@@AustinB1024 Tandy IS awesome. I love my job! This is the best breakdown of all the different dyes we sell that I have seen, and I am very excited to be able to point people to this video.
This is the video that every leather workers wanted when they first got started. Thank you sir from me and on behalf of all the future generations of leather workers.
Previous Tandy employee here, it is SO NICE to see this info out there. There’s a lot of misinformation that makes its way around, so I appreciate your thorough demo, and all of the good useful info you’ve shared here.
Another fantastic thing about the Fiebings Pro Dye is that it is a set pigment. You can add as many coats as you want and it won’t darken beyond what it is supposed to be. Which is super nice for when you are trying to match colors between pieces.
Hello im making my first leather piece and stumbled on this just now. Does what you said carry over all of their colours? No matter the colour i buy and the amount of layers it will always be consistent?
@@meki8216 that has been my experience with them! Brown and black have done that for sure. The red was slightly more variable. Haven’t branched too far behind those.
Great video! Couple comments as I've been testing a ton of different application techniques too: - My #1 tip: prep your leather before dyeing by dampening and lightly burnishing the surface with a wood or glass burnisher. This is AMAZING - it tightens the grain, resulting in way smoother dyeing, and makes the leather really pliable and smooth - I'm obsessed with the feel of the leather after doing this and it also helps with tooling, makes cuts much more crisp . Don't overdo it though or it will glaze up and seal the surface (good for undyed!). You may want to lightly oil your leather before all of this if it seems pretty dry, especially since the alcohol-based dye will further dry it out. - You should press your application tool on scrap leather or a rag after soaking it in dye to remove excess or pooling on your piece. Also, I think my favorite application tool is a rolled up cotton rag. Dip it, then press it on a piece of scrap leather or other rag to remove excess and then apply in circular motions. Most even application I've found (and an old fashioned method). Also, land your applicator away from the edge so you don't get pooling near the edges - my earlier experiments always had darker stains around the border - Dilute your dye. This helps tweak colors and apply it more evenly. Probably the most optional of all my findings. - Rehydrate your leather - apply oil after 24h of drying and buff heavily. Then put your top coat on. Would love to see an exploration of aging/patina techniques!
A few tricks we use at Seraphic Wood and Steel regarding leather dyes. if you want to do more detailed work with dyes, use a brush instead of a dauber, you can also use alcohol markers. I also use leather dyes to dye wood (I use this often for my guitars). alcohol based dyes can be cut with denatured alcohol especially useful to get blended grades.
I did the same, but also did another mix with 2/3 neatsfoot oil, 1/6 beeswax, and1/6 carnuba wax. Both worked great, but the mix with carnuba wax was a bit more solid and shined up a little better. In both cases, I heated the leather slightly with a heat gun, to help it penetrate.
Quick tip, for the leather crafter that doesn't have access to a Fiebling's distributor (Tandy) or that mail order is too expensive for. Try a Sharpie. It works very well for small projects, like pouches or phone cases. One of my first projects was dyed solely with a black sharpie. It was a belt pouch for my wallet so I didn't have it in my back pocket all the time while driving a truck. That was about 10 years ago. I still wear the pouch, and it still looks as good as the day I made it. Olive oil will work as a leather conditioner if you don't have access to other oils made specifically for leather. Just work it in and wipe off the excess.
Along the lines of the baking soda, you can make iron acetate by putting steel wool in vinegar until it dissolves, and use that to dye leather. It's a common technique for "ebonizing" wood, and works by reacting with the tannins in the woods. Since leather is also full of tannins (hence "tanning" in veg-tan), it also works here. It gives an interesting blackening effect that doesn't rub off, since it's a chemical reaction in the material rather than a pigment.
Question on the Iron. When I have used Iron mordants on wool, the hand of the fiber is noticeably harsher and the wool tends to be quite brittle. Does it have a similar effect on leather since both are protein?
@@karladenton5034 I've only wiped it on the surface, and it didn't seem to get too bad. I imagine if you soaked it (either applying a lot, or submerging it) it could get brittle. I know some people have also suggested washing it with water or even a light baking soda solution to rinse out or neutralize the acid. I'd suggest testing on a cutoff before applying it to a full project.
I’m watching this as I prepare to strip and revolve a pair of boots with fiebings regular dye and I now know I need to pretreat with neatsfoot oil. Thank you sir 🫡
Make a dark oil for finish that is darker than natural oil. Add Fiebings oil brown to a container of Neatsfoot oil. This will give you a color that is like plain leather that is oiled and has been exposed to the sun for a long time. Fiebings use to sell a dark oil 20 years ago. I learned this from a saddle maker 25 years ago.
