dying leather

C

camaroless

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Feb 8, 2015
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Im sure this has been brought up before... is it ok to dye before tooling ? Or will that cause problems. I always dye after tooling but wondered what would happen if done in reverse..

Jb.
 
I have found that Tannery drum dyed (pre dyed leather) will carve and tool generally okay, but leathers dyed by hand in the shop tend to get a little more stiff and it is very difficult to get the same quality carving or stamping that you can get in leather that has not yet been dyed.

Therefore, it is my opinion that any carving, stamping or tooling should be done before any hand dying is done. It can be dyed before any stitching is done, however.

Paul
 
sheathmaker said:
Therefore, it is my opinion that any carving, stamping or tooling should be done before any hand dying is done. It can be dyed before any stitching is done, however.

Paul
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Agreed.

in my experience, tooling leathers that you dyed tend to reveal undyed leather while you are carving or tooling.

Dampen and tool the leather as needed and then dye it.
 
Paul, you answered one of my problems that hand dying leather gets stiff. I have been going nuts trying to understand why my sheaths get so stiff, I thought I was drying them too fast by placing them in front of the furnace heat vents. Or using too much dye

J.B.
 
Tooling and dye (and wet molding) do stiffen the leather a lot. At first I sought ways to lessen this, but even starting with fairly supple veg tanned it happens. Overly stiff (cracking and such) is obviously a problem, but normally worked leather is fine to me now. Paul even mentioned in one of his dvd's that he looks for a certain level of stiffness.
 
I have generally no problems with stiffness after Dying. In some cases I find that just for friction sheaths or folded sheaths. I want to correct a certain stiffness and will even bake the leather at 50C to get that hardness. I then treat it with carnuba cream to put fat back in, the leather is then again more flexible and then I dye the leather. Until now I have never had problems with cracking or tearing of the leather. But I'm talking about sheaths that can safely be stiff for me. Leather that must retain supple after dying is indeed a bit stiff but after treatment with carnuba cream it is just supple leather again. These are most of my experiences. You always look for the best methods, but it works fine for me for now.
 
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The stiffness after dyeing was a major problem for me as well. Seems to be a combination of several factors. Also I think that oil dyes tend to stiffen the leather a bit less than eg water based one. I try using different balms now to avoid the leather getting too stiff. Still experimenting though.
 
vilePossum said:
The stiffness after dyeing was a major problem for me as well. Seems to be a combination of several factors. Also I think that oil dyes tend to stiffen the leather a bit less than eg water based one. I try using different balms now to avoid the leather getting too stiff. Still experimenting though.
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Ah, I generally use only Fiebing's professional Oil dye, perhaps that is why it is not so stiff in my opinion. After using carnuba cream or a leather conditioner the leather is nice supple again, works good enough for me.
 
I have a jug of the carnauba cream but never use it, maybe I'll give it another shot. I usually use neatsfoot if I want to give leather a shot in the arm. I haven't noticed any particular difference between the dyes, but maybe I'm just not paying attention. It's worth noting that the "oil" dye doesn't contain any oils that I'm aware of. I believe the better penetration is due to the better vehicle in delivery versus the quickly evaporating alcohol. Similar results can be had by mixing a little oil in the alcohol based dye.
 
well im glad to hear it's not just me. i use feinbings pro oil dye. last sheath i made you could pound nails with it ! i used a little leather conditioner and got it soft enough for touch but still stiff enough to protect a knife. :thumbup:
 
this stuff is not only good for the after-dye process but also on bare leather that is stiff or dry:

http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/product/dr-jacksons-hide-rejuvenator-21978-00.aspx

21978-00-L.JPG-250x




......and I use it all the time. here's a purse I made my daughter. The leather is 2 oz goat skin and was pretty dry. The flap is 10 oz and was also pretty brittle. I took a scrap piece and bent it back and forth and it did begin to crack. I smeared 4 applications of this stuff on it and it's like the Lazarus effect:


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Well, I am no expert, so everything I can contribute is based on my very limited experience of 2 months of fumbling with leather. ;) still, I didn't assume the the oil dye would re nurture leather, it just feels as it doesn't make it as stiff as other dyes. Like I said, the real improvement comes from the wax and whatnot to apply. And I will definitely try neatsfoot oil, though I guess I will pass on carnauba.
 
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