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Post by vlad4th on Jul 19, 2024 3:00:02 GMT
I am wondering if there would be a way to pull the black dye from the scabbard and grip leather on my Windlass arbedo? What I would like to do it Dye the scabbard and grip leather a dark red and then blue the scabbard fittings and hilt and pommel black. I remember reading a post by bill blake years ago where he dyed the sheath on his windlass Hungarian saber purple to make it look more like a byzantine Parameion so it seems like it is possible.
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mrstabby
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Post by mrstabby on Jul 19, 2024 5:17:55 GMT
I think there are some solvents to remove dies (I think it's called deglazer or stain remover), but it might not come out cleanly so you likely have to go with another dark colour. Red will likely come out "dirty red" if the leather stain does not remove all the way, be prepared for that. There are also some colours that you can just put over another, but I have never done it. These are more like lacquer than a stain I think but can go lighter (I have seen it ussed for leather sofas).
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Post by bwaze on Jul 19, 2024 10:39:53 GMT
Tandy and other degalzers contain Ethyl Acetate or Acetone to remove leather finish, but it doesn't really remove much leather dye. So it can be useful if you want to dye the leather to a darker colour, not so much to completely change it or paint it brighter.
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Post by mrbadexample on Jul 19, 2024 13:44:50 GMT
I’ve dealt with some Windlass scabbards that were more painted than dyed. Some sanding stripped the black color right off, and the leather underneath took dye without issue.
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mrstabby
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Post by mrstabby on Jul 20, 2024 10:08:15 GMT
Leather stain is just like wood stain, it won't soak all the way (debth depending on the leather, looking at my windlass where I can see it, it's about half maybe less the thickness of the skin-layer), of course sanding is an option, I think it only feels like paint because it does not penetrate that deeply. Even isopropanol can remove a lot of this colouring, so it for sure isn't any hard wearing paint. If you sand it away it will not be as durable as before especially if you sand too deeply into the grain. It will leave a new, lighter surface to dye than solvents of course, but be careful.
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Post by larason2 on Jul 20, 2024 14:43:55 GMT
Yeah, be careful with strong solvents like bleach. They work, but they can ruin the leather. The surface can also be scraped/skived to reveal fresh leather, but there's a trick to doing it so it's even! If it was me I'd remove the leather and start over with new leather, or try soaking it just in water for a while to see how it does. Traditional tanning is soaking in in water based tannin baths for weeks to get the colour. You're not going to get it off in just a day!
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LeMal
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Post by LeMal on Jul 20, 2024 16:08:44 GMT
I’ve dealt with some Windlass scabbards that were more painted than dyed. Some sanding stripped the black color right off, and the leather underneath took dye without issue. Yup, if it's Windlass all-leather it's probably just leather paint not leather dye or stain. Simple fix: use more leather paint over it, enough coats to cover. (Also has the advantage of sturdying up an all-leather scabbard--a smidgen at least.) |
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Post by mrbadexample on Jul 20, 2024 16:50:30 GMT
I’ve dealt with some Windlass scabbards that were more painted than dyed. Some sanding stripped the black color right off, and the leather underneath took dye without issue. Yup, if it's Windlass all-leather it's probably just leather paint not leather dye or stain. Simple fix: use more leather paint over it, enough coats to cover. (Also has the advantage of sturdying up an all-leather scabbard--a smidgen at least.) Now there is the sort of obvious solution that makes me smack my forehead for not thinking of it. |
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mrstabby
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Post by mrstabby on Jul 20, 2024 17:01:07 GMT
I am not sure it is paint alone. Might be a stain plus a sealant covering it because some places the colour washes out with plain water (mostly at the troat). If it was a paint it would be soluable at any point with the same solvent, but the outside is water resistant but alcohol begins dissolving it, at the troat it can be wiped off with a wet q-tip.
You could go over it with acrylic paint, of course it won't have a leather look anymore. Maybe a white primer then the colour, but I'd still remove the water protection layer.
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LeMal
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Post by LeMal on Jul 20, 2024 19:28:44 GMT
I am not sure it is paint alone. Might be a stain plus a sealant covering it because some places the colour washes out with plain water (mostly at the troat). If it was a paint it would be soluable at any point with the same solvent, but the outside is water resistant but alcohol begins dissolving it, at the troat it can be wiped off with a wet q-tip. You could go over it with acrylic paint, of course it won't have a leather look anymore. Maybe a white primer then the colour, but I'd still remove the water protection layer. If there's any trouble you just go with a (dewaxed) shellac interim layer. "Shellac sticks to everything--and everything sticks to shellac." |
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