Leather Dye

Product works AMAZING! I had ordered a leather sling for my farm shotgun and when it arrived it looked like it was dried out and there was light brown and spotty places in colors, some were pinkish some really really light brown so I put some leather care wax on it - didn't help at all. So I then ordered this in dark brown. I applied one coat following the directions, removed it following the directions and finished it off with a coat of leather protector as noted in the instructions. The sling came out beautiful! Ten times better than I thought it would have come out with only one coat! The sling feels like it has had life brought back to it, when I ordered it, it was "new" but man oh man she sure looked like she had been around for a while but this Leather dye fixed it up no issues! I love the color shade it produced as well, even was able to match my buttstock wrap. A little goes a long way on a sling so I have plenty left over for others in the future. I highly recommend this stuff. It was my first time dying leather and it came out better than I thought it would have. Gave the ole farm piece a new look! Thanks!

I'm happy with this leather dye. I used it to dye a pair of leather shoes which I wanted to be more of a dark burgundy cordovan color. Worked very well.

I wanted to fix my 20 years old faded beige bag. This is my first time dye leather product. My bag is revived now and I can use it every day. I did triple coating but I wish I would have stopped in first coating. It ended up too brown than I expected but I am happy about my bag now. I also purchased Fiebing’s finishing coat which protect color fading and add shine the surface. Pros: A tapping tool came with the bottle, Very easy to apply dye directly from the bottle, Doesn’t smell bad, So far I think this is a good product, Cons: First coat is weak, You may need more than one bottle if your bag is bigger than mine, I could use a little more dye for one small bag attached to the bag.

I much prefer Fiebing’s pro oil dyes to these regular alcohol dyes. The oil dye is a bit more expensive than regular dye but the colors are more vibrant and they last much longer. The oil dyes, once dry, are also less prone to smearing and rub off The only advantage I can see to the regular dyes is that they save you a few bucks. But if you’re looking for a more satisfying result, easier application and long term durability, I’d go with the oil dye

I was able to restore TWO Louis Vuitton vernis (patent leather) pieces with this oxblood dye. Now just to note, I used the same oxblood dye on both LV pieces, yet the colors turned out radically different....because the STARTING color will determine the END color. I knew this going into the project. Forewarned is forearmed. I did not dilute the dye in any way, both pieces were dyed using straight oxblood dye. That said I love the way these dyed patent leather pieces turned out. The dye was...omg, so insanely messy to apply. Wear gloves. And cover your working surface with a large trashbag or two. You have to start in small amounts otherwise it runs. Patent leather is funny to dye, as you have to apply it, and then wipe it off with a rag almost immediately, as it dries/absorbs very quickly.. Wipe down with either non-acetone/or acetone nail polish remover before you start and then between coats to remove excess dye, otherwise you'll end up with streaks and dullness. Some patent leather does not absorb dye easily...even on the same piece. So, for example, on the wallet, I had to add dye repeatedly to certain areas more than others to get a more even color. I used the included wool dauber to put the dye on, and a rag to wipe it off. Dye comes off of skin with non-acetone nail polish remover and soap & water. Dye does NOT come off of other surfaces (like, say, a porch floor). Do your work in a safe, well-ventilated location. Protect whatever surfaces you are working on or around. FWIW, the red pochette started out yellowish, and took 2 coats of fiebings oxblood to reach a candy-apple red color. The wallet started out pearl in color, and took about 10 coats to reach a bright saturated pink. I originally used Fiebings Leather Sheen Spray to seal it, but hated how it took away the glossiness. I ended up stripping it off with non-acetone nail polish remover, and am going to leave the pieces unsealed. They are so glossy both indoors and outside! I'm ordering more of this color to dye another LV purse I have coming....it is such a versatile color. It can either be a nice bright pink if you are working with white or pearl, or change to a bright red if the base color is more yellow. Fiebings leather dye is a great way to cover color-transfer marks on patent, or change up an older light colored patent purse to a more vibrant color. Its a little tricky to work with, but if the bag is junk otherwise or destined for goodwill, it makes for a fun project and potential home-run purse in the end! I am not a pro at this, this was my second attempt at dyeing patent leather, and I learned alot from other people on various FB restoration groups. But its so fun to create a transformation and now I'm hooked!

