Dyeing and going to BBag Heaven. Some tips...

silverfern · Sep 8th, 2008, 12:25 AM

Following the lead of RERE, Dstar and others I thought I'd try dyeing an old make up clutch I just got. It was originally soft white and it was a little grubby and had yellowed - nothing gross but I didn't think I'd use it as it was...It also has pewter hardware so I though another colour might make it really POP!

I'm good with my hands, but am definitely not the patient type and am also the kind of person who likes to leap before I look. Anyway I learned some lessons that I thought I would share if you're interested.

Long story cut short but things didn't start well. Used a cheap scourer (red coloured) to apply the Preparer lotion and oops the colour started coming out on the bag!

Originally chose colour #43 hoping for a slightly ligher 04 rose but after the first coat hated it and make a snap decision to go for black.

With hindsight it probably would have turned out ok if I'd kept going with the rose, but didn't feel confident at this point and kept thinking about a tPF member's post about sitting in a puddle of dye and my own tears!

Less is more
Apply thin layers and WAIT for them to dry before doing another...at least overnight. The dye doesn't look like it's doing much at first so I made the mistake of coating the first layer on too thickly and it kinda felt a bit plastic-y. The dye dries pretty quickly and then deepens in colour! There were tiny little nubbly bits left after it had dried (excess dye I guess, which didn't appear to be there when I applied it!) which I picked off then retouched- so the dye can peel and crack if you don't do thin layers

I followed the instructions and applied the dye using circular motions but also found that I dabbed a lot to get the best results.

Patience is a virtue
The parts with buckles and underneath and also the front patch with the studs were the fiddliest for me as I was going from white to black and wanted to cover everything. You have to be careful not to put too much dye on and lift the whole piece up while it dries otherwise the top part with the buckle/studs will stick to the leather underneath and the dye will peel off! I used a hairdryer to help dry it off a bit quicker. I used a little piece of scotchbrite to clean up the zipper teeth without scratching them, but just my fingernails to scrape off the rest of the dye left on the hardware.

Have a little faith
Overall though this dye is amazing - the best of any I've ever tried. Despite all the muck ups and obsessive retouching (being a perfectionist is sometimes not a good thing) I did, everything turned out amazingly well. I was starting to wish I hadn't touched it but after a night in my air conditioned room, the dye dried completely and the leather felt soft and squishy again without any crunchiness. The plastic-y look and feel has gone too. I'm going to try moisturizing in a few days time and hope that will tone down the shine as it does go quite shiny.

Will update if any dye peels/cracks and will post some photos as soon as I can. Hope this helps anyone thinking of taking the plunge.

Conni618 · Sep 8th, 2008, 03:04 AM

Thank you silver.... I think most of us are too impatient when we get excited about a project. Your experiences will help the rest of us. Don't know if we will really be able to be more patient, but at least we've been warned.

Can't tell you how many projects I've messed up because I couldn't believe two thin coats were better than one nice thick one!!!

Good luck and keep us posted!

oogiewoogie · Sep 8th, 2008, 04:17 PM

Silver... thanks for the tips.. Would love to see pictures of your finished product!

danae · Sep 11th, 2008, 04:07 PM

thanks for the tips. I haven't had to dye any of my bags but if I ever do, your tips along with the other pfers' will be a helpful guide.

silverfern · Sep 17th, 2008, 11:57 PM

Just a quick update:

I worked out that the nubbly bits are tiny bits of dried up paint from the sponge, so you have to be careful to rinse it out properly after each use. The dye has held up pretty well but random specks continue to appear so I have been having to touch up regularly which is a bit of a pain

I have found that the dye can come off prettily easily (even three layers of it) if you apply more and just scrape with your fingernail which is both scary and handy I guess if you want/need to redo an area.

The feel of the leather is pretty good. It has softened with use and the shine has gone so i don't think you can really tell it has been dyed by feeling it - but it definitely isn't 100% the same as the original.

I think with the benefit of hindsight I would only dye a bag I already had in my possesion that was beyond saving otherwise and keep it to the same or very similar colour dye as then it wouldn't be so noticeable when the dye flakes.

Great for an experiment but I'm not sure I'd do it again. I think this puts me in the minority of tPFers who have tried it though!

