Alternative to Fiebings???

Phil Dwyer

Phil Dwyer

Joined
Feb 28, 2006
Messages
3,494
OK guys guess what? I haven't been able to find any Fiebings dye here in Hawaii. Shipping will take about two months as it has to go ground. Do you have any suggestions for acceptable alternatives I might find locally?

I have almost everything else together though. I've got a side of tooling leather in from Wickette & Craig as a gift from my folks. Got the linen thread and needles in. Gathered some pitch and rendered it down and mixed it 2 to 3 (40% to 60%) with beeswax from my last farm. By-the-way, it takes a whole lot of pitch for a small amount of rendered resin. Got some tools off eBay (need a few more). The coolest surprise is, my Dad sent me all his old tooling stamps and swivel knives, etc.

So I'm just about good to go. Just need a couple more tools and the finishing compounds: dyes, gum tragacanth and some sort of finishing coat. On Chuck's DVD he refers to what I believe he says is Feibings Bad Coat, but I can not find such a thing. They do have a Tan Coat though. What do you all use?
 
You might try and talk to Chuck. I am wanting to get his DVD. Looking forward to seeing your finished projects.
 
If you want a black sheath,put white vinegar in a container with a small amount of wire wool and leave it over night, then paint it on like dye,close the container keeps for ages.works on wood as well.

Richard
 
Farmer Phil said:
. On Chuck's DVD he refers to what I believe he says is Feibings Bad Coat, but I can not find such a thing. They do have a Tan Coat though. What do you all use?
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I happen to use TanKote but what Chuck would have said is Feibing's BAG Coat.

Paul
 
Phil....I've always heard that living there was pure Hell!!
You may consider when you put your next W&C order in, to order a side already dyed...like tan, for instance...no longer have to worry about dying it....that is, if you can live with everything being tan....I could.
 
Hmmm, the search goes on. Looks like I might just have to live with the wait. Not a real problem, just doesn't help with any work now.

Paul: What are the differences between Tan and Bag Kote?

Rayban: Ya it's a tough job living here in Hawaii, but somebodies got to do it! I just might get a pre-dyed piece next time.

Tinbasher: That sounds like a cool trick. Does the piece smell like a pickle afterwards?

Loosearrow: Hopefully Chuck will run across this and have some suggestions.

I may just have to start looking at shoe polish products or even wood stains.

Thanks guys, Phil
 
Phil, go to the art supply store and get you some brown, yellow, and umber, maybe some red oil paint in the tubes, like the artists use. Mix it with mineral spirits to thin slightly and rub it into the leather. The trick is not rubbing all the color back out. You have to leave enough for it to dry on into the leather.
I use it for leather sheaths to get colors that I don't have and also use it to dye antlers when I use them for knife handles and want to bring out or produce some different colors.
If there is a shoe repair ship anywhere around try them I would almost bet they will have leather dye. Shoe polish will work also as well as Rit clothing dye I have been told. Although I have not tried it myself. As for the vineagar trick it will remind you of pickles but it will produce a dye.
Walnut hulls and especially the green hulls that form around the nut will make a great dye when boiled up, be sure not to use your bare hands or Mama's best pan to boil them in as it is wash and wear. You probably don't have walnut trees but you may have another local nut that will do the same when boiled up.
Tandy's has some pretty good dyes if available on the island.
Here are two quick pics of a sheath that I just finished. The photos do not do the sheath justice but it is very cloudy today here and this is the best I could do. The upper section of the front of the sheath was done with a wash of the yellow artists paint and then when I did the Tandy antique finish on the rest of the sheath I rubbed the residue back into the yellow area to tone the yellow down and give it more of an antiqued finish!
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Hope some of that info helps!
 
Phil from what I have read the vinegar and steel wool work more as an chem. reaction and not a dye. It will turn the leather black. I can not help with the brown as I am still searching the recipe out my self. What I have read that I am thinking about trying is, chewing tobacco and alcohol. Again from what I have read it should be about 1part tob. and 4parts alcohol. One tip that I read somewhere is to put the tob. into cheese cloth so you can really squeesh out all of the color. Thinking about giving it a try in the next few days. If you try it first let me know and I will do the same. Good luck.
 
WadeH said:
Phil from what I have read the vinegar and steel wool work more as an chem. reaction and not a dye. It will turn the leather black. I can not help with the brown as I am still searching the recipe out my self. What I have read that I am thinking about trying is, chewing tobacco and alcohol. Again from what I have read it should be about 1part tob. and 4parts alcohol. One tip that I read somewhere is to put the tob. into cheese cloth so you can really squeesh out all of the color. Thinking about giving it a try in the next few days. If you try it first let me know and I will do the same. Good luck.
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I have wanted to try tobacco also!! but probably pipe tobacco, and coffee! sure stains my clothes well! :)
 
Phil did you get the emails that I resent to you? It probaly was me that sent you the email that you lost, that is why I resent them to you.
 
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