How do you dye leather ? Although there are no tricks to dyeing leather, it does require a lot of practice, and mistakes are inevitable. The following is a simple step-by-step guide to dyeing leather. This tutorial is only for pure vegetable tanned leather, because even if it is vegetable tanned leather , the dyeing results will be different, so it is best to test it with a leather sample before continuing.
Step 1: Prepare Materials
Materials: dye, pure vegetable tanned leather, leather oil, application tools
Keep some paper towels and water handy to keep things clean, and consider wearing gloves.
Dyes are divided into: water-based, oil-based and alcohol-based dyes
Step 2: Preparation and Oiling
Before you start, do the preliminary work such as grooving, folding, chopping edges, punching holes, etc. Of course, it depends on the situation. If you want to complete it all at once, do the leather cutting and punching first.
After extensive testing, dampening the leather will make the dyeing go more smoothly. However, using water will have an effect – leaving small stains, and oil will work better. (You can use alcohol to remove oil from your hands)
If you use mineral oil, or wax, or polish, it will form a barrier and the dye will not penetrate the leather. I recommend using jojoba oil, which is cheap, long-lasting, and has no odor. Olive oil is also OK.
Soak a paper towel or cloth in the oil for a few minutes. Apply a thin layer to the leather, paying attention to the edges as well.
Step 3: Dilute the Dye
The dye you use depends entirely on the effect you want. If you want to dilute the dye, use the appropriate base: water, oil, alcohol, each block of color as a thin layer.
Step 4: Dyeing
Everyone has a different method, some people like to use an old T-shirt to paint the flat surface, a cotton swab to paint the edges, and a soft T-shirt works best.
Once you have achieved the desired color saturation, you will need to allow the leather to dry completely, otherwise you will end up with a very bad stain.
Step 5: Finish
After it is completely dry, you can wax or use other oils, and then you can sand the edges. Be careful not to use tragacanth to sand before dyeing, as it will affect the dyeing effect.