@@mkuhnactual It is like putting pigment in to paint. Just add until you get the desired color. They use to sell a light brown and dark brown oil. Leather will darken if you put it on the dash while parked in the sun. None of it will be as dark as just applying stain.
i recently tested with rit dye. luke warm water, not super hot. soaked over night. black rit dye turned my leather a deep dark purple and then after oiling it, it looks almost black. in fact i left a picture on the discord of a belt i made using that same leather as keepers. ive also used purple (eggplant) rit dye and its very vibrant after applying a conditioner
@@LadyVineXIII fabric dye. The liquid is super concentrated and only a few dollars per container. It gets mixed with water and is used for fabric dying but it works well on large pieces of leather as well
Over the years, I have found that water based dye stiffens the leather. Fiebings Aussie Condition is about the only thing I have found to make the veg tanned leather bend easily again. A long process. Fiebings Pro Dye does not have that problem. Just condition with leather balm after. No stiff leather.
worst part of youtube - you cannot like something multiple times xD deep diving on theory of a technique you do casually: like actually using logic in your experiments: like presenting your results in a neutral way (there are no wrong ways, it depends on your goal to achieve): like being an enthusiastic craftsmen: like gaining and sharing insight on subjects: like going back to basics as a pro: like i definetly forgot some "likes" in there but it really hits home to see you going over such trivial things just to learn new ways :D And now i'm out to do some projects! Thanks for your continued inspiration (and advise) :)
Thanks for this video. I have watch so many videos on this subject, and none seem to go as deep as you did. Every question I had while watching this video, you went right into answering it. So you also leveled up your telepathy skill.
For the more diluted baking soda soaked piece, the flexing streaks on it also kind of look like weathering too, so that's a really good way to get some weathering on the project too
I love love love the result of the less baking soda solution (shown at 9:00 ) after you uncurl it, the flex marks? It looks like bark. Really cool. This whole video was great. I love that you don't discount any technique, depending on the results you want, they all work. That all said, I hope you replaced your wife's mister. Happy wife, happy life.
The shield is up on Discord and this weekend I'll finish it with the leather addings. Handle wrapping, carrying strap and because it dose have some weight to it, an arm strap for stability. Even I can't wait to see the finished product. 🛡🙂
I loved this video. Been leatherworking for a year but never really experimented, just stuck with what works. Thanks for doing this, that bicarbonate trick seems a great way to antique leather
I've done application using an air rig to dye a cloak made of upholstery leather. Fiebing's Pro-dye in a 50/50 Kelly green and black. The 1 oz. hobby airbrush kept running out too fast, but gave an interesting mottling similar to the camo from star Wars 6. The larger 2-cup paint spray rig gave a smoother finish. Both gave a lot of overspray. If you try this you need full face PPE! I had dye on my glasses that won't come off, and my filter mask was green afterwards. I still was inhaling some of the dye. Be safe.
wow!! I really love that video!! The experimentations and results you have here are precious! I would really love to see the same kind of video but with the different top coat products and see which one is more resistant! :D
Thanks a bunch! I've been looking into dyes recently in an effort to find the shade I'd like to use on leather projects, and this video gave me tons of things to work with!
Thank you for your tutorial. I am new to dying leather. I purchased a kit from Tandy Leather to make a clutch purse. All the information you provided is very helpful and will be watching the video again a couple of times. I did purchase paint from Tandy Leather however, it talking with an owner of a Saddle / Leather shop he informed me not to use what Tandy told me to purchase which was an acrylic paint. Thank you again and now can't wait to get started.
I made a camouflage look by dropping drops of various colors. Then I let those sit for a few minutes before spreading the dies and stains. Turned out really cool!
Dude.... You have no idea how much I enjoy watching your videos... I just started watching your stuff this year, and I look forward to each video like no joke. I attempted to make the Alchemist coffee maker and it came out different with my own touch.
This covered a lot more bases than I expected it to. +1 subscriber for you, you've earned it. I'm totally stealing that salad mister idea and the baking soda one. I like the idea of caustic coloring to ensure the piece won't bleed color onto other surfaces in use.
super helpful video!!! i only recently got into leatherworking, and the fiebing's dye was my go to as well. i always noticed it left it crispier than i liked lol and tried the eco flo water dye and that was better but still kinda streaky so i definitely will be checking out the pro dye!!!!
