What is the secret?

i4Marc

i4Marc

Joined
Oct 19, 2011
Messages
5,032
What is the secret/technique for getting a nice tan color on a sheath? I would like to get a golden or saddle tan. No matter what I try the color keeps coming out WAY too dark. Saddle tan comes out a reddish medium dark brown. Medium brown comes out practically black. I've tried airbrushing it on. I tried with a dauber. I tried dampening the leather first. I tried applying the dye to dry leather. Should I just try an oil finish and let it darken in the sun? Any and all techniques welcomed.
 
Yeah man, I'm thinking the same thing. For a nice light tan I'm going to use neatsfoot and sunlight. That'll be on one of the four I'm working on right now.

If you look at Horsewrights pics he doesn't use dye. ;)

If you don't mind, can you tell me a little about the airbrush? How does it compare to, say, daubing? Any special techniques for effects that you can't get otherwise?
 
This is after neatsfoot oil and sunlight only on raw leather:

8_zps765df5c2.jpeg


This is after adding some leather conditioner (Montana Pitch Blend):

32_zps753e0cb9.jpeg


No dye used.
 
Last edited:
I never was able to get a nice even light toned saddle tan with spirit based dyes. I found Fiebings Pro Oil dye and things got a lot better, it can still spot up if the application goes awry but its so much better

I have worked on the sun tan method as well, it does ok. It can come out a little funky but I do like the antique look it gives. Mostly done on journal covers here because it can be maddening to get a dye to go even on such a large area.
 
Thanks guys. I am using Feibings oil dyes. I would like to get a nice light saddle tan. Think "Nilla Wafers". Keep the techniques coming.

Strig, The airbrush is just a way to get an even application of the dye without running into splotchy areas. Also it is the best way to get a sunburst or gradient effect. I have tried a sunburst with daubers. It will drive you mad. I haven't found daubers to be a problem for solid colors as far as being splotchy. But the airbrush does allow you to apply the color in more controlled way by building up the color in light applications. And although I'm not doing this currently, airbrush is also good for adding designs by masking parts of the surface. Say if you wanted a camo effect. Or if you laid a branch with some pine needles across the sheath and sprayed a darker color you would get the masked impression of pine needles on your sheath. Or you could do full blown illustrations. The ideas would be endless.
 
The only way I could achieve a light tan color was with the oil dyes and airbrushing it on. Even with airbrushing, it was very very light coats. I would have to do it much lighter than my expected finished color, because the oil would darken it quite a bit. I used a higher end airbrush for quite some time. Then one day that broke, and I used one of those cheap $10 harbor freight airbrushes. It worked better than my expensive one! Mind you, this was a slightly different bottle feeding system than my other one, so that might be why. But my point being that if you want to go with airbrushing dyes, the cheap air brushes work great.

I have since ditched the airbrush started buying pre-dyed leather. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made....
 
I have thinned fiebings dyes in a paper bowl with rubbing alcohol with good success. I use a lot of "Chocolate" colored dye, when I want a lighter hue I take the applicator which has been used for the chocolate dye, I put it in a paper bowl. I slowly drip regular denatured rubbing alcohol into the ball of the applicator. It has worked like a charm and I can always add more dye, or alcohol, to adjust the end result.
 
Here is what I do. I use pure neatsfoot oil (NOT the compound). You can get it at your local feed or tack store. I have a dedicated crock pot that I warm the oil up in. its just a $10 cheapie crockpot from Kmart. No switch, ya just plug it in, no high or low like the wife's crock pot, it just goes. I keep the oil in the crockpot and try to remember to plug it in about an hour or two before I need it. On sheaths I brush on the oil with a bristle paint brush, (I use a foam brush on strap goods). Start on the bottom and brush up towards the top of the sheath. You are aiming for a nice uniform coverage, don't saturate the leather. I've found brushing up gives a more uniform look and allows the oil to "set" quicker. Brushing from the top of the sheath down seems to get too much at the top and it takes longer to even out. Make sure you do both sides evenly and don't forget the edges. I oil before I rub the edges. Let sit overnight, rub your edges and finish. After rubbing, I use two coats of Fiebings Bag Kote (or Tank Kote) on the edges, two on the front of the sheath and one on the back. I call this an oiltan finish. This works well, ages very gracefully and is good for the leather. I quit dyeing sheaths years ago. I'll still dye spur straps and occasionally a holster but not sheaths. I found that dyeing them led to cracking of the leather (regardless of the dye type). I'm wearing a belt right now that I dyed saddle tan. Its less than a year old and if you look close there are tiny surface cracks. Now for some reason spur straps don't crack when dyed and I have no explanation for this, it is just so. ya can see some of my work with the sheaths in this thread where Strig posted some pics for me.http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1179829-Do-you-use-your-own-sheaths
 
Last edited:
Fiebings pro oil dye cut 50/50 with denatured alcohol, submerge each piece for 3-5 seconds. Poof, tan. Your supposed to thin the dye otherwise everything comes out black.
 
Which color sky?

On a side note, I've been experimenting with diluting spirit based Fiebings. I've used water, and water/alcohol and have had similar results regardless of the thinner used. I've only tried this using green and russet, but in both cases I've really liked the results. Russet comes out orange-ish, but I imagine a light tan could easily be achieved using a light brown.
 
I like a natural brown tan color on my leather, and is my standard offer on the sheaths made for my knives over the years. I simply buy dark brown leather dyes and add water until I get the desired light brown/tan. Before applying it to virgin leather I wet the sheath with water from a spray bottle and let sit for a minute before applying the dye. I do this to produce an even color without staining as dye color will vary where it comes in contact with stitchings and I rivet down keeper straps after dying. Once the sheath has dried I apply neatsfoot oil to further improve the appearance and to waterproof.

Another alternative is to make the sheath from virgin leather, apply neatsfoot oil and then carry and use. With time the leather will turn a beautiful tan brown.
 
Woulds silicone products be safe on veg tan?

I recall using a silicone spray designed for leather jackets that didn't change the color of the jacket...but it was probably chrome tan. (sorry I don't remember the name of the product... it was in the mid '80's)
 
Joe R. said:
Woulds silicone products be safe on veg tan?

I recall using a silicone spray designed for leather jackets that didn't change the color of the jacket...but it was probably chrome tan. (sorry I don't remember the name of the product... it was in the mid '80's)
Click to expand...



You might want to look into a product made by Rustoleum called "Never Wet". You can find it at your local Home Depot or Lowes.
 
Yep, the intensity does matter. I live just a little lower in the state than you but yea it gets silly hot down here as well. The humidity has a stake in it as well. Go up to Oklahoma where you can literally fry an egg on the pavement in August and the leather has a different look. Impossible to describe. I've never felt heat like that, 115 in the shade and the sun pulls the moisture out of you so fast you can feel it. I think that has an effect on the sun tan.

I would be interested in seeing how the color does up north, say Montana or Canada.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top