Some probs with fiebings oil dye...

[Ray]

Howdy, the last few month i have some heavy problems using fiebings oil dye. When it get`s dry It hardens so much that the surface of the leather is cracking when getting bend. I haven´t had this the last years. Same veg. tanned leather as always. Now I am trying to use oil on it but it does not really work. Anyone an idea? Best regards Ray 

[Mogorilla]

I have had the same issue.   I ended up getting the eco-flo dyes.   They have worked well for me.  It takes a bit of practice to avoid streaks.   I gave up the fieblings because it totally ruined two pieces that had taken a lot of time to do.   Basically I wiped it on and off, came back a half hour later and the pieces looked like bad Cuir Boille.  Hard, cracked and not a bit of flexibility.   Used oils on the pieces and the are still hard, cracked and not a bit of flexibility.  That was fieblings brown.  I had bought a bottle of black at the same time, tried it on a test piece and got the same bad results.  (I am just wiping dye on with wool dauber, then wiping off excess with cotton and buffing slightly.  Then I let the piece dry.)   tossed the bottles and bought the eco-flo water based dyes.  No such problem since.

[Galen]

Never used fiebling dye on leather. I use the alcohol base dark brown to stain rifle stocks. Works great.

[Marshal Will Wingam]

I've also had good luck with Lincoln alcohol-based dyes. They seem to work well and don't clog up an airbrush as badly as Fiebings dyes do.

[Trailrider]

Never have used the oil-based Fiebings dyes; just the alcohol-based ones.  After the alcohol-based dyes dry, I apply a light application of Fiebing's Bag-Kote. Never have a problem.

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

I feel the quality of the hide has a lot to do with how the dye works into the leather, for me I have my best results using home made dyes, they just work better for me, alcohol or oil based dyes have always been hit and miss, never did care for them, and the rub off has always been a problem, it takes a lot of buffing and the a good coat of Bag Kote or Tan Kote to seal the color in, with natural dyes a little Skidmore Leather Cream as a finish and I'm good to go.IMHO....for what's worth....


tEN wOLVES 

[Johnny McCrae]

I feel the quality of the hide has a lot to do with how the dye works into the leather, for me I have my best results using home made dyes, they just work better for me, alcohol or oil based dyes have always been hit and miss, never did care for them, and the rub off has always been a problem, it takes a lot of buffing and the a good coat of Bag Kote or Tan Kote to seal the color in, with natural dyes a little Skidmore Leather Cream as a finish and I'm good to go.IMHO....for what's worth..

This is exactly what I have experienced.

[Ray]

Howdy, thanks a lot guys! Good to see some of you know the problem as well. Perhaps the tanner have changed something in the formula, I did not had these problems in the past. With natural color I also had some problems, too. For example the black iron acid made the leather also "cracky" when bending it. The "Rust tank" also works very well. So I think I will test some other ones than fiebings :-)

[rickk]

I have seen that off and on as well.

Some hides have a waxy substance on the surface that is a bit hard to get through.

Dye Prep will let it soak in rather than sit on the surface.   Saturate the surface with the Dye Prep and then apply dye while it is still wet.

[Buck Stinson]

I've used Fiebings oil dye for many years, but I never use it straight out of the bottle.  I mix it with my oil (olive oil) and warm it in an old crock pot.  I add the oil dye to the olive oil until I get the color I want.  I generally use two or three different colors of oil dye, each in the amount necessary to give me the color I'm looking for.  Same thing can be done in much smaller amounts, with a pot on the stove. DO NOT GET IT TOO HOT!!!  Warm and mix it well with a wooden spoon.  Takes a little practice, but has worked fine for me over the past 38 years.

[Cliff Fendley]

What Buck said but I use pure neatsfoot oil and a combination of certain parts of the different color dyes to get my colors.

I used to have a bunch of different colors and shades mixed up but I really only use one recipe much nowadays since I'm mostly using skirting leather and the natural leather pieces are usually done with homemade walnut stain.

[Flinch Morningwood]

I've had some good results using aniline dyes...specifically WD Lockwood dyes like Honduras Red Mahogany.

I mix up at 4-5 teaspoons in a quart mason jar and apply with a foam paint brush.

Works well, the dye stays put (little rub off) and once it dries, it oils up nice....

[Don Nix]

I've used Fiebing's oil based dye for 30 years or more and I have experienced leather cracking problems in the past. But I have determined that most of the time it is because of the leather quality.I also thoroughly strip and clean the leather prior to dying.