To Dye or Not To Dye - That is the question

[zzyzzogeton]

With all due apologies to The Bard

I have been looking through the old threads trying to find an answer to the following question (I've found some posts, but nothing definitive.) I suspect I might get a dozen different answers from the first 10 posts.

When dying leather for sheaths/purses/other multi-layer projects, should you dye all sides and edges (1x/2x/3x???) of the leather pieces or not?

I am a relative newbie to leather working (only made about 20 fixed blade sheaths and some belts). I remember back in the 60s when helping my grandfather dye horse carriage harness, that he would dye EVERYTHING AT LEAST TWICE before sewing it together, sometimes, 3 x. Was that just because of the way his father taught him? Or were the old dyes or leather tanning methods such that full double dying was necessary?

I want to do things correctly, but I'd also like to save time and dye if possible.

 

[leatherman]

Yes, your grandfather is correct, sometimes with some dyes it takes a few applications to get the color you want. Usually the first one is light and later applications get darker and darker. There is a diminishing returns after the first three or so as there is a build up that starts showing on the surface.

On the inside of sheaths I try not to get it on thick as I really hate it when the dye gets on the handles of knives, in some cases I'll simply wax the inside to avoid any dye transfer.

I do try to dye all I can before assembly of the sheath, it does make sure every part is colored. Nothing worse than putting something together only to discover you cant get the dye brush or dauber into that really tight space.

Like you said though, there's always more than one way to skin a cat. I've learned so much from this forum, and always looking for more knowledge.

 

[kid terico]

I agree with what leatherman said. Try to cover as much as possible before sewing. KT