The Armour Archive

I am looking for a good resource for leather dye. I am trying to make something blue. I am not sure what the color is called but the result should be the same as this.

http://www.playmerrily.co.uk/images/20533.jpg

Also I have heard that it usually helps to get a good blue to first dye the leather white then add the blue on top of it. What comments do you all have about that?

Bjorn Leorhals wrote:I am looking for a good resource for leather dye. I am trying to make something blue. I am not sure what the color is called but the result should be the same as this.

http://www.playmerrily.co.uk/images/20533.jpg

Also I have heard that it usually helps to get a good blue to first dye the leather white then add the blue on top of it. What comments do you all have about that?

hard to dye leather white. i used light blue from fiebings and it worked out ok, litlle darker than papa smurf.

I don't know what the difference is between dyes, but, at least in the Fiebings line, the white dye is totally incompatible with any other color. The stuff is like watered down whiteout, and it comes in a glass bottle.

I wouldn't ever try to dye leather white and then apply another dye color over it. That's because I've never met a white dye I didn't pretty much hate.

That said, my experience with Fiebling's "Light Blue" is that it (several bottles of it) is a shade short of navy. However, their spirit based dye is easily thinned with rubbing alcohol and you can take it down to whatever blue you like.

Angelus makes a very nice light blue, that really is light blue. I like their green better than anyone else's product to date.

Start with pale leather like vellum or goat. Even rawhide, if that material will work. Do nothing that darkens it until you dye.

The Angelus light blue may actually be pretty close to what you're after. You may want to try some of that on a test piece and see if it's what you want.

I tell ya what, if I don't forget about it (PM me if I do), I will dye a piece with the angelus light blue tonight after my softball game and post a pic.

Cat

Tandy's Cova Color blue acrylic dye produces a very Smurfy/Tickish blue on veg tanned leather. But I imagine most people would consider acrylics the essence of evil for any kind of historical interpretation.

James de Tyre wrote:Tandy's Cova Color blue acrylic dye produces a very Smurfy/Tickish blue on veg tanned leather. But I imagine most people would consider acrylics the essence of evil for any kind of historical interpretation.

Completely ignoring any question of historic accuracy, "Cova Dye" is just acrylic paint. Go to the art store and buy better quality from a wider selection at a much better price.

It (acrylic) is fine for details, but not a good choice if you've got any significant area to cover.

Kilkenny wrote:

James de Tyre wrote:Tandy's Cova Color blue acrylic dye produces a very Smurfy/Tickish blue on veg tanned leather. But I imagine most people would consider acrylics the essence of evil for any kind of historical interpretation.

Completely ignoring any question of historic accuracy, "Cova Dye" is just acrylic paint. Go to the art store and buy better quality from a wider selection at a much better price.

It (acrylic) is fine for details, but not a good choice if you've got any significant area to cover.

Good call on the paint angle, I didn't think about that. I only mentioned the Cova dye as I have used the blue and know it would closely approximate the shade Bjorn wants.

I disagree about its suitability for area coverage. As long as its put on properly with a suitable applicator, shading and durability aren't a problem. Back in '95 I used it to color three CoP's and a set of saddle bags for my Dad's bike. I know two of the CoP's still look fine. The saddle bags do as well, despite suffering sometimes abominable abuse from Dad. Of course, individual mileage may vary.

James de Tyre wrote:Tandy's Cova Color blue acrylic dye produces a very Smurfy/Tickish blue on veg tanned leather. But I imagine most people would consider acrylics the essence of evil for any kind of historical interpretation.

And I think this is pretty much why nobodies white dye wants to mix with the other colors easily.

Picked up a belt blank this week and the kids were with, they asked me if I was going to paint it, so I had to explain my interpretation of the difference between paint and dye.

Dye soaks in. You're saturating the peice with color. Lots easier to do when your color is darker than your base material.

Not so easy to lighten stuff that way.

Most of the white 'dyes' I've seen are paints. Same with any metalics.

I totaly agree with Kilekenny about where to get them. You can get acrylics for about half as much money and twice as much paint at art or hobby stores. Or if you allready have some.... I can tell you that Citadel Miniatures paints work pretty darned good on leather.

the quality of your coverage can be spotty. A lot of that is going to be up to you as much as it is the paint. The only real technique advice I have to offer is that the paints out of the jug are almost ALWAYS way to thick. The reason people tell you ALL THE TIME that several light coats are better than one heavy coat is because it is. That's one lesson that I really had to get beat into my head (and still screw up with spray paint).

mattmaus wrote:

The reason people tell you ALL THE TIME that several light coats are better than one heavy coat is because it is. That's one lesson that I really had to get beat into my head (and still screw up with spray paint).

VERY true.