Other techniques for leather dying?

H

Hesparus

Joined
Oct 31, 2004
Messages
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I've been dying sheaths with Fiebings USMC black leather dye for a year, now. I kinda don't like the stuff and I'm in the market for something else. I don't want to get into anything too fancy, though. Is there anything that fits the bill, or am I expecting too much?

- Chris
 
I just rub it in with a dobber. What part are you doing that you dont like? It could be the leather.....
 
I know I have not been completely satisfied with their products particularly their finish coats. I keep hearing about using a paste wax on sheath but have not had anyone elaborate on it. Anyone out there who can elaborate?
Daniel Krohn
 
It applys well enough but I can't get the excess dye off of the inside of the sheath. No matter how much I rub it, it still discolors any non-black handle immediately.

- Chris
 
Hesparus said:
It applys well enough but I can't get the excess dye off of the inside of the sheath. No matter how much I rub it, it still discolors any non-black handle immediately.

- Chris
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Is it leather dye or leather stain? The reason I ask, before I knew any better I got some Fiebing's brown saddle stain and that stuff never seemed to ever dry. After I dye a sheath I put it in front of a fan for 24 hours before I finished it with Kiwi neutral shoe polish. I've found the Kiwi is a great protectant and seals the leather real well. Also the customer can reapply as necessary like you would leather dress shoes.
Scott
 
It's dye. Part of the problem might be that it's black - I'm going to pick up some brown next week.

- Chris
 
I have used Saddle tan and light brown oil dye and never had much trouble. I also tended to apply a top coat of Bag-Kote and that sealed it. On the other hand If the sheath got scratched, the scratch went all the way through the coating. How does the shoe polish do in this respect? Now I have switched from the leather dye to a neatsfoot oil followed by Bag Kote.
Daniel Krohn
 
There's a great, cheap, natural black dye for leather that I use, dead vinager. Get some regular white vinager and put some steel shavings or steel wool (soap free) in it and let it sit, add more if needed. You can also use vinager you used to etch blades with before it died too. Once the vinager is dead (that preparation will probably take a few days), rub it onto the leather and dry with heat. Turns out like this...

combatsheath.jpg

P.S. It also works on some woods like the oak in the pic.
 
I bought some brown leather shoe dye ( not Kiwi some other brand) at the grocery store , works great , dries fully , doesnt come off on handles and stuff , follow by a rubbing with beeswax and then a neatsfoot oil coating , walla!
Inexpensive and it works.
 
Hesparus said:
How do you apply neatsfoot oil and does it turn color?

- Chris
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I just use a clean swab like I use for dye. It darkens the leather without the overpowering red that everything else has in it.The disclaimer is that I use horshide and I don't know if it works the same as anything else.
Daniel
 
I prefer the Fiebing"s Professional Oil Dyes that are then sealed with an acrylic finisher called "Sheen" or "shene" depending on the manufacturer,Tandy or Fiebings. If black dye is not sealed it will continue to rub off for a LONG time! Bag Kote does a good job also--- Sandy
 
The black color is the from the magnetite that is formed from the iron. Since the magnetite is an insouluble pigment that is trapped in the pores of the leather, it may not rub off as easily. If course my limited budget prevents me from having ever actually tried this out, use this advice/theory at your own risk.
 
I thought it was an actual chemical reaction in the leather as opposed to the disolved iron, but I'm not sure about that. One thing I am sure of is that it doesn't rub off at all, and it gets deep into the leather.
 
Do exactly like Sandy said. I make a lot of knives using ivory micarta. First I cut the leather and wet it so I can fold and shape. Then, pat dry the inside with paper towels and apply a good coat of Fieblings Black let it dry totally, wipe it with a clean cloth and apply a coating of tandy's leather shene. That will do it.

Bill
 
I have had very good results with the Tandy alcohol based dyes for colors other than black. For some reason the black is distinctly different, has a strong chemical smell that takes days to dissipate from the leather and tends to rub off. I rarely use it for that reason. Jim H. suggests in one of his books on using a base coat of bright blue dye, followed by black to get a deeper finish. That might help. I have also used the black dye in a heavy application, let it penetrate a few minutes, and then wiped the excess back off with a rag and acetone. This seems to help a lot in preventing the build up while still getting a deep color. In any event, after much experimentation, I have found that when the dying is finished and well aired out, a thin coat of neatsfoot oil, allowed to penetrate overnight and wiped off, followed by a couple of coats of regular paste wax shoe polish buffed off with a horse hair show brush works VERY well. It is important to spend some time on that first coat of polish to work it in very well with a rag or an old toothe brush. It is shiney with out having that lacquery high gloss that looks sprayed on, and really brings out the natural grain of the leather. And as mentioned above, easily renewable by customer with out having to procure special supplies. After all the shoe polish people have been working on their product for years, and should know something about leather. ;)
 
i don't know much about dying leather buti learned once that the black stuff can be tough to work with, and you could try the acetone based on for better results.
 
Forget the "USMC" Black....go with their plain old black "Professional Oil Dye"...the problem is your usage of the USMC black....no one here uses it for the resaons you stated...it just plain does not work as well as the plain old black. None of our guys use it here...none!

Good luck!
 
i had some coffe in a small plastic bucket that i was going to throw out.just for the hell of it i dropped a scrap of 9oz in it .took it out the next day and it was blacker than a first sergeants heart.true story, gents
 
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