In the last post, I discussed a few of the ways that leather
can be finished. By no means did that post scratch the surface, it is barely a
beginning to the topic. There are many products that can be used to dye, tint,
or stain leather and it is not even necessary to use any of the “normal” ones
that are available.
I mentioned in the previous post that I like things more
simple these days. I have aged over forty years and my visual acuity, the
steadiness in my hands, and my patience have all lessened to a degree over
time. I still love the fact that I can start with a plain piece of leather and
have it come out with a design similar to the one that I stamped for the leather
stamping series of posts.
One of the ways I like to finish a leather project is to use
Neatsfoot Oil on the finished tooled project. Using Neatsfoot Oil allows me to complete
the project without applying a lacquer coat. Neatsfoot oil will replace some of
the oils lost from the leather when the hide was tanned and for the most part,
it will only darken the leather a little. (I would stay away from using
Neatsfoot Oil on thinner leathers because it will soak through the leather,
especially the carved lines of the patterns.)
At first, the leather will be darker because most of the oil
will be mainly in the grain of the leather. The background will stand out much
more than when it was first stamped because of a slightly higher level of
saturation. It seems that the matting down of the leather along with the many
tiny holes cause the leather to soak up the leather a little more.
A little Neatsfoot oil will go a long ways when you are
putting it on a stamped project. When applying the oil to a stamped piece of
leather I like to use a small piece of sheepskin about two inches square. I
usually try to get by a saddle shop and buy some scraps if I can. That way I
can save a little money and have a chance to visit with a saddle maker.
By the way, the name Neatsfoot comes from the fact that
cattle used to be called “neat,” in some places. I will not attempt to tell you
why that moniker was applied to them but I will tell you why the whole name is
Neatsfoot. Neatsfoot Oil is made from the shinbones and feet, minus the hooves,
of cattle. This oil product has been used since at least the 18th
century to soften and protect leather. You will find it available in pure
Neatsfoot, prime, and compound. Pure Neatsfoot is made as discussed previously;
prime and compound are a combination of it and other non-animal oils.
Dyeing Leather
Revisited
I would be remiss if I did not give you a few hints about
using the leather dyes mentioned in the previous post. I would only use the
dilution of the Fiebing dye if you were planning to spray your project with an
airbrush. If you plan to use a brush, I think that it would be a better trick
to not dilute it. I have tried to dye the background with diluted dye and it
does not seem to have as rich of a color as if the straight stuff was used. I do not like to go back with a brush and
try to darken it up. The reason that you can get by with diluting the dye for
use with an airbrush is that you can easily go back and add a second coat
without too much trouble and you do not have to worry about “bleeding.”
Bleeding is what happens when you touch a brush saturated
with dye too close to the edge of a carved portion of the pattern. I have seen
dye soak into the edge of leaves and flowers when I touched a brush to the
background at least an eighth of an inch away. It is good to brush the excess
dye off your brush by touching the edge of you brush against the edge of the
dye bottle. If I am dyeing the background of a belt or another item, I like to
pour the dye into a much smaller container. I have used a plastic cup similar
to that used in restaurants for ketchup or other sauces. I like the small
container to have a wide mouth so that I can see where I am dipping my brush.
Another trick that I have used on occasion is to make a
cellophane tape loop to stick on the bottom of the smaller container to anchor
it down to my work surface to keep it from tipping. Keep in mind that getting
this kind of dye on clothing or furniture will be a reminder of the project
that got away. It would be a good idea to put a piece of cardboard or tag board
under your project and dye container while working on it. (I watched a saddle
maker dip his brush in a small container of dye and lightly brush it on a piece
of cardboard to get rid of the excess dye. This seemed to take a lot of extra
time but it did prevent the bleeding to a point.)
When dyeing the background I like to start in the middle and
work to the edges from there. That way I have less chance of having the leather
bleed into those areas. If you look back at the pattern that I stamped, you
will notice that most, if not all, of the background areas have rather sharp
pointed “V” shaped areas. The best way of making sure that the dye gets into
these areas is to use a small or fine tipped brush. You might be able to get by
with using the medium brush I described but it is your choice if you want to
take a chance on having a rather prominent spot sticking out on your design.
In closing, if you are like me you do not want to buy more
than one brush and you hate to think of cleaning two brushes instead of one.
Then when you get to one of those sharp-pointed areas one part of your brain is
telling you, “Go ahead, you can do it without changing brushes.” You might get
away with it until you get to that one little half-inch square of leather that
seems to be like a river delta in a flood. I have dyed a lot of background over
the years and invariably, I will find that one little spot of leather that is
like a paper towel soaking up spilled fruit juice. Let me tell you, leather can
be fickle and it will sneak up and bite you when you least expect it. I would
not have it any other way.
Have fun!
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