Great Video! Really interesting to see the differences and for the large part similarities of the dyes and the ways to apply them. And I’m probably going to use oil on my leather before using the oil dye next time.
Excellent video and extremely topical for my current project. I'm making one of Dieselpunk's Dragon masks and wanted to try to blend colors together in an ombre effect. Your using the spray bottle saved me from even bothering with that one. I already own a Preval Sprayer and was leaning towards that, but the mister looked interesting, with less cleanup, assuming you can store dyes long term in one. Thanks again, your enthusiasm is wonderful also.
Know that your video is still being watched! My friend wanted pink, but I dont want to buy a whole bottle for one project. The food coloring idea is wonderful. I will let you know how it turns out!
Haven’t watched far enough to see results yet, but I love the Fiebings Pro Dyes. For me, they have always given me a much more consistent color then the normal dyes.
I diluted the light brown fiebings leather dye in a ratio of about 1:1 dye to water and dip dyed something and got an amazing result that was similar in colour to your pro dye
One thing you can do to keep the leather from curling during the drying process is to put it on a cookie rack which will cause it to dry evenly .... on a flat surface the skin of the leather dries first so it tightens with the flesh side still being wet ... leather shrinks wen it dries
You should be able to get some of the suppleness back by applying oil (mink or neatsfoot) or conditioner to the leather after dying. Though, like he showed, applying the oil first gives even coverage and keeps it from getting crispy, so that's probably a better plan.
Ive used one of those pressurized lawn misters when dying with great results. If doing a larger item such as a sofa. Oh and the Dawn powewash dish soap bottles are also awsome!
Awesome and so comprehensive! will absolutely use that cheap spray bottle trick for some projects in the near future and am going to get one of those plant sprayers for my new go to leather applicator when I want smooth consistent coverage!
Having owned my own custom leather shop, I found the Fiebing's Pro Dye gave me the most consistent coverage and colors. The water based Eco dyes are okay, but if given a choice I'll almost always opt for the Pro Dyes. Sometimes I oiled the leather before applying the Pro Dye and sometimes it was after applying the dye. Didn't seem to make much difference either way.
I really enjoyed your science video and all the examples of applications. I would like to leave an honest feedback that it was a little confusing for me to follow on which examples I was being shown. As a person that is completely new to learning leather working, it would really help to add the text on the screen next to the samples labeling what they are. I would not be mad at a re-edit with the labels. Lol. Thank you for being so thorough in your analysis.
Since you really liked using the mister for applying stain, I'd recommend trying a different style of mister. They sell misters (call them plant misters i think?) Which work in the same way as weed sprayers, you put the water in, you pump it to build up pressure and then you can apply the mist by just depressing the trigger instead of having to repeatedly pump. Should help given you even more even coverage.
I have 2 question, First did you have to thin your dye out when you used your mister. And what did you use to clean out the mister if you change colors
I was shocked at how dark some the those light browns were. The pressure sprayer worked amazingly well. I want to try that with some royal blue I have. It was a lot darker than I wanted it to be.
I would have loved to see you use the mist sprayer filled with distilled water to wet the leather. This evenly applies the water which is the key. This works equally as well on regular or pro dye.
Awesome timing! I'm running low on dyes and I'm definitely going to try out the Fiebing's Pro dyes now. Also buying some neatsfoot oil so I can use my leftover alcohol dyes without the crusty leather effect... About the food colouring: might give more options for smaller projects, but I'm not at all confident that they will last. Even many alcohol-based dyes have a problem with fading, so I'm thinking food dyes won't be that permanent 😬
Food dyes tend to be pretty fugitive (fade easily). And some of them can 'break' into their constituent colors - black is especially notorious. I have done quite a bit of food color dying on wool. You really need to fix the food color and KoolAid dyes with heat and citric acid, which is fine on wool, but would be problematic on leather, I would think. But it's fun and very safe to dye with KoolAid and other food safe dyes when you are working with kids.
Try using acetone in a spray bottle randomly spraying leather which has been dyed about 20 minutes prior, this will cause a marbled look which can be very intense. (Note I only use pro dye so I’m not sure how it will affect other dyes)
"Fiebing" would be pronounced fee- (like pee) -bing. The ie sounds in German usually like ee. Hope this helps! Btw, just discovered your channel, and I'm binge watching and learning ❤ thanks!
Hey, quick question - when applying oil before dyeing, should the oil soak in completely? If no, how long should you wait, and should you wipe off excess when applying? Thanks! EDIT: Another one popped into my head - have you thinned out your dye when using the mister? If yes, how much? And what have you cleaned it with after using it?
