Veg Tan Leather Color

[Norskie]

Saw a post a while back and forgot to answer it at the time.
Hey, a guy gets busy...
Someone wrote about not buying leather from a certain supplier because the last batch he got from them was too pink.
Pink veg tan is just new leather. There's nothing wrong with it. It is hard to dye to the correct color, but don't throw it out, time is on your side.
Exposure to room lighting will change the final color in a few weeks. This process can be accelerated by exposure to direct sunlight, but proceed with caution, maybe an hour at a time. It's easy to overdo! The color you can see won't change much, keep testing by moistening patches of the hide to see how it will look oiled. You'll be pleased with the results.

 

[musketman]

Pink veg tan is just new leather. There's nothing wrong with it. It is hard to dye to the correct color, but don't throw it out, time is on your side.
Exposure to room lighting will change the final color in a few weeks. This process can be accelerated by exposure to direct sunlight, but proceed with caution, maybe an hour at a time. It's easy to overdo! The color you can see won't change much, keep testing by moistening patches of the hide to see how it will look oiled. You'll be pleased with the results.

Thanks for the tip...

 

[Black Hand]

You can also use your vinegar/iron stain to dye it a colorfast black color. This leather also gets a "sun-tan", as it gets darker with age and exposure (oil helps quite a bit).

 

[Norskie]

Hmm. Gonna have to try that. I never did like modern black dye, it always looks too blue. Happens I'm making up some vineger stain right now. Thanks.

 

from a 19th century harness making book..
VINEGAR BLACK (aka Vinegaroon)
For giving color to the grain of leather there is no blacking that will at all compare with the well known vinegar black. This may be made in various ways. The simplest, and, without doubt, the best, is to procure shavings from an iron turner and cover them with pure cider vinegar; heat up and set aside for a week or two, then heat again and set in a cool place for two weeks; pour off the vinegar, allow it to stand for a few days, and draw off and cork up in bottles. This will keep for a long time, and, while producing a deep black on leather, will not stain the hands.
Another method is to cover iron scraps with sour beer, and allow them to stand for a month or more ; then strain off the beer and bottle as before.
A third method is to boil sulphate of iron in vinegar; mix some brewers'yeast with beer and allow it to stand for twenty four hours, then skim off the yeast and add the vinegar.

Technically this is NOT a dye but rather a chemical reagent - it works by reacting with the tannin in the leather - it will not rub off. To finish let air dry until ALL vinegar smell is gone and in my experience using this "dye" (45+ years) it is best to neutralize it with a good soak in a mix of water and baking soda. Otherwise you can have problems......

BTW - Herman Oak leather is in fact famed for their "pink" leather...

to get a plain "russet" finish add a LIGHT coat or two of good light olive oil and set in the sun for a few days......

 

[Norskie]

Tried the vinegar black on leather scraps. Works great on veg tan, good deep grey black immediately. I neutralized half the scrap with bicarb & water. I'll oil the experimental areas tonight.
It has no effect on chrome tan leather.
I've also tested wood; a scrap of hickory, and another of rhododendron (sp?). Hickory turned from white to deep tan, rhodo went deep red brown. Cool stuff, and way cheap!

 

[AZ-Robert]

...Exposure to room lighting will change the final color in a few weeks. This process can be accelerated by exposure to direct sunlight...

The belt is new. The holster has spent about 20 hours being carried around on my hip while working outdoors. When it was new, the holster was the same color as the belt is now. Plain oil finish on both.

 

[Norskie]

Yep, that's what I'm talkin' about. Good illustration.
The vinegaroon experiment gave me a good deep black, and surprisingly, the bicarbonate of soda solution that I used to neutralize the acid deepens the tone of veg tan to a nice brown where the vinegaroon stain was not applied.
I love an accidental discovery, especially finding such inexpensive materials to use.

 

[Stophel]

Listen to the voice of experience...

Do NOT go willy nilly and slop vinegar stain on your leather project right away. Chances are quite good that the vinegar and iron will absolutely destroy your "oak" tanned leather. Oh, it will look nice at first (or actually, it might turn blue...), but it could very well turn the leather quite brittle in a few days. I am told that the ONLY leather to try this on is REAL Oak tanned leather (with NOTHING else added to the tanning mixture), from someone like Hermann Oak or Wicket and Craig. Anywhere else, and it's a crap shoot (one you're likely to lose). Many times the "vegetable tanned" leather has had hydrochloric acid (among other, less savory things) added to speed up the tanning process. These things do not jibe well with the vinegar/iron colorant. Try the stuff first on a few scrap pieces, and let it sit for a week or two, then try to fold the leather over and see if it remains pliable, or if the surface cracks open like the Grand Canyon...

 

[Norskie]

Jawohl, Herr Duetcher! This is exactly the experiment I am running. Scrap pieces with and without neutralizing, with and without oiling, and I may run another set with/without saddle soap. Too early to tell, yet, but so far the non neutralized piece is getting the stiffest. More results when I get more time to play.

 

[Mike Weber]

I use Herman Oak Brand leather for my holsters and cartridge belts I've used Fiebings dye's with good results I prefer using the oil based dyes rather than the alcohol based dyes. I've also used olive oil to finish leather. Another good product is Drakes leather Dressing. You can get the Fiebings dyes and Drakes from either tandy leather or The Leather Factory