Old time dyes: a How_to

[TwoWalks Baldridge]

2W, the one I use is the Lexol Leather Conditioner.

Thanks Will, that is the one I thought folks were recommending, but I get confused easily. 

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

  Looks like Will answered you, I use the Lexoil conditioner, and also use the cleaner some times, a lot of times you can find the Lexoil Conditioner at hardware stores, you're not always limited to Tandy's, even Feed &Seed.


           tEN wOLVES 

[TwoWalks Baldridge]

  Looks like Will answered you, I use the Lexoil conditioner, and also use the cleaner some times, a lot of times you can find the Lexoil Conditioner at hardware stores, you're not always limited to Tandy's, even Feed &Seed.


           tEN wOLVES 

Thanks Ten Wolves, We do have a large feed store so will check there.

[Ned Buckshot]

The last Lexol I bought I got at Ace Hardware!

Ned

[TwoWalks Baldridge]

The last Lexol I bought I got at Ace Hardware!

Ned

Thanks Ned, guess I had better look around better.  We have an Ace.

[LoneRider]

OK, I brewed up a gallon of really strong tea, let it cool, set in sun for 2 days, hardly any color on a scrap piece! Do I need to add IRON in tea also? I don't seem to have anything IRON around here! Even all the nails I have here are galvanized. Tell me what am I looking for that's IRON. Steel wool???

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

 If you can't find anything, and if you have a magnet, you can drag it in the dirt and collect iron.


    look for rusty metal too, it usually is mostly iron, it only takes a little to darken the color, tea won't give as dark a color as coffee will, but that's your choice to make.

                tEN wOLVES

[Cyrus Sears]

I started my batch of vinegaroon about 3 weeks ago (small test piece looked great) and I recently dyed a shotgun belt.  The leather appears a little grayish right now.  Below are the steps I did on the belt.  Let me know where I went wrong and what I need to do to get the belt a deeper black.

1.  Soaked belt in vinegaroon for about 6 hours.
2. Took it out of the dye and let it dry about 18 hrs.
3. Soaked it in baking soda mixture for about 15 minutes to half hour. (bubbling seemed to stop)
4.  Rinsed thoroughly with running water.
5.  Layed belt flat to dry.

The belt has been drying now for about 20 hours now.  I am not sure if the gray goes away with time or if the finishing applications(like evoo/neatsfoot oil, etc) will take the gray out.  Your advice is appreciated.  FYI...this is my first leather project.

[Chuck 100 yd]

The gray tinge should go away when you oil it.
That said, I always do the baking soda thing right after the leather comes out of the roon.
I pull the item from the roon,wash off good with clean water (garden hose), dip in baking soda/water solution for a few minutes and back to the garden hose for several minutes. shake off whatever water I can and let it dry for a few days.
glue,sew,oil,finish as needed. 

[ChuckBurrows]

How I do it most times:
I use de-oiled 4/0 steel wool: dip in acetone, squeeze out the extra and hang to dry - then tear or cut into small pieces. Add one pads worth of the de-oiled steel wool to one quart of white or cider vinegar - I use those plastic coffee "cans" and punch a single small hole in the lid to let of any gas buildup. Let it set in the hot sun which will speed the reaction.
I let it set for about two weeks until there is only a light vinegar odor left and/or the bulk of the steel wool has been dissolved. I also keep a new batch "cooking" all the time so I have a constant supply.
For the deepest black, apply a bath of strong black tea first (this increase the tannins) and let it soak in good, then apply a generous amount of the vinegar black. (the tea can be added just before or just after the vinegar black)
Let set for about a half hour at most and then IMMEDIATELY rinse with a mix of baking soda and warm water, about a 1/8 cup soda to a half gallon of water, apply  let set for a few moments only and then rinse off (letting the baking soda set too long can and will cause alkali burn and this can lead to destruction of the leather - NO MORE than a minute or two at most is necessary).
While still damp apply a light coat or two of your favorite saddle oil. Once dry top coat as normal
Experiment - I test a piece of each new side without oiling to see how well it takes the blacking, if need be I'll do a second black tea mix to darken, then apply the oil which also helps darken.

Instead of steel wool you can use chopped up bailing or fence wire - the smaller the better since it will dissolve in the vinegar bath faster.

[Cyrus Sears]

Thanks for the advice. Will it hurt anything if I put it back in the vinagaroon for a while and start the dying process over?

[Wolf Tracker]

It shouldn't hurt to put it back in but try to add a little evoo or neatsfoot to a small section first. It should blacken up to your liking.

[Boothill Bob]

Howdy..
Now I boiling some dye of black walnut Hull. I use the crushed variety and about 2.5 gallons of water .. we'll see how it has been about three days ..
Maby I have to reduce it some, its my first time on this..
//BhB

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Boothill Bob,

I have a country road that was planted with English Walnut trees to provide shade form the intense sun down in the Delta..

And since no one harvests the shells (too small), I was thinking about harvesting some to get the husks from them to make some leather dye ...

My only question is; how many pounds/kilos of husk did you use to 2 1/2 gallons of water?

[Boothill Bob]

Wadd, I used 1 pound of the powdered stuff. But I dont know how it will come out yet 
Do any of you dip the finiched cartridge belts or do you dip the parts and then put them together

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

  Howdy Bob, good for you, once you get to know how this natural dye works, you will be very happy with it, on your question, you can dye your leather first or last, that's up to you, myself, I like the aged antique look, so I finish my work all except final finishing and burnishing and submerge my work in the dye, this will color/age your thread enough to make it look old and aged , the length of time I leave it in, depends on how strong my dye is, and also how a particular hide takes the dye, there are lots of variables here, which is what I like, you're not just stuck with one color or shade, you can create your own color and shade by testing before you dye your finished piece or leather you will be working with.


                           tEN wOLVES   

[Boothill Bob]

Thanx 10WF. I´ll try with a test peice first.. But if I have a lined belt and a lined speed holster with metal, can I still put it together and then submerge it?
Or maby just use the natural dye for the autentic rigs and oil dye for the modern ones. How would you do?

[outrider]

Bob...why can you not dye before assembly???

[Boothill Bob]

Outrider. I can do that, just a little lazy 

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

  Bob, if you're not using steel for your insert, you can submerge, but if not I would dye my leather first, if it's aluminum, you're good to go, you just do not want any metal that can rust if you choose to submerge.


                      tEN wOLVES