I dip dyed with Eco Flo oil dye and it is still leaking, really never dried even after a week. It also scratches off super easily. Probably not going to use this dye again. I think I'm sold on the Fiebings Pro Dye.
I've got a couple of brown leather jackets that, while they are very good looking jackets in brown, i really want them to be black instead. Here to learn a thing or two.
This was great! Have you considered doing some blues? I have a piece I'm trying to restore but the natural leather has seen better days. I was thinking a dark blue would give it new life. 🤔
I am now curious. What about boiling beets and using the liquid OR using beet paste? Beets have historically been used as a natural vegetable based dye. Also, what about leather cleaners and conditioners? I posted what I use, but I'm curious what others have recommended and how well they work. EDIT: The Fiebings along with similar dyes benefit from a good conditioning after they dry. The crispiness will come right out. Won't save you from that chemical burn that the baking soda did though.
Black walnut hulls, poke berries, Blackberries, blueberries, raspberries fresh cut grass, beets, and other vegetation smashed up and soaked in a small amount of oil, water, or alcohol then strained make excellent dyes for fabric, wool, and leather. Some of them will require less fluid than others due to the amount of water in them already. When you go to use them just add more water, oil, or alcohol to get desired color tone and effects. As far as the dried-out leather bend them and such like you did to the one piece That gives a really nice aged look to them. Then rub Obenauf's heavy-duty LP Leather preservative into the leather. That will soften and protect the leather pieces as well as somewhat waterproof them. Obenauf's does have a full line of leather care products and even boot laces that are treated to protect the eyelets and laces.
As a Tandy Leather employee, thank you for doing the Lord’s work.
Yo Tandy is amazing. I moved away from my old store, I still order from them anytime I need anything. They are some of the nicest people
Sadly, this may be the most recognition he gets on that front.
@@AustinB1024 Tandy IS awesome. I love my job! This is the best breakdown of all the different dyes we sell that I have seen, and I am very excited to be able to point people to this video.
@@dawsonehlke1290 send the video to corporate. Get him a sponsor.
@@zedzknight Already did. Here’s hoping!
This is the video that every leather workers wanted when they first got started. Thank you sir from me and on behalf of all the future generations of leather workers.
Hey leather worker, can you help me out? I have brand new baseballs I want to look used for a craft project. Tips?
I have been doing leatherwork for 25 years and I have to say this is probably the most helpful and informative video on dyeing that I've ever seen.
Previous Tandy employee here, it is SO NICE to see this info out there. There’s a lot of misinformation that makes its way around, so I appreciate your thorough demo, and all of the good useful info you’ve shared here.
Another fantastic thing about the Fiebings Pro Dye is that it is a set pigment. You can add as many coats as you want and it won’t darken beyond what it is supposed to be. Which is super nice for when you are trying to match colors between pieces.
Hello im making my first leather piece and stumbled on this just now. Does what you said carry over all of their colours? No matter the colour i buy and the amount of layers it will always be consistent?
@@meki8216 that has been my experience with them! Brown and black have done that for sure. The red was slightly more variable. Haven’t branched too far behind those.
Great video! Couple comments as I've been testing a ton of different application techniques too:
- My #1 tip: prep your leather before dyeing by dampening and lightly burnishing the surface with a wood or glass burnisher. This is AMAZING - it tightens the grain, resulting in way smoother dyeing, and makes the leather really pliable and smooth - I'm obsessed with the feel of the leather after doing this and it also helps with tooling, makes cuts much more crisp . Don't overdo it though or it will glaze up and seal the surface (good for undyed!). You may want to lightly oil your leather before all of this if it seems pretty dry, especially since the alcohol-based dye will further dry it out.
- You should press your application tool on scrap leather or a rag after soaking it in dye to remove excess or pooling on your piece. Also, I think my favorite application tool is a rolled up cotton rag. Dip it, then press it on a piece of scrap leather or other rag to remove excess and then apply in circular motions. Most even application I've found (and an old fashioned method). Also, land your applicator away from the edge so you don't get pooling near the edges - my earlier experiments always had darker stains around the border
- Dilute your dye. This helps tweak colors and apply it more evenly. Probably the most optional of all my findings.
- Rehydrate your leather - apply oil after 24h of drying and buff heavily. Then put your top coat on.
Would love to see an exploration of aging/patina techniques!
