- Joined
- Mar 19, 2007
- Messages
- 7,443
I think dip dying your leather is optimal - it becomes submerged quickly and gets a good even deep coat. However, it takes a LOT of dye to do this and you have to have a dedicated area to dip dye at - as it is messy.
On this latest sheath I used a dauber and got very good results:
Here was my process:
1) I dye before I stitch. The allows me to seal the inside of the sheath. I do this with all bushcraft sheaths as I want maximum protection on the leather that I know will see tough use.
2) I mixed some denatured alcohol with a bit of water (about 50 - 50) and put it in a spray bottle. I gave the leather a good spritzing.
3) I lightly rub the leather with a cloth to both help the water soak into the leather but to deglaze any chemicals or other objects off the outside of the sheath.
4) I examine the outside of the leather to make sure the leather is soaking up the mix evenly. If it is not, or there is any shedding of water, I rub a little harder to ensure it is clean - I may need to use full strength alcohol for a tough spot.
5) Once all of the water is evenly soaking in and it has sat for a few minutes and got absorbed (this is not a lot of water - just a spritzing) I rub on the dye quickly and in a circular motion.
6) I make sure I hit all the spots a couple of times and make sure the dye is getting evenly soaked in in all areas.
7) I let this dry, and once it is nearly dry I rub in a liberal coat of Montana Pitch Blend, inside and out, being careful to stay away from where I will glue the sheath together.
8) This usually takes some of the excess dye off on my hands - so I am sure to clean my hands and not contaminate my pitch between dips.
That is about it - once this is dry - I burnish the belt loop - sew that on - glue up - stitch up - burnish and buff to shiny.
Hope this was helpful,
TF
On this latest sheath I used a dauber and got very good results:
Here was my process:
1) I dye before I stitch. The allows me to seal the inside of the sheath. I do this with all bushcraft sheaths as I want maximum protection on the leather that I know will see tough use.
2) I mixed some denatured alcohol with a bit of water (about 50 - 50) and put it in a spray bottle. I gave the leather a good spritzing.
3) I lightly rub the leather with a cloth to both help the water soak into the leather but to deglaze any chemicals or other objects off the outside of the sheath.
4) I examine the outside of the leather to make sure the leather is soaking up the mix evenly. If it is not, or there is any shedding of water, I rub a little harder to ensure it is clean - I may need to use full strength alcohol for a tough spot.
5) Once all of the water is evenly soaking in and it has sat for a few minutes and got absorbed (this is not a lot of water - just a spritzing) I rub on the dye quickly and in a circular motion.
6) I make sure I hit all the spots a couple of times and make sure the dye is getting evenly soaked in in all areas.
7) I let this dry, and once it is nearly dry I rub in a liberal coat of Montana Pitch Blend, inside and out, being careful to stay away from where I will glue the sheath together.
8) This usually takes some of the excess dye off on my hands - so I am sure to clean my hands and not contaminate my pitch between dips.
That is about it - once this is dry - I burnish the belt loop - sew that on - glue up - stitch up - burnish and buff to shiny.
Hope this was helpful,
TF
i also dye after i stitch too..
:thumbup: