So I have this old camel city bag - the thing has really taken a beating thru the years, and I finally broke down and decided to dye her.
This process definitely isn't for the faint of heart. I happen to be an artist (I've also done some work w/ a fashion designer), and I've actually had some prior experience dyeing leather and suede - specifically, a skirt and some shoes - and I've done loads of leather dye color-mix tests on different types of leather (Kangaroo? Nailed it!).
I think what I'm getting at here is that my level of comfort with the materials was pretty high. It also takes some comfort with uncertainty and trust in yourself that you can make a solid final product!
Anyways - tonight I did the first coat of dye on my bag [disclaimer: I went with simple black], and I felt like sharing!
Before:
During:
After:
Materials-wise I used a decent portion of a bottle of Feibing's black leather dye (w/ a wool applicator), and I started by wiping the whole bag down with Feibing's dye prep.
The dye prep definitely makes a difference, as it removes a layer of dirt and finish from the leather that prepares it to take the dye. (I also have deglazer I could have used, but I've had mixed results with it in the past.)
At first, I was very surprised with how the dye didn't seem to fully absorb into some areas of the bag, but after gently continuing to rub w/ the applicator the color built up a bit more.
About halfway through I realized the cording for the handles had to go. It was just so frayed and crappy, and that was that. A few snips and they were gone! I'll have to shop around this week for a replacement for it.
Once I was done the whole bag felt a little stiff and somewhat dry (despite being sort of wet with dye), likely because the use is alcohol based... so I'm not concerned. She still has a ways to go! Currently hanging in my bathroom drying!
I'm going to keep updating as I go through the stages here, so thanks for listening to me blabber on about this! I'm excited! Feels really good to get my hands dirty again...
I'm definitely going to do a second coat over the whole bag,
This process definitely isn't for the faint of heart. I happen to be an artist (I've also done some work w/ a fashion designer), and I've actually had some prior experience dyeing leather and suede - specifically, a skirt and some shoes - and I've done loads of leather dye color-mix tests on different types of leather (Kangaroo? Nailed it!).
I think what I'm getting at here is that my level of comfort with the materials was pretty high. It also takes some comfort with uncertainty and trust in yourself that you can make a solid final product!
Anyways - tonight I did the first coat of dye on my bag [disclaimer: I went with simple black], and I felt like sharing!
Before:
During:
After:
Materials-wise I used a decent portion of a bottle of Feibing's black leather dye (w/ a wool applicator), and I started by wiping the whole bag down with Feibing's dye prep.
The dye prep definitely makes a difference, as it removes a layer of dirt and finish from the leather that prepares it to take the dye. (I also have deglazer I could have used, but I've had mixed results with it in the past.)
At first, I was very surprised with how the dye didn't seem to fully absorb into some areas of the bag, but after gently continuing to rub w/ the applicator the color built up a bit more.
About halfway through I realized the cording for the handles had to go. It was just so frayed and crappy, and that was that. A few snips and they were gone! I'll have to shop around this week for a replacement for it.
Once I was done the whole bag felt a little stiff and somewhat dry (despite being sort of wet with dye), likely because the use is alcohol based... so I'm not concerned. She still has a ways to go! Currently hanging in my bathroom drying!
I'm going to keep updating as I go through the stages here, so thanks for listening to me blabber on about this! I'm excited! Feels really good to get my hands dirty again...
I'm definitely going to do a second coat over the whole bag,
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