A few tricks we use at Seraphic Wood and Steel regarding leather dyes. if you want to do more detailed work with dyes, use a brush instead of a dauber, you can also use alcohol markers. I also use leather dyes to dye wood (I use this often for my guitars). alcohol based dyes can be cut with denatured alcohol especially useful to get blended grades.
This video is so comprehensive for someone trying to figure out how to dye for the first time. Honestly, just stellar job.
This is amazing timing. I just created my own leather balm balm. 1/3 beeswax 2/3 neatsfoot oil. It shines, protects and makes everything awesome!
That mix makes a lot of sense. I'll have to file it away to give it a go.
I use a more 60/40 mix but it is an awesome balm!!
I did the same, but also did another mix with 2/3 neatsfoot oil, 1/6 beeswax, and1/6 carnuba wax. Both worked great, but the mix with carnuba wax was a bit more solid and shined up a little better. In both cases, I heated the leather slightly with a heat gun, to help it penetrate.
Quick tip, for the leather crafter that doesn't have access to a Fiebling's distributor (Tandy) or that mail order is too expensive for. Try a Sharpie. It works very well for small projects, like pouches or phone cases. One of my first projects was dyed solely with a black sharpie. It was a belt pouch for my wallet so I didn't have it in my back pocket all the time while driving a truck. That was about 10 years ago. I still wear the pouch, and it still looks as good as the day I made it. Olive oil will work as a leather conditioner if you don't have access to other oils made specifically for leather. Just work it in and wipe off the excess.
Don't bother with metallic Sharpies for leather. They rub off badly and do other odd things even with a top coat.
Along the lines of the baking soda, you can make iron acetate by putting steel wool in vinegar until it dissolves, and use that to dye leather. It's a common technique for "ebonizing" wood, and works by reacting with the tannins in the woods. Since leather is also full of tannins (hence "tanning" in veg-tan), it also works here. It gives an interesting blackening effect that doesn't rub off, since it's a chemical reaction in the material rather than a pigment.
Question on the Iron. When I have used Iron mordants on wool, the hand of the fiber is noticeably harsher and the wool tends to be quite brittle. Does it have a similar effect on leather since both are protein?
@@karladenton5034 I've only wiped it on the surface, and it didn't seem to get too bad. I imagine if you soaked it (either applying a lot, or submerging it) it could get brittle. I know some people have also suggested washing it with water or even a light baking soda solution to rinse out or neutralize the acid. I'd suggest testing on a cutoff before applying it to a full project.
@@PKDoesStuff Thanks, I'm pretty confident with natural dyes on fibers, but am totally a beginner with leather.
I’m watching this as I prepare to strip and revolve a pair of boots with fiebings regular dye and I now know I need to pretreat with neatsfoot oil. Thank you sir 🫡
Yes please. More deep dives. Compare, contrast, play and experiment please!
Would love more of these crafting mythbusters type episodes!
Make a dark oil for finish that is darker than natural oil. Add Fiebings oil brown to a container of Neatsfoot oil. This will give you a color that is like plain leather that is oiled and has been exposed to the sun for a long time. Fiebings use to sell a dark oil 20 years ago. I learned this from a saddle maker 25 years ago.
what ratio of dye to oil if i may ask?
@@mkuhnactual It is like putting pigment in to paint. Just add until you get the desired color. They use to sell a light brown and dark brown oil. Leather will darken if you put it on the dash while parked in the sun. None of it will be as dark as just applying stain.
i recently tested with rit dye. luke warm water, not super hot. soaked over night. black rit dye turned my leather a deep dark purple and then after oiling it, it looks almost black.
in fact i left a picture on the discord of a belt i made using that same leather as keepers. ive also used purple (eggplant) rit dye and its very vibrant after applying a conditioner
rit?
@@LadyVineXIII fabric dye. The liquid is super concentrated and only a few dollars per container. It gets mixed with water and is used for fabric dying but it works well on large pieces of leather as well
@@M4st3r0fN0n3 Good hack to know. Thank you.
Just started using that same mister and it is a life changer! THANKS FOR THE IDEA!!!!
this is really helpful my brother and I just got a leather kit to make some armor, so knowing these dyeing methods is good
Can you possibly talk about different finishes and or waterproofing you can do after dying? This is a topic that doesn’t seem to be touched much.
Yes please!
