Putting leather in the sun...

Diomedes Industries

Diomedes Industries

Joined
Mar 19, 2007
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I have heard that you can naturally darken leather by simply placing it in the sun for a time.

I know nothing more than this - are there any tricks or warnings I should know about?

Any words of advice?

TF
 
Sun will darken leather. And I've not tried it for anything yet, but I've read more than one place that you can get nice darker tan colors by using neatsfoot oil on the leather and letting it sit in the sun.

One fellow mentioned that he puts on a light coat and lets it sit out for a day, then if he wants it darker, he puts on another light coat and puts it back out, and keeps going until it's where he wants it. Sounds like a good idea, but I'd be careful about how muck NF oil I put on a piece of leather. Too much is not a good thing, I've also heard.
 
I've done it for dog collars--just oil it and stick it out in the sun, checking on it until it reaches the rich tan you are looking for. I only ever reapply oil if the leather feels like it is drying out, though, to avoid getting too much oil in it. Never done it with a sheath, but I would say that as long as you don't oil it enough to make it lose form, you should be fine

~Noah
 
A hot air gun will darken leather, but I think that's because it's burning it. Not trying to be sarcastic but I'm guessing leaving it in the sun is doing the same thing? If you have a hot air gun and some scraps and some time to try it out - experiment? and post pics?
 
I've done it and works......sometimes I will put something on the dash of my car while I drive around all day to make sure it drys well, and there will be a noticeable difference....try it on a scrap piece Tal.

As for the color I see you do most of your sheaths, I don't know if you'll see that much of a shift, but with un-dyed or light leather you sure will.
 
Leaving leather in the sun is kind of giving it a sunburn. Most of what I've done that way gets reddis, not brown.
 
The methodology is one of oxidizing the oils in the leather which causes the color change. Neatsfoot works, but for an even faster color change I recommend you use Extra Virgin Olive Oil aka EVOO - use EVOO only........
I have the good luck of having very high intensity sun here 6,400' ASL in So Colorado, but when I lived in the Pacific North West I made a "tanning booth" for my leather - a wooden box lined with one of those cheap space blankets and a glass top - it worked great.
Time wise it's normally going to take a couple of days at least to see any real appreciable change in the color, and a week is even better. If you've got the time it's well worth it.
 
Thank you so much for the reply Chuck and others.

I have a high sun area as well - I think I will try some EVOO and see where it takes me.

TF
 
I know I am a little late in posting.. was out of town over the weekend at a hammerin. I have 'sun tanned' a sheath, very very light coat of EVOO and hung it off the clapper of the windchime by the belt loop (so it would rotate as the wind moved it). I only hung mine for two days till it reached the color I liked. The leather was russet and became a sorta golden/tan color.
 
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