How to Dye Leather - Hand dyeing vegetable tanned leather - basic techniques and tips
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- This is an in-depth video of how to hand apply water dye to achieve a consistent color on vegetable tan leather. In this video, Tanner discusses different types of dyes, how to apply dye to leather and provides insight into the process we use to dye each of our projects. Although, there are many different ways to do this and other types of dyes such as alcohol and oil dyes this is the approach we use. This video also gives tips on how to organize your workspace and a variety of different applicators for applying the dye. For the next step in our process please see our video on oiling leather. In upcoming videos, we will show our finishing processes and the finished products as well.
You can use this technique to dye belts, wallets, totes, books etc.
How to Dye Leather - Hand dyeing vegetable tanned leather - basic techniques and tips
Looking for leather items? Check out these :)
Wool daubers to dye your leather - amzn.to/2ONZVyK
Leather dye - amzn.to/2OhXwgW
Eco-flo leather dye pack - amzn.to/33iWpBJ
Eco-Flo Waterstain Black (the kind we use) - amzn.to/35zzLXg
Firm Vegetable Tanned Full Grain Carving Tooling Leather- amzn.to/37BbOk9
Eco-flo Super sheen- amzn.to/34iW7Mt
Fiebing's Acrylic Resolene - amzn.to/37Cp6wY
Amy and Tanner Skrocki are full-time artists, and parents, who work together selling their handmade items and photography.
Please visit our website at www.skrocki.ca/
Instagram---- / skrockidesign
Facebook---- / skrockidesign
Very cool, thanks for the tips! I have a couple of questions if you don't mind.
1) How long after applying the dye do you wait before wiping away excess?
2) Was that blue shop towels you used to remove the excess dye?
3) Is it okay to dye the back/sueded side of the leather piece?
4) Is it okay to use gum trag for edge burnishing when a water based dye was used?
Thanks and have a good one!
Thanks for watching! Let me answer your questions :) 1) You don't want the dye to dry or become too sticky. While it's still wet is when you want to remove the excess dye. We noticed that different colors absorb differently; some slower and some quicker. It will take some practice but when you see the dye start to absorb into the leather is when you want to quickly remove it to prevent streaks.You can add a small amount of water to the dye before applying it if the dye seems too thick but remove the excess much quicker or you will end up with a bubble looking pattern. 2) Yes we used the blue lint free shop towels. 3) We dye the back of our pieces for uniformity. Usually we dye a few hours after dying the front or the leather will be too wet and won't absorb the dye nicely. Just remember it will dry out the leather a little so you want to bring oil back into your piece you are making. 4) We use the gum tragacanth on some projects. If you are hand burnishing it works really well. We did notice it will lift some of the color on the edge with the burnishing machine at medium to high speeds. If you have one of those machines try a lower speed.
Thanks for the tip "wet the sponge"... 👍🏽🙏🏽
I only work with "furniture clinic" water dye ( in UK ) and I only ever spray with an air brush. The amount needed is minimal, as is the cost. Spraying gets a perfect finish, and you can achieve what ever depth of colour you want with extra coats, ( around four for full colour ) This method is also great for applying gradiated shadows for antiquing. You can dry between coats with a hair dryer, which takes around five minutes, then leave overnight to dry fully.
Thank you
You're welcome
Thanks so much - quite helpful
Hello thanks for the video the two of you produce some amazing work. I was wondering since I’m new if you might do a more in depth video on the prep for dye? I being new keep getting white spot which I guess is contamination with tokenole? What would you suggest for cleaning leather prior to dye? Thanks for any and all info.
But how do you avoid it rubbing off on things
Hmm...that first item shown looks *awfully* familiar...
I was wondering how you guys always got the colours out so smoothly. That explains a lot!
oh which item do you mean? ;) hehe It can still be a challenge to get the colours nice and even...
sometimes it just can't be helped because there is highs and lows in different parts and you can't even tell before the leather is cut! That should have been in the video too :D
I guess that just means we will REQUIRE ANOTHER VIDEO!!!
