layered leather or wood to set the dye bottle in to make sure it does not tip over while you are working - the spirit based dye is evil and WILL climb out of the bottle at every opportunity!
• For the same reason, always close the lid of the bottle when you are taking a breather - an unattended open dye bottle WILL fall over and spoil your project, the tablecloth, the chair upholstery, your pants and the cat and the carpet...!  Or all of them!

Hope This Helps! 

[Updated Aug 23rd, 2020]

Color 101

[Originally published August 2008]

 This is probably the aspect of leathercraft where there are as many opinions as there are crafters, and most of them will swear by their own methods as gospel truth. 

So, I want to give you my opinion as well, but with the hope that it will clarify some of the confusion that exist around dyes, stains, finishes, dressings, conditioners and oils. 

 This whole discussion will center around vegetable-tan (treebark tanned) leather. This is the only leather to be treated with the products I will discuss.

 

The basic sequence in any project will more than likely be as follows:

1. The project is cut out and tooling / stamping is done.
2. The leather is dyed - either completely or selectively. This step can be left out if you want the natural color to remain.
3. A optional choice is made between 
1. a) not using an antique stain, 
2. b) lightly using an antique stain just to highlight tooling or 
3. c) making heavy use of an antique stain in such a way as to drastically add to the color of the leather.
4. A finish, sealer or conditioner is added to the leather to waterproof and lubricate the leather fibers. This step can NEVER EVER be left out!!!
5. The project is assembled.

Putting a dressing on leather will bring out the color of the dyes (make it glow), "waterproof" the leather (your best defense against stains) and make the leather softer (if you have not treated it for the making of armor).

Oil before Dye

I often see the question "Does it matter if you oil before you dye?" 

And then follows a barrage of opinions and answers like "I have been using neatsfoot oil before I dye for decades.....". 

This concept originated decades ago when: 

• the leather was tanned with different recipes, 
• only alcohol based dyes were available and had very different recipes from the alcohol based dyes of today
• they applied the oil VERY sparingly and let it sit at least overnight to completely even out in the leather

 There are a few warnings here: 

• All the liquids and their formulas have changed numerous times just in the last 10 years. 

• What is seldom mentioned in the answers is the time frame of the applications, the type of dyes used, the specific leather they work with, the quantities they work with, etc.. All of these makes a drastic difference in dying leather. 

• A beginner leathercrafter might have horrible results results with a method an old saddle maker has been using for 40 years. 

So, first use your common sense. Read the labels of the liquids you use. 

TEST every procedure on the SAME leather before doing it on your project. And your test should go all the way to testing that piece of leather for the dye coming off on your clothes (I often carry a piece of leather in my pocket with my keys to see how a dye or finish will hold up).

One of the best pair of books you can read on dying was written by Tony and Kay Laier, one was about Fiebings products and the other about Eco-Flo products. 

 Search for "Fiebing's Fantastic Finishes Book" by Tony & Kay Laier. 

 They have been discontinued due to the changes in colors and ever changing liquids, but they are still the best way to get a fast education about different methods of dying. 

The book about Eco-Flo dyes are available in digital form at 

https://tandyleather.com/blogs/leathercraft-library/coloring-with-eco-flo-by-tony-and-kay-laier