wood stains for dyeing leather?

[Jaeger]

Pardon if this subject has been brought up before. Has anyone ever used a wood stain to stain/dye leather? Does it work? Any objections to using it?

 

[Drago]

Why not just use leather dye? Probably works better and lasts longer.

 

[Jaeger]

Well...to be perfectly honest, I have quite a bit of walnut stain, and really don't want to go out and buy the leather dye. You know...parsimony.

 

[nebraska steve]

I am sure leather would soak up the wood stain you have, but may also take on a chemical odor, or/and function as a blotter for several years. I have boiled oak chips to make a tea like concoction, and soaked hides in the solution to stain the leather.

 

[Ken Cormier]

Try a scrap piece and see how it works. :idunno:

 

[Stophel]

I don't like using most wood stains even for wood! :haha:

So, what exactly constitutes a "walnut stain"?

If it's an aniline stain, I always thought modern aniline stains/dyes gave leather a very unattractive synthetic look, with a strange oil-slick sheen. Just doesn't look right.

 

[thecapgunkid]

Try not to do it on cowhide. Your work will look like it came from a dork who made some cow turn over in the grave by putting wood stain on her legacy.

On the other hand, in spite of all of us guys on the sidelines who took the time to write, and relying on that vicarious thrill of adventure when you try something, try this;

Get a piece of factory made deerskin...you know, the mass produced kind in retail that can be real cheap at the flea market. Get a thick piece of cardboard and staple or duct tape the four corners to spread the thing out. You don't need to overstretch it.

Now take a paint trim roller about three or four inches wide...not a brush, but a roller...and its pan. Try one of the darker colors of off-the-shelf-oil based stain. Work the stuff into the finished ( flower) side of the deerskin. Let it dry through maybe Christmas, 'cause it'll take that long.

See what you come up with.

I did this once and got two hunting bags, lined with ticking, that look antiqued and still hold their strength once I greased them up.

I recently met a craftsman who uses oven cleaner on his leather to antique his bag. They look great, but I hadda go to confession because I considered trying it and did not want to tick off St Crispin and St Crispus. I don't stress leather when making projects because I view it as a bit much.

Otherwise, remember one basic postulate...there is a good reason why one product is called "wood stain" and the other is called "leather finish/dye". Better minds than ours thought of that.

 

[JeffG]

Yuuuuup! :thumbsup:

 

[Billnpatti]

I agree with kennyc. Take a piece of scrap leather like the one on which you propose using it and give it a try. See if you like the results. As old Davie Crocket said "Be sure you're right and then go ahead."

 

[Katahdin]

Wood stain has oil in ,,I wouldn't use it on leather and I work with both wood and leather..

 

[LaBonte]

Not all wood stains have oil - only oil stains do and yes I have been working both wood and leather professionally for over 45 years.
I have used both spirit and water based wood stains on leather especially for getting an aged look although you can get a regular new look as well.
As others have noted as long as it's not an oil based stain then experiment on scrap. Odor problems will be no different than when using regular spirit based leather dyes.

Try not to do it on cowhide. Your work will look like it came from a dork who made some cow turn over in the grave by putting wood stain on her legacy......Otherwise, remember one basic postulate...there is a good reason why one product is called "wood stain" and the other is called "leather finish/dye". Better minds than ours thought of that

Gre with all due respect, sorry but not so not even with oil stains which I have used but didn't care for the odor during work up. With water of spirit based wood stains no problemo.....
as for the difference between nameology - I know hundreds of woodworkers including stock makers who use leather dye for staining wood - much of it is just a matter of marketing and not science....or in the case of things like vinegar black have been successfully used on both leather and wood for beaucoup years....

 

[thecapgunkid]

As I said...

On the other hand, in spite of all of us guys on the sidelines who took the time to write, and relying on that vicarious thrill of adventure when you try something...

So, try it and make sure you forgive everybody if one or two things don't work out. That's what LaBonte and guys like us learn along the way.

Take a look at a post in the flintlock rifle area by some lunatic who customized a Pedersoli...that's Feibings Medium Brown with a couple of coats of oil on there.

Also, in about a week I will be posting a picture of a bag as Part of the 18th Century Stitching set. That's a minwax oil stain on there after I used Feibings Deglazer on the original finish.

I actually heard that cow turn over...

 

[Artificer]

As I said...

Also, in about a week I will be posting a picture of a bag as Part of the 18th Century Stitching set. That's a minwax oil stain on there after I used Feibings Deglazer on the original finish.

I actually heard that cow turn over...

ROTFLMAO!! Good Humour there!!

I have forgotten how many hundreds of M14 and M1 Garand and M1903 Stock sets I have refinished over the years and continue to do so, both from active duty and since I retired. The only time the U.S. government worried about "matching the colour" of the stocks to the handguards was in the Post WWII era when they used a THICK (probably "outdoor") stain that undoubtedly had paint pigment in it, to stain the stocks and hand guards Post Korean War.

I do not consider myself a professional woodworker. I have tried oil and water stains for these stocks and handguards and never had much luck. However, Fiebings Leather Dye is a spirit stain and it works GREAT to match colour on stocks and hand guards. I've been using Fiebings since the 70's as a stock stain as well as on leather. Their "Medium Brown" is not the only colour dye I use and I do mix their dyes at times to get a special colour, but I use the Medium Brown more than anything else.

How many people remember Dixie's Antique stain as linked below? Ever notice it comes in a Fiebing's Dye Bottle and Dixie puts their own label on it? The colour is redder than Fiebings Medium Brown or other Fiebings Browns or colours, though, and may be a special formula Fiebings makes for Dixie. http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?products_id=3913

Whilst growing up, my Paternal Grandparents had walnut trees on their property for the purpose of gathering, shelling and selling the nutmeat for extra money. I remember how stained our hands got when shelling the hulls and even with lava soap, it had to wear off. Unfortunately, I never got around to try to make dye out of that stuff before they passed.

I very much agree one has to experiment with dyes for wood or leather to get the colour one wants and it can be done in more than one way. Scrap leather pieces work well for that.

Gus

 

[palonghunter]

I've used it on a few things. I died a holster I made with cherry minwax stain. It gave it a nice reddish brown color with a matte finish. I put a generous coating of sno-seal on it afterwards and it's still going strong 10+ years later. I've also used black and brown dhole polish but it tends to make things pretty shiny.