That's nice to know. I was wondering what Fiebings suede dye worked for you and not for me! I also used Rit for mine, but I didn't use vinegar. What does the vinegar do?
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I was wondering about that too. I know vinegar is used in yarn and fabric dyeing (also Easter eggs!). I looked it up and found this scientific explanation:
"An acid such as vinegar or citric acid is used as an auxiliary chemical to reduce the pH of the dyebath for dyeing with acid dyes, but acid is not in itself a mordant. It is a coincidence that some chemicals that are used as mordants, such as tannic acid, have the word 'acid' in the names; it reflects an unrelated aspect of their chemical structures. Vinegar and citric acid, like sodium carbonate, are not mordants, though people who do not understand dyeing sometimes refer to them as such. Acids work as dye auxiliary chemicals by reducing the pH of the dyebath to allow the protein fibers to ionize, which aids in allowing them to form hydrogen bonds to the dyes." http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/FAQ/mordants_and_assists.shtml
I've started using vinegar in my dunking process in the final rinse. It seems to give the leather a softer finish, but it's hard to prove that was due to the vinegar. Maybe it was because I used less soap that time? Every bag, and every dunk, is different.
You got it - the vinegar helps set the dye on protein fibers. I learned this working for a fiber artist who dyed a lot of silk and wool. Almost had a heart attack the first time she shoved $$ silk fabric into straight vinegar to prep it. That Paula Burch website is a fab resource, BTW.
Spraying on a liquid also helped me move around the dye whenever too much absorbed in one spot, which happened a lot w/ thirsty suede. Avoiding streakiness on the suede tote was far more difficult than on smooth leather.
Whateve I meant to quote you too but am trying the mobile site for the 1st time...fail!
Spraying on a liquid also helped me move around the dye whenever too much absorbed in one spot, which happened a lot w/ thirsty suede. Avoiding streakiness on the suede tote was far more difficult than on smooth leather.
Whateve I meant to quote you too but am trying the mobile site for the 1st time...fail!
I bought a bag on Etsy that the seller told me had no smells. Actually, it does have a slight perfume smell. I've read here that aquarium charcoal can help with this. How should I do this? I put the bag in a plastic bin with an small open jar of charcoal. Is that enough? I don't want to sprinkle the bag with the charcoal. If you're familiar with this, please advise. TIA.
If I'm not mistaken, coach uses aniline dye to color their leather bags. Does anyone here have experience using an aniline dye such as Leather World Technologies or another aniline dye?
http://www.leatherworldtech.com/Aniline-Leather-Dye-p/a101.htm
"Leather World Technologies Aniline Leather Dyes have excellent color brightness, clarity and transparency. Our Aniline Leather Dye is formulated to enhance the color of the leather and allow for you to see the natural graining and markings in your leather. These aniline dyes are designed to restore color and sheen to your worn or sun faded aniline leather without changing the feel."
I know with some of the other leather dyes such as Fiebings the feel and sheen of the leather is not the same.
http://www.leatherworldtech.com/Aniline-Leather-Dye-p/a101.htm
"Leather World Technologies Aniline Leather Dyes have excellent color brightness, clarity and transparency. Our Aniline Leather Dye is formulated to enhance the color of the leather and allow for you to see the natural graining and markings in your leather. These aniline dyes are designed to restore color and sheen to your worn or sun faded aniline leather without changing the feel."
I know with some of the other leather dyes such as Fiebings the feel and sheen of the leather is not the same.
That's expensive! It sounds like a good idea. I wonder how well it would cover though. Most of the time we dye to cover up stains we can't remove. I bet it would be wonderful in those cases where we just want to refresh the color.
If I ever have to go down this route...I will be sure to document it and share with everyone here
I know of a couple of people who restore classic coach bags and then sell them. They've mentioned that they choose the dumpster bags that everyone thinks are lost causes...and bring them back to life with washing, conditioning and re-dyeing. I would love to start doing this as I can get my hands on a lot of bags that need to be saved. I just can't seem to figure out the dye part. I think it's a trade secret
I've brought back some terrible looking bags with just washing and conditioning. When I see redyed bags on ebay, I avoid them. It is rare that they look or feel as good as the original. I do touch up corners but I don't usually use dye. Many people like their vintage bags to have some patina.If I ever have to go down this route...I will be sure to document it and share with everyone here
I know of a couple of people who restore classic coach bags and then sell them. They've mentioned that they choose the dumpster bags that everyone thinks are lost causes...and bring them back to life with washing, conditioning and re-dyeing. I would love to start doing this as I can get my hands on a lot of bags that need to be saved. I just can't seem to figure out the dye part. I think it's a trade secret
If I ever have to go down this route...I will be sure to document it and share with everyone here
I know of a couple of people who restore classic coach bags and then sell them. They've mentioned that they choose the dumpster bags that everyone thinks are lost causes...and bring them back to life with washing, conditioning and re-dyeing. I would love to start doing this as I can get my hands on a lot of bags that need to be saved. I just can't seem to figure out the dye part. I think it's a trade secret
I agree with whateve. You can often bring terrible bags bag with just washing and conditioning. Most vintage bags are glove-tanned leather that was dyed all the way through the hide, so there isn't a need to re-dye. If you do re-dye the bag, I am of the opinion that you should disclose it when you sell it. To me, a re-dyed bag is worth less than an original bag, and I want to know if a bag has been re-dyed as it does alter the feel of the bag and the way it ages. Dying a bag is also very messy and time-consuming. I did it once, and I don't want to do it again. I'd try to avoid it if at all possible. You can do amazing things with the right rehabbing process without resorting to dye.
I blogged about the first couple of rehabs I did that resulted in amazing transformations. I didn't use dye on either of these.
http://imwithleathercoach.blogspot.com/2013/05/mini-briefcase-project.html
http://imwithleathercoach.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-british-tan-musette-that-wasnt.html
Has anyone ever tried Angelus Dry Cleaner and Spot Remover to remove ink from a leather bag? I read about it somewhere online but wanted to ask before I try it.
I haven't. If you do, please post your results. I've tried at least a dozen spot removers that haven't worked. The only successes I've had are zit cream to bleach it out (only works on a white bag) and Lincoln E-Z cleaner on pig suede. Alcohol and acetone work a little but end up bleaching around the ink so it usually looks worse. I also tried using RIT color remover in spots, which kind of worked but spread so you get the same bleaching effect as with alcohol.
I'd be curious of your results, too, if you try it. I've used denatured alcohol on very large ink spots where a pen has leaked and bled through the leather. It helped pull out some of the ink and lessen the spot, but in no way got rid of it all. I found this post about ink, and have basically decided to leave ink lines alone when I find them. It just isn't worth damaging the area around the ink mark to try to get rid of it.
http://advleather.com/inkonleather.html
I'm curious as to what others have used to remove random dark stains from soft white leather. It isn't ink, and it isn't the surface of the leather dye (paint) that's come off. It doesn't appear to be dye transfer from clothes. I could spot paint over the stains with Angelus, but I'm wondering if there's a better cleaner than my trusty Lexol that maybe I should try before that?
It could be the natural color of the leather shining through. If that is the case then cleaner will make it worse. I've had good luck on white bags using zit cream (benzoyl peroxide 10%) and putting the bag in the sun. It is basically bleach. It turns them very white so if your bag is off-white, it might brighten it too much.