@@jenniegrundy6958 Actually that's a good idea! I should do a video on what to do when the leather has noticeable problems and how to dye it!
What's the difference between a dye and a water stain? Can you thin out water stain with water? And does water stain penetrate just the surface or the entire leather
Hi Michael! Great question! The dye I show in the video is a water dye and, as far as leather dyes go, is most similar to a water stain. What that means is that they have a water base vs an oil or alcohol base. For that reason, you can dilute both with water if you would like which can help get a more even tone but may require an extra coat depending on how much you add. We do this sometimes but only add very little water when doing so. The reason being is that it will create streaks if you add too much. As for absorption, it does depend on leather thickness but generally, it's not going all the way through. This is a good thing if you are wanting to dye the suede side black as this means it won't come up through the back. That being said I would only recommend a light coat of dye on the suede just in case there is an uneven area as this can lead to the black coming right through the front of your project!
Id like to learn about alcohol dye on veg tan leather
How can i avoid dye stains on flesh side edges, while dyeing on Grain side of natural veg tanned? Any advice me please
hi in your video at 1:00 it says "water dye works well over pyrography and etching" what do you mean by etching ?
Laser etching :) The lighter coloured dyes allow you to see the etch really well.
You just touched the black, then the red and then the blue 🧐
Thank you very much , this video really helps me a lot, i just wanna ask you about the deffrence between oil dye and alcohol dye, water-based dye .
One of the main differences is that alcohol dye removes moisture so you need to add moisture back into the leather. One bonus is that it's fast drying as opposed to water based and oil. Oil dye will add moisture to the leather, it absorbs deeply into the leather but can rub off and it can take quite a while to dry. There are pros and cons to each dye the best way to figure out which dye is right for your projects is to try them all and see which one works the best for you.
@@AmyTannerSkrocki thank you .
@@AmyTannerSkrocki What about the coating? Do you need different types of coating for each type of dyes or one type can do the job?
hey guys -- does the dyeing process stiffen the leather considerably? I want to maintain a soft, supple feel in my projects but veg-tan is the best thing for me to be working with at the moment. If dyeing does stiffen it, is there a way to get around that?
Hi! Yes it does dry out the leather and stiffen it.You can recondition it with leather oil :) We have a video on how to oil your dyed vegetable tanned leather and about how long it takes to dry on our channel. Additionally you may have to gently work soften your leather to get it to the desired suppleness as well. Another thing I want to add, is to choose a vegtan that is already supple before adding any tooling or dying such as a softer Oak Leaf from Tandy. This may take a lot of sorting through their supply but it's worth it to get a soft and supple project. I hope that helps!
@@AmyTannerSkrocki Absolutely does! Follow-ups though:
1 - is it required to be leather oil, not just conditioner? I'm wondering if my Dr Jackson's Leather Rejuvinator would work just as well.
2 - I've been to Tandy and found the Oak Leaf Veg Tan shoulders and hides to be pretty stiff, whereas something like the Kodiak oil-tanned sides are more the feel that I want. Is that just a matter of finding the right hide?
Also, thanks for being so fast on the replies, I love it.
@@AmyTannerSkrocki bump
If I am dyeing aniline leather can I use a water-based dye such as Rub 'n Restore? It seems like a water-based dye would only "paint" the surface of the leather and may rub off or suffer spills or moisture. Thanks for the video.
Hi Frank! Thank you so much for checking out our video! I haven't tried the Rub 'N Restore before. But I have used the Tandy water stain highlights on top of chrome tanned leather. It removed the finish and left some uneven blotchiness as it didn't absorb uniformly. I tried to seal it again with carnauba wax but it had lost the luster it had before I added the water stain. Since I am unfamiliar with Rub 'n Restore I can't say for sure. I would do a test on an area that is out of sight if possible or on a sample piece if you have an extra little bit of the leather and see if discolours your project in a way you don't like. Also, if there is a specific sealer for Rub n' Restore dyes I would get that so you can get the results they are advertising. Hopefully, this is helpful :)
M,SOUAIBOU