Over the years, I have found that water based dye stiffens the leather. Fiebings Aussie Condition is about the only thing I have found to make the veg tanned leather bend easily again. A long process. Fiebings Pro Dye does not have that problem. Just condition with leather balm after. No stiff leather.
worst part of youtube - you cannot like something multiple times xD
deep diving on theory of a technique you do casually: like
actually using logic in your experiments: like
presenting your results in a neutral way (there are no wrong ways, it depends on your goal to achieve): like
being an enthusiastic craftsmen: like
gaining and sharing insight on subjects: like
going back to basics as a pro: like
i definetly forgot some "likes" in there but it really hits home to see you going over such trivial things just to learn new ways :D
And now i'm out to do some projects!
Thanks for your continued inspiration (and advise) :)
Thanks for this video. I have watch so many videos on this subject, and none seem to go as deep as you did. Every question I had while watching this video, you went right into answering it. So you also leveled up your telepathy skill.
For the more diluted baking soda soaked piece, the flexing streaks on it also kind of look like weathering too, so that's a really good way to get some weathering on the project too
I love love love the result of the less baking soda solution (shown at 9:00 ) after you uncurl it, the flex marks? It looks like bark. Really cool. This whole video was great. I love that you don't discount any technique, depending on the results you want, they all work. That all said, I hope you replaced your wife's mister. Happy wife, happy life.
The shield is up on Discord and this weekend I'll finish it with the leather addings. Handle wrapping, carrying strap and because it dose have some weight to it, an arm strap for stability. Even I can't wait to see the finished product. 🛡🙂
I loved this video. Been leatherworking for a year but never really experimented, just stuck with what works.
Thanks for doing this, that bicarbonate trick seems a great way to antique leather
Eyyy this was great! The dauber with the baking soda was really interesting and im SO buying one of those misting cans
I've done application using an air rig to dye a cloak made of upholstery leather. Fiebing's Pro-dye in a 50/50 Kelly green and black. The 1 oz. hobby airbrush kept running out too fast, but gave an interesting mottling similar to the camo from star Wars 6. The larger 2-cup paint spray rig gave a smoother finish. Both gave a lot of overspray. If you try this you need full face PPE! I had dye on my glasses that won't come off, and my filter mask was green afterwards. I still was inhaling some of the dye. Be safe.
So happy i found this after years of leatherworking! It confirms all of the things I had to learn through trial and error! Thanks for making it easy!
The scientific approach to the testing was really nicely done. I appreciate this video, thank you
wow!! I really love that video!! The experimentations and results you have here are precious! I would really love to see the same kind of video but with the different top coat products and see which one is more resistant! :D
Thanks a bunch! I've been looking into dyes recently in an effort to find the shade I'd like to use on leather projects, and this video gave me tons of things to work with!
Thank you for your tutorial. I am new to dying leather. I purchased a kit from Tandy Leather to make a clutch purse. All the information you provided is very helpful and will be watching the video again a couple of times. I did purchase paint from Tandy Leather however, it talking with an owner of a Saddle / Leather shop he informed me not to use what Tandy told me to purchase which was an acrylic paint. Thank you again and now can't wait to get started.
Holy shit! So much work went into this video. Thank you so much.
I made a camouflage look by dropping drops of various colors. Then I let those sit for a few minutes before spreading the dies and stains. Turned out really cool!
Dude.... You have no idea how much I enjoy watching your videos... I just started watching your stuff this year, and I look forward to each video like no joke. I attempted to make the Alchemist coffee maker and it came out different with my own touch.
How do we show you what we made?
The coffee maker is on my to-do list too. I've never been on Discord but I believe there is an active community there to share projects.
This covered a lot more bases than I expected it to. +1 subscriber for you, you've earned it. I'm totally stealing that salad mister idea and the baking soda one. I like the idea of caustic coloring to ensure the piece won't bleed color onto other surfaces in use.
super helpful video!!! i only recently got into leatherworking, and the fiebing's dye was my go to as well. i always noticed it left it crispier than i liked lol and tried the eco flo water dye and that was better but still kinda streaky so i definitely will be checking out the pro dye!!!!
I never would of thought of a mister bottle for leather dye. Genius!!
Great Video! Really interesting to see the differences and for the large part similarities of the dyes and the ways to apply them. And I’m probably going to use oil on my leather before using the oil dye next time.
This video was very comprehensive and answered questions that were arising as I watched this video. Thank you for this.
I liked it and each technique has it's own effect and purpose for different looks so great job really informative
I have used MinWax wood dye on my leather and it produces a very rich, vibrant color.
I love the deep dive! I like watching these while I work on my renaissance fair costume. I’ve learned so much from your channel, so thanks!
