Homemade Vinegaroon Leather "Dye" w/ pics

[indoorsoccerfrea]

I have been messing with leather for some time, and decided to try my hand at dying it. I don't want to spend money on things, it just goes against my sense of "do-it-yourself". That being said, I discovered an online tutorial on making "Vinegaroon", an old-fashioned method to turning leather black. It technically is not a dye, as it actually changes the color of the tannins in tanned leather. It does not rub off or bleed, and will not stain any synthetic thread that you have used to sew your leather.

http://www.mediafire.com/view/?5o4xwjbv37upldo

All you need to make it is steel wool and distilled white vinegar. (I would also suggest a work space with ventilation.)

http://www.mediafire.com/view/?0h82g3acy9h9azz

You place a handful of steel wool in a container and fill it with vinegar until it is covered. Place a lid loosely on it to allow for gases to escape without bursting the container and wait for a few days.

Here is a picture of a batch that was filtered through a rag and a batch that is still fermenting.

http://www.mediafire.com/view/?44i4tpg41gbbinc

I had made a holster a while ago, but didn't bother dying or sealing it. As such, daily wear has caused it to stain. I decided to try using Vinegaroon to clean it up.

http://www.mediafire.com/view/?9pq6jnvjv6ckll5

Due to oils and who knows what from 6 months of use, the dye did not take well at first.

http://www.mediafire.com/view/?8481nbth72r5ku4

http://www.mediafire.com/view/?8ltmmznejkgeezz

After a bit of elbow grease, however, it worked itself in.

http://www.mediafire.com/view/?0sur0bwlxrm6arm

Looks a lot better than it did. I have read that due to the acidic nature of Vinegaroon, it is a good idea to rinse the leather in a baking soda/water solution after dying in order to neutralize the acid and prevent damage. After rinsing and air drying, I waxed and buffed the holster.

 

[Colt556]

Pretty timely posting. I've wanted to dye some leather holsters I have but didn't have much luck with the shoe dye method.

 

[Double T]

Tandy's sells die for about 6 bucks. It's pretty amazing stuff too.

I do like the end result of this though.

 

[indoorsoccerfrea]

Pretty timely posting. I've wanted to dye some leather holsters I have but didn't have much luck with the shoe dye method.

It's very easy, simply apply with a brush, rag, etc. The true beauty of this is that it won't stain anything else. You can stitch with white thread before dyeing and still retain that nice contrast. Also, you will never run out of it.

 

[indoorsoccerfrea]

Latest addition to the holster family...

Made for a friend's PPK using an airsoft gun. Fit was spot on. I obviously need to work on my stitching a bit... I do think the vinegaroon looks halfway decent. The picture doesn't do it justice.

 

[paperboy]

Very nice......You got skills!