Adding dye and finish can make a tooled leather item go from looking ruggedly unfinished to professional and long-lasting, as well as deepen the color and prevent damage to the leather from friction or exposure. After the leather is stamped and tooled, and the leather is still slightly wet from casing, you can dye it. This way, the dye will be more even, and won’t have splotches where it hit the dry areas of the leather. For most leather projects made with vegetable tanned leather, it’s best to use water or alcohol based dyes, since these absorb into the leather rather than sitting on top the way oil based dyes do. Use daubers, paintbrushes or airbrushes to apply the dye, adding lighter coats and gradually increasing the amount of color. Start with a light coat and work up to a darker shade to prevent the leather from looking streaked or uneven. It’s also important to test out the dye on a piece of leather from the same side of the hide if possible.
When using more than one dye color, very nice, real-istic results can be obtained. This technique is especially effective with flowers or pictorial designs. The first dye imparts the basic color and the second one adds shading or high lights to create contrast with the previously tooled bevels or relief. A base color of light tan with additional brown dye in the crevices and touches of yellow or red on raised portions of flower petals will create a realistic three dimensional flower. Too much over-dyeing can obscure details or negate the dimension that you have created by tooling. It is important to let each color dry before applying an additional one. This will prevent colors from running together and will give you an opportunity to see how they react with the light. A good idea is to write down the colors and proportions of colors that you have used to create a specific effect that you like.
After the leather has been colored, you can add some conditioners to the leather to help preserve the leather as well as help seal in the color. Neatsfoot oil or mink oil conditions the leather and helps it from cracking in a hot, dry environment. It brings out the grain of the leather which can add character to the leather and tooled leather designs. Acrylic and resolene finishes give the leather a tougher finish which can help to protect the leather from water and wear. They come in flat, satin and gloss finishes. A finish coat will protect the leather from water, dirt and sun damage without greatly changing the feel of the leather if a light coat is applied. Using a brush or spray will help prevent puddling which can make the leather shiny or leave white spots on the leather. Applying multiple coats with a light sanding in between each coat will give the best results. Belts and purses and other items which will be used a lot may benefit from using both a conditioning oil as well as a finish coat.
The most frequent mistakes made in the finishing process tend to be due to haste and cutting corners. Painting a finish over non-dried leather dye, for instance, will cause it to cloud or fail to properly adhere. Excessive oiling can make the colors darker in unpredictable ways and feel greasy, whereas too much acrylic can crack later when the leather bends. When mistakes are made, they can be removed with alcohol or saddle soap and reapplied. It can be time-consuming, but it’s an important learning process that will make you a better judge in the future. On a test panel, try different finishes and combinations of dye, oil, and topcoat to determine what works best and looks most appealing to you before you tackle a finished piece. This is the final stage of the process, but it’s an artistic choice that should not be taken lightly.
A well executed dyeing and finishing technique enhances the visual beauty and functional durability of every tooling step which has come before it. As the leather develops patina, the colors become more brilliant; thus a well preserved leather remains beautiful to the eye and the hand. This is the last step in the leather stamping process and fills the tooler with a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.
