Need help: Fiebings Pro Dye disaster!

[WvlmstrX]

Came here to get some insights on dye issue.. I'm making a leather-wrapped box and decided to use Fiebings Pro Dye, oil-based, mahogany+black mix. The main body panels, which I applied with a sponge in thin coats, came out perfect with a nice, rich dark brown.

For the small box lid and base pieces, I decided to try dip-dyeing for maximum consistency and coverage, based on the idea that oil dye color is stable. Huge mistake! The dip-dyed parts are now nearly black and look completely different from the sponged pieces. I'm completely out of this specific type of tooling leather to re-cut, and the lid piece is already tooled.

Is there any realistic way to lift or lighten this oil dye once it's set this dark? I've seen some extreme suggestions but need to save this project. Has anyone had luck successfully lightening Pro Dye after it was applied this heavily?

Any advice is appreciated, thanks!

 

[fluffyman]

Since the leather is fully saturated, apply denatured alcohol or a dye reducer on a rag. That's the most practical option I can think of. BUT you should know this process will be slow and will require a lot of careful rubbing to gradually lift the concentrated pigment. It can potentially dull the surface finish. Apply a thick layer of a leather conditioning oil and letting it sit overnight before wiping the excess may also pull some color out. It's less aggressive but you'll get the color to perfectly match your sponged pieces is unlikely because once dye sets that deep, it is difficult to remove evenly.

 

[WealthyLepant]

You won’t get it light again, but you can make it look intentional. I’ve used very fine sandpaper or scotch pads to open the surface slightly, then reapply a lighter mix over top to even things out. Follow with a light coat of antique paste or finish to tie the colors together. It hides the contrast without wrecking the tooling.

 

[liz_gets_crafty]

Came here to get some insights on dye issue.. I'm making a leather-wrapped box and decided to use Fiebings Pro Dye, oil-based, mahogany+black mix. The main body panels, which I applied with a sponge in thin coats, came out perfect with a nice, rich dark brown.

For the small box lid and base pieces, I decided to try dip-dyeing for maximum consistency and coverage, based on the idea that oil dye color is stable. Huge mistake! The dip-dyed parts are now nearly black and look completely different from the sponged pieces. I'm completely out of this specific type of tooling leather to re-cut, and the lid piece is already tooled.

Is there any realistic way to lift or lighten this oil dye once it's set this dark? I've seen some extreme suggestions but need to save this project. Has anyone had luck successfully lightening Pro Dye after it was applied this heavily?

Any advice is appreciated, thanks!

Dip-dyeing oil dye is an instant over-saturation, especially with dark mixes! Do not sand or use harsh chemicals to save your project or you'll destroy the tooling. Your only shot is controlled stripping with a solvent. Use denatured alcohol or a dye reducer on a slightly damp rag or swab, like @fluffyman suggested. Wipe, don't soak, and focus on making light, repeated passes to gently lift the excess pigment. You need to pull out the color that's sitting near the surface fibers. After stripping, let it dry completely, then heavily recondition the pieces. You won't get a perfect color match to the sponged panels, but this is the only way I could think of to avoid re-cutting.

 

[stuffmaker]

try to lighten it by rubbing vigorously with a clean cloth, applying more reducer, or layering a lighter dye/antiquing
you know, though significant lightening is difficult with oil dyes once set, the key is to work the dye out gently or adjust other pieces

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Came here to get some insights on dye issue.. I'm making a leather-wrapped box and decided to use Fiebings Pro Dye, oil-based, mahogany+black mix. The main body panels, which I applied with a sponge in thin coats, came out perfect with a nice, rich dark brown.

For the small box lid and base pieces, I decided to try dip-dyeing for maximum consistency and coverage, based on the idea that oil dye color is stable. Huge mistake! The dip-dyed parts are now nearly black and look completely different from the sponged pieces. I'm completely out of this specific type of tooling leather to re-cut, and the lid piece is already tooled.

Is there any realistic way to lift or lighten this oil dye once it's set this dark? I've seen some extreme suggestions but need to save this project. Has anyone had luck successfully lightening Pro Dye after it was applied this heavily?

Any advice is appreciated, thanks!

I think you can lighten the dipped parts. I don't think you will ever salvage them and get them to "match" the pieces that you like.

The simple answer does not meet your needs. Dye the color of the lighter parts to match the deep dark color of the dipped parts, finish the piece, and move on. Live and learn, but at least you get the piece finished, and somebody will undoubtedly like the piece in its dark shade.

LD

 

[Alan]

Yes, unfortunately, there's not one straight answer for it. Test what works. Like what @Loyalist Dave said, that's a lesson, Best you can do is make it closest color and make it look intentional.