Sep 8th, 2008, 12:25 AM	#1
silverfern Member	Dyeing and going to BBag Heaven. Some tips... Following the lead of RERE, Dstar and others I thought I'd try dyeing an old make up clutch I just got. It was originally soft white and it was a little grubby and had yellowed - nothing gross but I didn't think I'd use it as it was...It also has pewter hardware so I though another colour might make it really POP! I'm good with my hands, but am definitely not the patient type and am also the kind of person who likes to leap before I look. Anyway I learned some lessons that I thought I would share if you're interested. Long story cut short but things didn't start well. Used a cheap scourer (red coloured) to apply the Preparer lotion and oops the colour started coming out on the bag! Originally chose colour #43 hoping for a slightly ligher 04 rose but after the first coat hated it and make a snap decision to go for black. With hindsight it probably would have turned out ok if I'd kept going with the rose, but didn't feel confident at this point and kept thinking about a tPF member's post about sitting in a puddle of dye and my own tears! Less is more Apply thin layers and WAIT for them to dry before doing another...at least overnight. The dye doesn't look like it's doing much at first so I made the mistake of coating the first layer on too thickly and it kinda felt a bit plastic-y. The dye dries pretty quickly and then deepens in colour! There were tiny little nubbly bits left after it had dried (excess dye I guess, which didn't appear to be there when I applied it!) which I picked off then retouched- so the dye can peel and crack if you don't do thin layers I followed the instructions and applied the dye using circular motions but also found that I dabbed a lot to get the best results. Patience is a virtue The parts with buckles and underneath and also the front patch with the studs were the fiddliest for me as I was going from white to black and wanted to cover everything. You have to be careful not to put too much dye on and lift the whole piece up while it dries otherwise the top part with the buckle/studs will stick to the leather underneath and the dye will peel off! I used a hairdryer to help dry it off a bit quicker. I used a little piece of scotchbrite to clean up the zipper teeth without scratching them, but just my fingernails to scrape off the rest of the dye left on the hardware. Have a little faith Overall though this dye is amazing - the best of any I've ever tried. Despite all the muck ups and obsessive retouching (being a perfectionist is sometimes not a good thing) I did, everything turned out amazingly well. I was starting to wish I hadn't touched it but after a night in my air conditioned room, the dye dried completely and the leather felt soft and squishy again without any crunchiness. The plastic-y look and feel has gone too. I'm going to try moisturizing in a few days time and hope that will tone down the shine as it does go quite shiny. Will update if any dye peels/cracks and will post some photos as soon as I can. Hope this helps anyone thinking of taking the plunge.

Sep 8th, 2008, 04:17 PM	#3
oogiewoogie iS eNjOyin Life :o) Location: Beachy SoCAL...♥	Silver... thanks for the tips.. Would love to see pictures of your finished product! __________________ " It is as easy to create a castle as a button. It's just a matter of whether you're focused on a castle or a button." - Abraham-Hicks."

Sep 8th, 2008, 03:04 AM	#2
Conni618 Member	Thank you silver.... I think most of us are too impatient when we get excited about a project. Your experiences will help the rest of us. Don't know if we will really be able to be more patient, but at least we've been warned. Can't tell you how many projects I've messed up because I couldn't believe two thin coats were better than one nice thick one!!! Good luck and keep us posted!

Sep 11th, 2008, 04:07 PM	#4
danae frou frou Location: Europe	thanks for the tips. I haven't had to dye any of my bags but if I ever do, your tips along with the other pfers' will be a helpful guide. __________________ ---- ---- my winter 08/09 wishist... Turquoise 2005 City Chanel grey reissue 227

Sep 17th, 2008, 11:57 PM	#5
silverfern Member	Just a quick update: I worked out that the nubbly bits are tiny bits of dried up paint from the sponge, so you have to be careful to rinse it out properly after each use. The dye has held up pretty well but random specks continue to appear so I have been having to touch up regularly which is a bit of a pain I have found that the dye can come off prettily easily (even three layers of it) if you apply more and just scrape with your fingernail which is both scary and handy I guess if you want/need to redo an area. The feel of the leather is pretty good. It has softened with use and the shine has gone so i don't think you can really tell it has been dyed by feeling it - but it definitely isn't 100% the same as the original. I think with the benefit of hindsight I would only dye a bag I already had in my possesion that was beyond saving otherwise and keep it to the same or very similar colour dye as then it wouldn't be so noticeable when the dye flakes. Great for an experiment but I'm not sure I'd do it again. I think this puts me in the minority of tPFers who have tried it though!