Comparing Leather Dye Types and Techniques! 

As a Tandy Leather employee, thank you for doing the Lord’s work.

This is the video that every leather workers wanted when they first got started. Thank you sir from me and on behalf of all the future generations of leather workers.

Previous Tandy employee here, it is SO NICE to see this info out there. There’s a lot of misinformation that makes its way around, so I appreciate your thorough demo, and all of the good useful info you’ve shared here.

I have been doing leatherwork for 25 years and I have to say this is probably the most helpful and informative video on dyeing that I've ever seen.

Great video! Couple comments as I've been testing a ton of different application techniques too: - My #1 tip: prep your leather before dyeing by dampening and lightly burnishing the surface with a wood or glass burnisher. This is AMAZING - it tightens the grain, resulting in way smoother dyeing, and makes the leather really pliable and smooth - I'm obsessed with the feel of the leather after doing this and it also helps with tooling, makes cuts much more crisp . Don't overdo it though or it will glaze up and seal the surface (good for undyed!). You may want to lightly oil your leather before all of this if it seems pretty dry, especially since the alcohol-based dye will further dry it out. - You should press your application tool on scrap leather or a rag after soaking it in dye to remove excess or pooling on your piece. Also, I think my favorite application tool is a rolled up cotton rag. Dip it, then press it on a piece of scrap leather or other rag to remove excess and then apply in circular motions. Most even application I've found (and an old fashioned method). Also, land your applicator away from the edge so you don't get pooling near the edges - my earlier experiments always had darker stains around the border - Dilute your dye. This helps tweak colors and apply it more evenly. Probably the most optional of all my findings. - Rehydrate your leather - apply oil after 24h of drying and buff heavily. Then put your top coat on. Would love to see an exploration of aging/patina techniques!

Another fantastic thing about the Fiebings Pro Dye is that it is a set pigment. You can add as many coats as you want and it won’t darken beyond what it is supposed to be. Which is super nice for when you are trying to match colors between pieces.

A few tricks we use at Seraphic Wood and Steel regarding leather dyes. if you want to do more detailed work with dyes, use a brush instead of a dauber, you can also use alcohol markers. I also use leather dyes to dye wood (I use this often for my guitars). alcohol based dyes can be cut with denatured alcohol especially useful to get blended grades.

Along the lines of the baking soda, you can make iron acetate by putting steel wool in vinegar until it dissolves, and use that to dye leather. It's a common technique for "ebonizing" wood, and works by reacting with the tannins in the woods. Since leather is also full of tannins (hence "tanning" in veg-tan), it also works here. It gives an interesting blackening effect that doesn't rub off, since it's a chemical reaction in the material rather than a pigment.

Quick tip, for the leather crafter that doesn't have access to a Fiebling's distributor (Tandy) or that mail order is too expensive for. Try a Sharpie. It works very well for small projects, like pouches or phone cases. One of my first projects was dyed solely with a black sharpie. It was a belt pouch for my wallet so I didn't have it in my back pocket all the time while driving a truck. That was about 10 years ago. I still wear the pouch, and it still looks as good as the day I made it. Olive oil will work as a leather conditioner if you don't have access to other oils made specifically for leather. Just work it in and wipe off the excess.

Would love more of these crafting mythbusters type episodes!

This is amazing timing. I just created my own leather balm balm. 1/3 beeswax 2/3 neatsfoot oil. It shines, protects and makes everything awesome!

Make a dark oil for finish that is darker than natural oil. Add Fiebings oil brown to a container of Neatsfoot oil. This will give you a color that is like plain leather that is oiled and has been exposed to the sun for a long time. Fiebings use to sell a dark oil 20 years ago. I learned this from a saddle maker 25 years ago.

Can you possibly talk about different finishes and or waterproofing you can do after dying? This is a topic that doesn’t seem to be touched much.

Yes please. More deep dives. Compare, contrast, play and experiment please!

This video is so comprehensive for someone trying to figure out how to dye for the first time. Honestly, just stellar job.

I love love love the result of the less baking soda solution (shown at 9:00 ) after you uncurl it, the flex marks? It looks like bark. Really cool. This whole video was great. I love that you don't discount any technique, depending on the results you want, they all work. That all said, I hope you replaced your wife's mister. Happy wife, happy life.

