Dyeing colored leather

[nuttbush]

I have some good leather that came off an old leather recliner. It is enough to make a couple of pouches or haversacks but the color is a dark burgundy in the sunlight. Can I clean the outside with Alcohol or Acetone and apply a medium to dark shade of Feibings brown dye to make it a more period color. Any other ideas would be appreciated also. Thanks.

 

[bob1961]

ya might try to surface sand it to make it look used if the color isn't bad looking afterwards and soften it up some....i bought a half side of leather fer 5.00 bucks 3' x 5' 3oz weight and it was dyed gray that looks like gray barn paint :shake: ....i was wondering what i can do to it make it look more natural....others should be chiming in soon so lets what and see what they say............bob

 

Use whatever dye you have then oil it down good with neetsfoot or mineral oil. Then tie it to a rope and drag it down a gravel road for a mile or two. After that it should be about right.

:rotf:

Or you could carry it for 15 or 20 years for the aged and natural look. The bag I made back in '93 is just now starting to look right.

 

[anvil1231]

My wife works for a factory that makes leather furniture.So I can get scraps sometimes. The way I take the color out is I boil it in about a cup bleach to a gallon of water. Takes most of the color right out. The piece on the right is cut from the piece on the left, it is a burgundy color. Then I dye it whatever. It also dries the leather out alot so oil it good after the water dries......anvil

 

[nuttbush]

Anvil,
Thanks for the boiling tip. How long do you boil yours to get that result and what do you use to boil it in. A large stock pot be O.K..
Many thanks.

 

[anvil1231]

Alamosa,I boiled this piece for about ten minutes. I always just keep a close check on till the color is gone. Yes a stock pot is what I use. I put it on a propane burner outside.

 

[renovato]

You might test dye a spot to see. I haven't done anything like brown over burgundy, but I've done black over all sorts of factory colors and never had them compete. They all come out perfectly black, even in sunlight. You might get lucky and get a perfect brown without having to bleach it. In fact, if a bit of burgundy does compete with the brown, the effect might be nice. Ya never know till ya try!

 

[nuttbush]

I do have a small scrap piece I could try to cover over with brown and see what it looks like, if that does'nt do well I can use the boil method and start from scratch. Thanks pards for the info. on how to do this.

 

I'd suggest Rit Dye remover before using bleach - do it two or three times and then re-dye.

As to boiling it's not really necessary and there is a good possibility it could turn the leather into a scrunched up ball of crap - just hot tap water and bleach will work fine - do it a couple of times if need be - rinse in between, then re-dye, and then re-condition - I recommend Lexol Conditioner

 

[nuttbush]

Grey Wolf,
Thanks for the additional info. If the color does not look good on the test piece, I think I will try the cold soak before using heat. The leather did not cost me anything but if I can get the color right it will make some nice accesories.