Dyeing Tips

[RoaringBull]

OK. I'm very interested in any tips or tricks or tutorials on making my pouches look like these ones that I see here and elsewhere by the awesomely talented artists and I believe that my main problem is dyeing them. Any and all help in this area would be greatly appreciated. I'm kinda tired of spending all that time and effort in hand sewing a pouch and it not coming out the way I like after the dye.

[Hungry Horse]

 Are you talking about a city slicker pouch with fancy piercings, and fancy hardware, or are talking about a pouch generated on the frontier from what was on hand? Are you talking about a pouch that will start out brand new, or do you want it to look like it has some miles on it?

  Hungry Horse

[EricEwing]

OK. I'm very interested in any tips or tricks or tutorials on making my pouches look like these ones that I see here and elsewhere by the awesomely talented artists and I believe that my main problem is dyeing them. Any and all help in this area would be greatly appreciated. I'm kinda tired of spending all that time and effort in hand sewing a pouch and it not coming out the way I like after the dye.

David,
I'm by no means an expert, but I will gladly share a few of the things I've learned about dying and finishing leather:
Make sure the leather is clean
Burnish it before dying and burnish it again after, and maybe a third time
Wet the leather somewhere between pretty damp and soaked before dying
Consider diluting the dye slightly with alcohol
Evenly coat the leather, try not to leave any streaks
Do it quick so one area does not dry before another area while you're applying dye
Experiment with oil based dyes instead of spirit based dyes
Experiment with using rags, cloths, brushes and other things instead of the little daubers to apply dye
Consider not using dye sometimes lol. Sounds silly but natural leather with other stuff done to it can be cool too, no need to always use leather dye

Hope that helps. More experienced parties will hopefully chime in and correct any misinformation I have spread...

[FDR]

Start with drum dyed leather from Wickett and Craig then you only have to deal with the edges.
http://wickett-craig.com/leathers/

I have had better luck  using an airbrush to get the dye uniform if I wanted to dye something. Just my experience!

Fred

[James Rogers]

Some oil their leather after the burnish and before dying. Some dye and burnish. Gives different effects. Make sure your stain is diluted to a great degree (you have to play with it to suit you). Creep up on your color to get an even color. Many pros in modern leather work spray their color for even coverage, some dip dye.

[RoaringBull]

Are you talking about a city slicker pouch with fancy piercings, and fancy hardware, or are talking about a pouch generated on the frontier from what was on hand? Are you talking about a pouch that will start out brand new, or do you want it to look like it has some miles on it?

  Hungry Horse

No sir nothing fancy really, most of the time. I've been known to do a little fancy cut out work with red wool behind it. But mostly I'm looking for a more slightly used look.

[RoaringBull]

OK. I'm very interested in any tips or tricks or tutorials on making my pouches look like these ones that I see here and elsewhere by the awesomely talented artists and I believe that my main problem is dyeing them. Any and all help in this area would be greatly appreciated. I'm kinda tired of spending all that time and effort in hand sewing a pouch and it not coming out the way I like after the dye.

David,

Consider not using dye sometimes lol. Sounds silly but natural leather with other stuff done to it can be cool too, no need to always use leather dye

Hope that helps. More experienced parties will hopefully chime in and correct any misinformation I have spread...

I have and do often do this. A couple of my favorite pouches are left natural and I'll just leave them on the dash of the truck for several days and let them bake.

[thecapgunkid]

Whenever dying anything leather, especially for the first time, test out on some scrap.

Nine times out of ten the dying process is more affected by the tanning process behind the leather, so sometimes you just ain't gonna win.

When using most leathers, I'll try and load up on Neatsfoot oil before dying. On some cowhides you can load up the oil alone, leave it out in the summer sun and end up with an attractive honey color.  The oil will help spread the dye on any leather UNLESS you have a commercially tanned chromium base built into the tanning.

If it's off the shelf retail, the chances are that there is some chrome in there.

A lot of times a careful eye at Rendezvous will help you out before you even start your project.  That pile of
Grey elk and Deerskin splits will accept a lot of different coloring schemes, and that uneven piece of cow can be fashioned into a piece with a lot of character if you have an eye for that .  That's because they are separated from the retail skin and discarded before making it to market and the guy at rendezvous picked up a truckload before it was thrown out.

The basic rule of thumb for this stuff is this;  If it's running around the woods and you shot it while carrying your tag, it'll be stretchy, pliable and soft.  It'll really suck up color and will do so unevenly.  If it put milk in your Cheerios, than  the commercial processes will yield something you need to test out as a scrap because the various nationalities behind the products don't  always  perform well and the leather is not always well curried.  Retail products don't always help you out.

Bags and accoutrements can be made from both, and you have a lot of good advice in these posts.  This is a..."Touchy-Feely"...thing and the more you play around the better off your work will become over time.

Lastly, try to avoid rushing into your project.  That's how you end up with end products that vary from your initial vision.   Trust me...While converting from shoemaking to assembling rifle components, my impatience did that more than once, so the work trend is universal and not limited to your leather craft.

Hope this helps,

The Capgun Kid, AKA The Still River Cordwainer.