Holy shit! So much work went into this video. Thank you so much.

worst part of youtube - you cannot like something multiple times xD deep diving on theory of a technique you do casually: like actually using logic in your experiments: like presenting your results in a neutral way (there are no wrong ways, it depends on your goal to achieve): like being an enthusiastic craftsmen: like gaining and sharing insight on subjects: like going back to basics as a pro: like i definetly forgot some "likes" in there but it really hits home to see you going over such trivial things just to learn new ways :D And now i'm out to do some projects! Thanks for your continued inspiration (and advise) :)

For the more diluted baking soda soaked piece, the flexing streaks on it also kind of look like weathering too, so that's a really good way to get some weathering on the project too

i recently tested with rit dye. luke warm water, not super hot. soaked over night. black rit dye turned my leather a deep dark purple and then after oiling it, it looks almost black. in fact i left a picture on the discord of a belt i made using that same leather as keepers. ive also used purple (eggplant) rit dye and its very vibrant after applying a conditioner

I’m watching this as I prepare to strip and revolve a pair of boots with fiebings regular dye and I now know I need to pretreat with neatsfoot oil. Thank you sir 🫡

I've done application using an air rig to dye a cloak made of upholstery leather. Fiebing's Pro-dye in a 50/50 Kelly green and black. The 1 oz. hobby airbrush kept running out too fast, but gave an interesting mottling similar to the camo from star Wars 6. The larger 2-cup paint spray rig gave a smoother finish. Both gave a lot of overspray. If you try this you need full face PPE! I had dye on my glasses that won't come off, and my filter mask was green afterwards. I still was inhaling some of the dye. Be safe.

So what about sealers and conditioners? Is there a way to bring the suppleness back to those crispier leathers?

Just started using that same mister and it is a life changer! THANKS FOR THE IDEA!!!!

this is really helpful my brother and I just got a leather kit to make some armor, so knowing these dyeing methods is good

I loved this video. Been leatherworking for a year but never really experimented, just stuck with what works. Thanks for doing this, that bicarbonate trick seems a great way to antique leather

wow!! I really love that video!! The experimentations and results you have here are precious! I would really love to see the same kind of video but with the different top coat products and see which one is more resistant! :D

Thanks for this video. I have watch so many videos on this subject, and none seem to go as deep as you did. Every question I had while watching this video, you went right into answering it. So you also leveled up your telepathy skill.

I love the deep dive! I like watching these while I work on my renaissance fair costume. I’ve learned so much from your channel, so thanks!

This video was very comprehensive and answered questions that were arising as I watched this video. Thank you for this.

Eyyy this was great! The dauber with the baking soda was really interesting and im SO buying one of those misting cans

The shield is up on Discord and this weekend I'll finish it with the leather addings. Handle wrapping, carrying strap and because it dose have some weight to it, an arm strap for stability. Even I can't wait to see the finished product. 🛡🙂

This is exactly the video I needed. Great timing.

I liked it and each technique has it's own effect and purpose for different looks so great job really informative

Exactly what I needed for my next level up. Thank you!

The scientific approach to the testing was really nicely done. I appreciate this video, thank you

I never would of thought of a mister bottle for leather dye. Genius!!

Great Video! Really interesting to see the differences and for the large part similarities of the dyes and the ways to apply them. And I’m probably going to use oil on my leather before using the oil dye next time.

super helpful video!!! i only recently got into leatherworking, and the fiebing's dye was my go to as well. i always noticed it left it crispier than i liked lol and tried the eco flo water dye and that was better but still kinda streaky so i definitely will be checking out the pro dye!!!!

I have 2 question, First did you have to thin your dye out when you used your mister. And what did you use to clean out the mister if you change colors

This covered a lot more bases than I expected it to. +1 subscriber for you, you've earned it. I'm totally stealing that salad mister idea and the baking soda one. I like the idea of caustic coloring to ensure the piece won't bleed color onto other surfaces in use.

Excellent video and extremely topical for my current project. I'm making one of Dieselpunk's Dragon masks and wanted to try to blend colors together in an ombre effect. Your using the spray bottle saved me from even bothering with that one. I already own a Preval Sprayer and was leaning towards that, but the mister looked interesting, with less cleanup, assuming you can store dyes long term in one. Thanks again, your enthusiasm is wonderful also.

Awesome and so comprehensive! will absolutely use that cheap spray bottle trick for some projects in the near future and am going to get one of those plant sprayers for my new go to leather applicator when I want smooth consistent coverage!

Thank you for your tutorial. I am new to dying leather. I purchased a kit from Tandy Leather to make a clutch purse. All the information you provided is very helpful and will be watching the video again a couple of times. I did purchase paint from Tandy Leather however, it talking with an owner of a Saddle / Leather shop he informed me not to use what Tandy told me to purchase which was an acrylic paint. Thank you again and now can't wait to get started.

very cool. thank you. love these kinds of videos.

Great dyeing masterclass !

Great deep dive! The tip about pretreating the leather with neatfoots oil before hand will certainly come in handy for me. Thanks! :)

Thank you so much for this, itll help a lot in many of the projects i do

Thank you!! This is exactly what I was looking for :)

Massively useful video, many thanks!

This was absolutely worth watching

Dude.... You have no idea how much I enjoy watching your videos... I just started watching your stuff this year, and I look forward to each video like no joke. I attempted to make the Alchemist coffee maker and it came out different with my own touch.

Great video, enjoyed to watch it. Thank you very much for all the good information 👍

Cool review, thanks!

