Leather Dye

I recently scored a pair of cherry-red British-made 8-eye DMs off a buddy of mine that they didn't fit. Worn in but in really good condition. I've never liked the bright-red color, and the old-school way of polishing over then with black takes a long time and still never gave me the color I wanted. I recently watched a YouTube video that showed using leather dye to achieve the desired deep, dark red 'oxblood' color and decided to try it myself. The whole process was rather easy. I prepped an area with newspapers and a couple old towels. I recommend doing this in a well-ventilated area as both the acetone and the dye have strong odors. You will want to do this somewhere non-carpeted as this dye is VERY permanent and you will not get it out of anything it touches. Gloves are a must too as I would imagine this stuff would dye your hands for days or weeks. I used masking tape to protect the yellow stitching, soles, and Air-Wair tags (as I mentioned the dye is VERY permanent, mask off anything you don't want dyed permanently dark red or whatever color you're using). I used 100% acetone and cotton balls to strip the original finish off. I used the included dabber to wipe on a layer of the oxblood dye on both boots on all the leather surfaces including the tongue. The dye seems to initially dry very quickly but I let them dry overnite and did a second layer the following evening. After adding a layer of the resolene sealer, the boots took on a nice sheen without being too shiny. I would imagine you could pilishband buff these to whatever level of shine you desire. They went from that fire-engine cherry-red to a really deep, dark oxblood. They already look great but I think that after polishing a little black into the creases these boots will have a really smart 'vintage' look to them. It also helped mask some toe-scuffs very well. I would imagine that black dye on black boots applied the same way would make them look damn-near brand-new. I have a pair of black 8-eyes that I may try it on. Very pleased with the results and would totally recommend this dye for refinishing your boots or giving them a makeover.

It worked great. Very easy to use.

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 bought this because I seen some people use it to stain wood for guitars. It worked awesome on the wood campfire chairs I made, but the color faded in a day, trying to find an alternative. I added the picture before and after and exterior seal coat and it has sat inside the garage for a few months. I wish the intensity stayed.

One bottle was enough to suede dye a pair of short boots. I had very little in bottom of bottle when done. Wet start is a cinnamon color. Dries to cumin color. I bought a color with gold undertone, these all seem to have a lot of red. I kinda wanted a more neutral brown. I’m happy with results. Starting with light grey suede and ended with a nice spice color. Will go with my camel accent purse, etc. I plan to seal with water barrier after it has dried at least 24 hours. I used furniture finish wax on the stacked leather heels before I dyed the leather and it dried for several days first. I used alcohol to clean any dye off my hands. Delivery to my mailbox by USPS. Took about a week. Edit: now that it’s dry, it’s a little too bright for me. I looked online for ways to tone it down. There’s a method using strongly brewed coffee, that I’m going to try. That will deepen the spice color, towards a camel color. Basically neutralizing a lot of the bright tones, picture actual Cumin colored suede leather. Then I will seal with water proofing.

I used this dye to spruce up a pair of ageing but comfortable and favourite shoes. I cleaned them first with some alcohol to remove as much of the previous polish and finish as possible. I then used a half-inch soft paintbrush and worked quickly and evenly across both ways. I let them dry and gave them a second coat. I achieved a very satisfactory even colour. Once dry (well, the next day, although I don’t suppose it would actually be necessary to wait that long) I gave them a polish with oxblood shoe polish and they came up nicely. I haven’t noticed any dye transfer onto anything else. This stuff also seems to go a long way. I only used 3 or 4 brush-fulls from the bottle to do a pair of shoes. All-in-all I’m pretty chuffed with this dye, having breathed a new lease of life into a comfy pair of shoes.

Top Service und das Produkt wie beschrieben einfach super 👍

Très bon produit et très facile d'utilisation. J'ai reteinte une paire de chaussures, j'ai passé 2 couches et le résultat est parfait.

Facile à appliquer . Très beau vert foncé . Reçu très rapidement 👍

Very good product