Teach me about leather dye

m21sniper · 03-11-2010, 01:07 AM

OK, i have a couple nice leather galco holsters that i want to dye.

One i want to dye black, the other i want to dye a dark brown.

What's involved? What should i do/use? What shouldn't i do/use?

I'd like to get this one the same color as the mag pouches.

This one i want black.

Thanks in advance!

m21sniper · 03-11-2010, 05:15 AM

Bump lest this thread get trodden over before it's time...

targa911S · 03-11-2010, 05:35 AM

Leave it brown. My experience with leather dye is that it looks like paint. The stitching will be black as well. That's a nice holster why ruin it.

m21sniper · 03-11-2010, 05:41 AM

It's got a big scuff in it from where my freakin' dremel went awry for a sec when i was trimming it to fit my HUD.

The Gaijin · 03-11-2010, 05:42 AM

I would go to a good shoe guy and pay him the few $.

targa911S · 03-11-2010, 06:18 AM

Prolly the best idea.

Drdogface · Drdogface's Garage

I do a lot of leather mfg. Use Feibring pro oil dye. If they still have Tandy stores there you can get it there. There are other Feibring dyes which don't work nearly as well as the pro oil dye.

m21sniper · 03-11-2010, 06:43 AM

I reckon i can get it online right? Any particular do's or don't s?

Drdogface · Drdogface's Garage

Yeah, I'm sure you can. You'll only need a four oz bottle of each color. Wear gloves so you don't stain your hands cuz it'll take a while to come off. Let the stuff dry on the leather for half a day or so and rub out with soft cloth. It should shine somewhat. Be sure to coat it well. The 4 oz bottle comes with dauber. After you get what you want you can put neutral shoe polish on if you like...I never do though... I make custom western gun leather for Cowboy Action Shooters. As I said before, use ONLY the pro oil dye....other versions of Feibring's does not penetrate well enough.

Good luck...should be easy. I bet you can get it from Amazon...they seem to have everything.

m21sniper · 03-11-2010, 07:02 AM

Hey do i have to like scuff or remove the finish that's on there now, or just "paint" right over it, so to speak?

Thanks a lot for answering my questions!!!

Drdogface · Drdogface's Garage

Good question. I'm not sure what Galco might use on top of their finish. You might call them and ask. You could test a small area in back to see if it will do the job w/o removing any old finish. If you do have to remove a top coat they used I'm sure they will tell you what to use to get it off. Sorry I never thought of that... My guess is that if they put some kind of wax top coat on, alcohol will take it off...but ask them first. Do not sand/scuff it first unless you want a "buck" type look when done...I wouldn't do that.

Drdogface · Drdogface's Garage

Sniper,
Here's a link to Tandy Leather Factory (the two stores merged). They sell the 4 oz bottles you need. Below in "other products" is a small bottle of Deglazer which I think you could use to prep the leather first. I never really did much dying of other peoples products so my knowledge here is limited.

Tandy Leather Factory - Fiebing's Pro Oil Dye 4 oz Black

targa911S · 03-11-2010, 08:01 AM

Mark, I have an old hand tooled leather shoulder holster that needs all the harnesses. Can you do that for me?

m21sniper · 03-11-2010, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drdogface

Sniper,
Here's a link to Tandy Leather Factory (the two stores merged). They sell the 4 oz bottles you need. Below in "other products" is a small bottle of Deglazer which I think you could use to prep the leather first. I never really did much dying of other peoples products so my knowledge here is limited.

Tandy Leather Factory - Fiebing's Pro Oil Dye 4 oz Black

Thanks a lot for all the info bro, i'll let you know how it goes!

Does it get darker/better looking with more coats?

Drdogface · Drdogface's Garage

Sniper,
Well, it does get darker with more coats, to a point. Put it on liberally until it doesn't seem to soak in, let that set, and put on more on the light spots in an hour or so. BTW, I don't think you get daubers with the dye, so order some...they're cheap enough.

m21sniper · 03-12-2010, 12:39 PM

OK, thanks man. I'll let you know how it works out.

RWebb · RWebb's Garage

now that you got that info (and are dying to dye), tell me about

mink oil...

Don Ro · 03-12-2010, 04:04 PM

Say something about maiden oil, please.

Drdogface · Drdogface's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Don Ro

Say something about maiden oil, please.

It's scarce, if obtainable at all

richie45964 · 03-13-2010, 07:02 AM

There's a wealth of information at Color-Plus : Interior Leather Care, Coloring, Repair and Restoration for the Auto Enthusiast

I used Color plus because they were highly recommended on the PCA website.

I need to dye seats to Cashmere Beige & they matched it perfectly to the sample I sent them. It's simple to get great results with little effort.

Joanne Price is a nice person and is always willing to help out.

'93 C2 coupe, Amazon Green/Cashmere Beige