Cool tests and a great resource.

Thanks for this super informative video!

This video is excellent. Its super comprehensive and I haven't found a single other video this in depth. You're out here doing the Lord's work Cl3ver!

Definatly gonna have to rewatch and take notes

One thing you can do to keep the leather from curling during the drying process is to put it on a cookie rack which will cause it to dry evenly .... on a flat surface the skin of the leather dries first so it tightens with the flesh side still being wet ... leather shrinks wen it dries

Thanks a bunch! I've been looking into dyes recently in an effort to find the shade I'd like to use on leather projects, and this video gave me tons of things to work with!

What a great video, clever!

Yay, new video!!

great video. much needed

Great video, Many thanks.

Ive used one of those pressurized lawn misters when dying with great results. If doing a larger item such as a sofa. Oh and the Dawn powewash dish soap bottles are also awsome!

Awesome work, mate! Done in a scientific way, too. Great comparisons in an easy to follow way. All I can say is...keep levelling up you 🤣

These types of videos are great for beginners like me. Cheers, mate🧙‍♂🧙‍♂. From downunder.

Very informative!

GREAT VIDEO!

I made a camouflage look by dropping drops of various colors. Then I let those sit for a few minutes before spreading the dies and stains. Turned out really cool!

Nicely done sir. Thank you so much. God bless...

When are you going to do marble and bubble dye? Great vid!

I have used MinWax wood dye on my leather and it produces a very rich, vibrant color.

I was surprised to see angelus wasn't one of the dyes tested, they have like 30 different dye color's for both leather & suede

Hey nice video as always! I love the broad variety on your channel and your type of explaining things :) Would be awesome to see a new blacksmith anytime soon Keep on making just about everything ;)

Another note, Fiebings alcohol dyes are meant to be diluted with alcohol before application. I normally do 3:1.

Love videos like this. Definitely going into my reference playlist to refer to from time to time. PS: I think it's FEEbings.

Have you ever tried a color like blue or green? I'm trying to make the Moraine vest from The wheel of time and I can't seem to find a good enough blue to use to get the color I want.

Having owned my own custom leather shop, I found the Fiebing's Pro Dye gave me the most consistent coverage and colors. The water based Eco dyes are okay, but if given a choice I'll almost always opt for the Pro Dyes. Sometimes I oiled the leather before applying the Pro Dye and sometimes it was after applying the dye. Didn't seem to make much difference either way.

I diluted the light brown fiebings leather dye in a ratio of about 1:1 dye to water and dip dyed something and got an amazing result that was similar in colour to your pro dye

That second baking soda treatment sort of makes the leather look like bark which would be cool for like druid armor.

I really enjoyed your science video and all the examples of applications. I would like to leave an honest feedback that it was a little confusing for me to follow on which examples I was being shown. As a person that is completely new to learning leather working, it would really help to add the text on the screen next to the samples labeling what they are. I would not be mad at a re-edit with the labels. Lol. Thank you for being so thorough in your analysis.

Have you looked into using vingaroon on vegtanned? It makes a nice blue-black.

Nice crown glass!

"Fiebing" would be pronounced fee- (like pee) -bing. The ie sounds in German usually like ee. Hope this helps! Btw, just discovered your channel, and I'm binge watching and learning ❤ thanks!

You can make Leather Armour with backing Soda Mix ! IT colors it antique and hard it Up! Use 8-10 Oz. Leather !

It would be cool to do a video on different leather paints as well, they’re good for adding colour on top of leather you’ve already dyed

Since you really liked using the mister for applying stain, I'd recommend trying a different style of mister. They sell misters (call them plant misters i think?) Which work in the same way as weed sprayers, you put the water in, you pump it to build up pressure and then you can apply the mist by just depressing the trigger instead of having to repeatedly pump. Should help given you even more even coverage.

This was great! Have you considered doing some blues? I have a piece I'm trying to restore but the natural leather has seen better days. I was thinking a dark blue would give it new life. 🤔

You can also use Kool-Aid concentrate to dye leather! plus it will smell like whatever flavor you choose

Which dye is best for patent leather?

Can you do a test with other dyes? Like tie dyes for fabric?

Do you have any advice for dying a tan leather split sole jazz boot to dark brown?

Haven’t watched far enough to see results yet, but I love the Fiebings Pro Dyes. For me, they have always given me a much more consistent color then the normal dyes.

Do you think I could make a gradient with one of the sprayers? I'm thinking of an autumn ranger with leaf-inspired gear specifically those leaves that you see that are yellow in the center and as it gets further from that yellow it's red, then brown.

Have you ever tried Fiebings Suede and Rough Out dye on smooth leather? I’m really nervous to try it on my boots.

Very interesting

Probably the best video on dying for being so short

Do you have a recommendation for dying RV captains chairs? Product and method?

I'd love to see a test of light dye applied and then a spray of the baking soda dye for a really grungy well worn look. That could be really cool.