Christophe of Grey
Leathersmith/Archer
Dyes Stains and Color
Veg tanned leather in its basic form is a light beige color. It can be colored using dyes which are either alcohol, oil or water based. Alcohol and oil based dyes tend to penetrate the leather a bit deeper and does not rub off as easily as water based dyes. Alcohol and oil based dyes require a special dye solvent available in leather shops for clean up. Water based dyes are much easier to clean up, use water. However, if water based dyes are used for anything that either rubs or comes in contact with wet, i.e. armor you sweat in, belt on a hot day, the color will come off. Dyes yield a nice even color coat. The more dye you add, the darker the color gets. The dye will be dark right after you apply it then lighten up a bit as it dries.
Antiques come either as a paste, like shoe polish, or a thick liquid. Antiques do a great job of bringing out the “character” of the leather. By “character” I mean the wrinkles and folds in the leather. Wrinkles and folds do not absorb antique as well as the non-fold areas. Apply antiques thickly then rub them off. There are a couple of ways to remove antiques. First use a paper towel to wipe off the excess antique. Then moisten a paper towel and wipe more. The more you wipe with clean towels the more of the color you remove. Alternatively you could spray the project with a mister and wipe off with a paper towel. Either of these techniques yields an accent to the “character” of the leather. This also does a very nice job of accenting any stamping or tooling you have done to the project. Another way to remove antique is by rubbing it off with a sponge under running water. This technique yields a very even color to the project and typically a light coating.
If you are using paste antique, apply a thin coat then wipe off using any of the techniques above. Paste antique is best for projects that don’t flex, i.e. belts, as the paste stays in the depressions left by tooling or stamping then dries and will tend to flake out if the project is flexed. Paste antique works very well on smooth surfaces, flex or not.
Acrylic paint can also be used to color leather. Leather shops sell acrylic paints specifically for leather that dries flexible. Acrylic paint from the craft stores is not flexible after it dries and may tend to chip or flake off. Paint works best if it has something to grab on to on the project. For example if the project has a background stamping of a stipple pattern that provides small holes/dimples the paint can grab onto.
How should you apply the color? If using stains and working a small area a cotton dauber about one inch in diameter works very well. For larger projects sponge brushes work well as do small chunks of sponge cut to about 1 inch square. The main thing to remember here is to keep working the entire area so it all stays wet while applying the stain. If you allow a section to dry then go over part of it with wet, you will see a sharp color difference where you overlaid the original.
There is a trick in applying stains on projects that have been tooled. Assume you have done a basket weaving with a camouflage border. You want the basket weave to be light color and the outside of the project, the frame, to be dark. Load a brush with the dark color then “paint” the stain on by holding the edge of the brush near the dividing line made by the camouflage stamp. The leather will absorb the dye and draw it right up to the impression made by the stamp. You do not need to actually paint right up to the line with the dye. The leather “helps” you out here.
If you are applying antique you can use either a cotton dauber, sponge brush, sponge square or piece of paper towel. Be sure to get as even a coat of antique as you can but remember most of it will be wiped off so working wet to dry is not as critical as with dyes.
For paints, use a brush as you would if painting on paper. With metallic paints I like to finish with a smoothing stroke. I find that the metal acrylics I use don’t look so good wet but dry very nice and even.
I recommend finishing off your project with a clear coat using either Super Sheen, Bag Coat or Atom Wax. Super Sheen is a Tandy product and comes in a shiny or satin finish. Bag Coat is a liquid that forms a clear slightly shinier than satin finish. Atom Wax is a liquid wax that you apply then buff to a shine. A cheap alternative is to use neutral shoe wax. Applying a finish coat helps to protect paint and helps to prevent stains or antiques from rubbing off. They also provide a sheen to the project that gives it a professional look.
You can purchase Atom Wax with some color added to it. Ginger Atom Wax adds a slight golden color to brown projects and really makes them snap. Black Atom Wax smoothes out black projects. Of course you can make your own colored Atom Wax by simply adding some alcohol based dye, color of your choice, to a small container of Atom Wax.
Do know that whatever finish you apply to your project will generally darken it slightly and tends to smooth out the finish. It is not recommend to apply any of these finishes to rough leather surfaces like suede or split grain. Although, with care, you can get satisfactory results on rough leather with alcohol based dyes. Just know the leather will really soak up the dye.
Now a final type of color for leather is drum dyed leather. This is leather that you buy that is already the color you want. Usually this leather is chrome tanned leather, but not always. i.e. Deer hides are perceived to be a nut brown in their natural color when in fact they are actually near white in their natural tanned state. Drum dying is just as it implies, the leather is put in a large drum with the color desired then tumbled. Drum dyed leather is easy to spot as the back side is the same color and the front side.
There is a product on the market called Edge Coat. It is black and designed to be put on the edge of belts. It can also be put on the backs of projects like belts to form a smooth black layer.
As a caution, DO NOT CARRY/PASS A WET APPLICATOR OVER YOUR PROJECT! It goes without saying that if you do a blob of the color will land in the middle of where you DON’T want it!