I took a gamble and invested $60 in dyeing a 25+ year old leather sofa, and it paid off in spades. The sofa was in great condition physically, but was b*tt ugly from years of kids and small dogs scrabbling the edges to climb up. This is how I did it: 1.) I wiped it down with baby wipes- a suggestion I found via the internet. Waste of money. A damp microfiber cloth would have done just as good a job. BTW, invest in a pack of about 20 microfiber cloths (available on Amazon) for this project. 2.) I used microfiber cloths to deglaze it using Fiebings DeGlazer. It did an amazing job, but was the worst smell I have ever experienced in my entire life. Do it outside. Do not do it near small kids or pets. The foul chemical smell will permeate every corner of your home, your hair, your skin, and will take a day or two to dissipate. Be sure to use rubber gloves (after all,your skin is "leather" of a kind). I only purchased one bottle of deglazer, because the sofa was so old, I figured there would be very little glaze left. I could have easily used three bottles. It is somewhat like removing nail polish. The first two or three attempts will remove gunky, gloppy color. Just keep at it til your cloth comes up clean. 3.) Allow to dry overnight. Go find oxygen. 4.) I used six bottles of Fieblings chocolate dye for this project. Be SURE to lay down a plastic drop cloth (it will go right through fabric), and use several layers of disposable gloves each time. The first coat took two bottles, because the dry leather just sucked it up. It will look very uneven, and you will have a "WTF have I done" moment. The second coat looks better. By the third or fourth coat, the surface of the leather may look iridescent in places. Do not be tempted to use a sponge to spread the dye. Use the wool dauber that is included in the box. It will keep the dye from bubbling and leaving a blotchy, bumpy surface. The dauber also prevents the dye from splattering, and gives you more control. Do NOT use circular strokes. Use downward strokes, all in the same direction. That dauber is also idea for getting into the seams and cracks in the sofa. Get as far down between cushions as you possibly can. The first time a big bottom sits on that sofa, those cushions separate, and show big, undyed gaps of color. Dye it now, because it will be hard to match if you have to do a spot you missed later on. You should not need to buy extra daubers. Each box comes with a fresh dauber, and they last a long time. The last coat took half a bottle. I did five coats, allowing it to dry for at least an hour or two between coats. I also put extra dye down on the seats and armrests, since they had the most wear. 5.) Allow the final coat to dry over night. Rub it down vigorously with microfiber cloths until you are no longer pulling color off the leather on to the cloths. 6.) At this point, I did a light coat of Leather Honey (available on Amazon). If you are not familiar with Leather Honey, you may not NEED to dye your sofa or chair. Leather Honey is an amazing product, and will make cat scratches, etc disappear. Anyway, I did a coat just to moisturize the sofa. 7.) I used 2 bottles of dark brown Fieblings Resolene. I poured it on a microfiber cloth, and rubbed it into the sofa- again using disposable gloves. Like a nail polish topcoat, it seals, and leaves a pleasantly soft-toned glaze to the leather, making it look finished. Allow it to dry overnight, unless you are like me and are so Squee!!! over your results you can't bear to wait to style your "brand new" sofa. Invite the neighbors over to admire the new furniture, and then watch their eyes get big when you tell them it's the old mangy one you have magically restored. And then prepared with excuses when they ask you to dye theirs, lol. I invested $60 in this project, not including a box of gloves and cloths left over from another project, and spent about three hours a night for four or five nights. This is not an easy project. You are going to have to deal with stinky deglazer, and intimidatingly messy dye. However, if you take your time, you may end up salvaging a nice sofa. Do you know that a good quality, thick-leather sofa is $3,000+ these days? That, my friends, is why we gamble on these projects. The job has been complete for five weeks now. There was a slight bit of dye coming up at first, but after weeks of (occasionally wet) dog and cats (and me) lounging on it, it seems to have stabilized. I wouldn't wear light clothes on it for the first few weeks, but wouldn't hesitate to now. I am so pleased with how this project turned out, and at how quickly I was able to get additional supplies when the first two bottles of dye only managed one coat. I would do this again in a heartbeat. The light colored photo is a "before" photo. The second photo shows how the first coat looked going on, and shows how the seats desperately absorbed more than their fair share. Third photo shows some of the iridescence and uneven color of the dye going on (it evens out when you glaze it). Fourth photo is the dyed sofa, after a light coat of Leather Honey, but before glazing. Last photo shows the new looking, 25 year old sofa.

I wish I had taken before and after photos, but I'll describe how I got a new leather reclining chair for under ten bucks! I believe this product is basically aniline dye in an alcohol solution. I have a lot of experience with aniline dye in woodworking, but I've never tried it on leather before this purchase. We had a medium quality leather reclining chair bought ten years earlier (probably spent $500 on it) which had seen too much time baking in the sun. The creases and folds in the dark brown leather had stopped looking charming and now just looked ratty! There were white creases everywhere and whole sections had turned spotty white. I decided to try this product, but I was concerned about color matching and application streaks. Well, I purchased a 4 oz. bottle and I used an old white cotton sock as an applicator. Wear gloves, of course. I found you do need to use a heavy application of the dye, but streaking was not a problem. The color was close, but slightly redder than the original. I applied over the whole surface and it blended nicely. I used up the whole bottle on this chair, sometimes going over tough areas several times. Even the old cat scratches and punctures disappeared. After a few minutes of dry time I was left with even color--the former white creases were still visible but now they were a dark brown matching the rest of the surface. The sheen was a matte finish, in part due to the alcohol in the solution I'm sure. Finally, I applied a leather conditioner found in the automotive section of your favorite box store to seal the color and to bring back some of the sheen. A new white sock did show a little bit of dye coming up with the conditioning, but nothing major. Probably a second coat of conditioner will be a good idea. Anyway, this product is terrific. Yes, you could make your own aniline dye with the powder and the alcohol, but this is so cheap why bother? We have a new chair for under ten bucks and the next time I see an old leather chair at an auction, I know what I can do!

I use this leather dye as a stain of sorts, for birch wood. Birch wood does not like to take traditional stain the way that other common hardwoods such as walnut, oak, etc do. Just be careful when you are using this product to not get it on your skin or clothing. It will stain and is extremely difficult to get it out! So make sure to wear gloves and old clothing you don't mind getting messy if you are clumsy like me.