The Armour Archive

Is there anyone who has tried this? I am having trouble finding some decent brown leather dye in my area and I need to dye some pieces asap.

I dunno if that will work. Did you check the shoe department of your local store. Lots of times I see brown and black dye there.

I am going to check out a couple of the big shoe stores here tomorrow, I just wanted to see if anyone on here has tried the wood stain in case I can't find any dye. I'd like to get this project finished by tomorrow before I return to work from the 3 day weekend.

I have used wood stain before. I have no quarrels with it.

I've used Minwax stain, and that seemed to dye it rather well. do note that you'll want to do *several* coats (at least three) to get an even penetration, as it does not soak in like dye does.

I have also tried Zar, which I prefer much more. it's inbetween a liquid and paste, meaning you can rub it into all the low and recessed areas to highlight/darken areas and antique it very easily.

you might note that in a few days the color is already a few shades lighter than when you put it on though. so, with that being said, simply put on more coats and make it a bit darker than you actually want it.

Aaron

you aren't looking for a big box shoe store like Payless, but more like a shoe repair store, or a good redwing boot store. they seem to keep some around, especially for black and brown

Thats what I was thinking. There is a Redwing dealer on the other side of town that was closed today, not sure if he will be open tomorrow but its worth a shot.

I've used a minwax brown and ebony and i'm really happy with the results. i agree with the multiple coats comment and I would add a lot of rubbing to keep it from transferring. In CA you have to have a business license in order to buy decent leather die
good luck!

I use linseed oil on most things that I make. This was normal vegtan leather with linsdeed applied:

Minwax Special Walnut produced a very nice brown color on light tone veg tan for me. Aniline dyes, frequently used for wood, work very nicely on leather. It's also reported that one of the Delf wood finishes (I have yet to find out which of their several products) gives an excellent top coat that is quite water resistant.