Excellent video and extremely topical for my current project. I'm making one of Dieselpunk's Dragon masks and wanted to try to blend colors together in an ombre effect. Your using the spray bottle saved me from even bothering with that one. I already own a Preval Sprayer and was leaning towards that, but the mister looked interesting, with less cleanup, assuming you can store dyes long term in one. Thanks again, your enthusiasm is wonderful also.
Know that your video is still being watched! My friend wanted pink, but I dont want to buy a whole bottle for one project. The food coloring idea is wonderful. I will let you know how it turns out!
Exactly what I needed for my next level up. Thank you!
Haven’t watched far enough to see results yet, but I love the Fiebings Pro Dyes. For me, they have always given me a much more consistent color then the normal dyes.
This video is excellent. Its super comprehensive and I haven't found a single other video this in depth. You're out here doing the Lord's work Cl3ver!
I diluted the light brown fiebings leather dye in a ratio of about 1:1 dye to water and dip dyed something and got an amazing result that was similar in colour to your pro dye
One thing you can do to keep the leather from curling during the drying process is to put it on a cookie rack which will cause it to dry evenly .... on a flat surface the skin of the leather dries first so it tightens with the flesh side still being wet ... leather shrinks wen it dries
I love this! Thank you
Definatly gonna have to rewatch and take notes
This is exactly the video I needed. Great timing.
Great deep dive! The tip about pretreating the leather with neatfoots oil before hand will certainly come in handy for me. Thanks! :)
It would be cool to do a video on different leather paints as well, they’re good for adding colour on top of leather you’ve already dyed
So what about sealers and conditioners? Is there a way to bring the suppleness back to those crispier leathers?
You should be able to get some of the suppleness back by applying oil (mink or neatsfoot) or conditioner to the leather after dying. Though, like he showed, applying the oil first gives even coverage and keeps it from getting crispy, so that's probably a better plan.
Ive used one of those pressurized lawn misters when dying with great results. If doing a larger item such as a sofa. Oh and the Dawn powewash dish soap bottles are also awsome!
Have you ever had any issues with clogging? How do you go about cleaning the mechanism?
I was surprised to see angelus wasn't one of the dyes tested, they have like 30 different dye color's for both leather & suede
Awesome and so comprehensive! will absolutely use that cheap spray bottle trick for some projects in the near future and am going to get one of those plant sprayers for my new go to leather applicator when I want smooth consistent coverage!
Having owned my own custom leather shop, I found the Fiebing's Pro Dye gave me the most consistent coverage and colors. The water based Eco dyes are okay, but if given a choice I'll almost always opt for the Pro Dyes. Sometimes I oiled the leather before applying the Pro Dye and sometimes it was after applying the dye. Didn't seem to make much difference either way.
This was absolutely worth watching
I really enjoyed your science video and all the examples of applications. I would like to leave an honest feedback that it was a little confusing for me to follow on which examples I was being shown. As a person that is completely new to learning leather working, it would really help to add the text on the screen next to the samples labeling what they are. I would not be mad at a re-edit with the labels. Lol. Thank you for being so thorough in your analysis.
I'd love to see a test of light dye applied and then a spray of the baking soda dye for a really grungy well worn look. That could be really cool.
Since you really liked using the mister for applying stain, I'd recommend trying a different style of mister. They sell misters (call them plant misters i think?) Which work in the same way as weed sprayers, you put the water in, you pump it to build up pressure and then you can apply the mist by just depressing the trigger instead of having to repeatedly pump. Should help given you even more even coverage.
I have 2 question, First did you have to thin your dye out when you used your mister. And what did you use to clean out the mister if you change colors
I was shocked at how dark some the those light browns were. The pressure sprayer worked amazingly well. I want to try that with some royal blue I have. It was a lot darker than I wanted it to be.
You can make Leather Armour with backing Soda Mix ! IT colors it antique and hard it Up!
Use 8-10 Oz. Leather !
Awesome work, mate! Done in a scientific way, too. Great comparisons in an easy to follow way. All I can say is...keep levelling up you 🤣
When are you going to do marble and bubble dye? Great vid!
very cool. thank you. love these kinds of videos.
You can also use Kool-Aid concentrate to dye leather! plus it will smell like whatever flavor you choose
These types of videos are great for beginners like me. Cheers, mate🧙♂🧙♂. From downunder.
Thank you so much for this, itll help a lot in many of the projects i do
I would have loved to see you use the mist sprayer filled with distilled water to wet the leather. This evenly applies the water which is the key. This works equally as well on regular or pro dye.
Awesome timing! I'm running low on dyes and I'm definitely going to try out the Fiebing's Pro dyes now. Also buying some neatsfoot oil so I can use my leftover alcohol dyes without the crusty leather effect...
About the food colouring: might give more options for smaller projects, but I'm not at all confident that they will last. Even many alcohol-based dyes have a problem with fading, so I'm thinking food dyes won't be that permanent 😬
Food dyes tend to be pretty fugitive (fade easily). And some of them can 'break' into their constituent colors - black is especially notorious. I have done quite a bit of food color dying on wool. You really need to fix the food color and KoolAid dyes with heat and citric acid, which is fine on wool, but would be problematic on leather, I would think. But it's fun and very safe to dye with KoolAid and other food safe dyes when you are working with kids.
"Do you expect me to LARP", Goldmember? No, Mr. Clever, I expect you to dye!
Try using acetone in a spray bottle randomly spraying leather which has been dyed about 20 minutes prior, this will cause a marbled look which can be very intense. (Note I only use pro dye so I’m not sure how it will affect other dyes)
That second baking soda treatment sort of makes the leather look like bark which would be cool for like druid armor.
Another note, Fiebings alcohol dyes are meant to be diluted with alcohol before application. I normally do 3:1.
What kind of alcohol
"Fiebing" would be pronounced fee- (like pee) -bing. The ie sounds in German usually like ee. Hope this helps! Btw, just discovered your channel, and I'm binge watching and learning ❤ thanks!
Great video, enjoyed to watch it. Thank you very much for all the good information 👍
Hey, quick question - when applying oil before dyeing, should the oil soak in completely? If no, how long should you wait, and should you wipe off excess when applying? Thanks!
EDIT: Another one popped into my head - have you thinned out your dye when using the mister? If yes, how much? And what have you cleaned it with after using it?
Hello! The way it worked for me was to just add on a thin coat and let it soak in. Should only take a minute or so. At least that's how I did it lol
Probably the best video on dying for being so short
I've got a friend who makes his own dye with elk blood mixed with the residual antique gel in it's "empty" bottle.
Another idea try the vinegar black method. (Stealwool and vinegar)
Thank you!! This is exactly what I was looking for :)
Love videos like this. Definitely going into my reference playlist to refer to from time to time.
PS: I think it's FEEbings.
I dip dyed with Eco Flo oil dye and it is still leaking, really never dried even after a week. It also scratches off super easily. Probably not going to use this dye again. I think I'm sold on the Fiebings Pro Dye.
I've got a couple of brown leather jackets that, while they are very good looking jackets in brown, i really want them to be black instead. Here to learn a thing or two.
This was great! Have you considered doing some blues? I have a piece I'm trying to restore but the natural leather has seen better days. I was thinking a dark blue would give it new life. 🤔
Great dyeing masterclass !
Might I recommend using tea to dye leather
It’s such a bummer we can’t get any Fiebing’s dye in California, have to use Eco-Flo which isn’t bad, oh and by the way, I love Tandy also!
What a great video, clever!
hmmmm i feel like with all this experimenting, you deserve a level or two in alchemy, too
I am now curious. What about boiling beets and using the liquid OR using beet paste? Beets have historically been used as a natural vegetable based dye. Also, what about leather cleaners and conditioners? I posted what I use, but I'm curious what others have recommended and how well they work. EDIT: The Fiebings along with similar dyes benefit from a good conditioning after they dry. The crispiness will come right out. Won't save you from that chemical burn that the baking soda did though.
Can you do a test with other dyes? Like tie dyes for fabric?
Massively useful video, many thanks!
I am loving these tutorials!
Also, assuming the Fiebings name is of German origin, the pronunciation would be Feebings. Otherwise, I have no idea.
Black walnut hulls, poke berries, Blackberries, blueberries, raspberries fresh cut grass, beets, and other vegetation smashed up and soaked in a small amount of oil, water, or alcohol then strained make excellent dyes for fabric, wool, and leather. Some of them will require less fluid than others due to the amount of water in them already. When you go to use them just add more water, oil, or alcohol to get desired color tone and effects. As far as the dried-out leather bend them and such like you did to the one piece That gives a really nice aged look to them. Then rub Obenauf's heavy-duty LP Leather preservative into the leather. That will soften and protect the leather pieces as well as somewhat waterproof them. Obenauf's does have a full line of leather care products and even boot laces that are treated to protect the eyelets and laces.
Yay, new video!!