Dyeing shoes

FCS · Nov 25, 2004

Has anyone here ever re-dyeing their shoes to a much darker colour? What are the best leather dye products available out there?

FIHTies · Nov 25, 2004

Has anyone here ever re-dyeing their shoes to a much darker colour? What are the best leather dye products available out there?

Try looking here...(its an antiquing process but you may be able to applty the concept to what you want) http://www.styleforum.net/cgi-bin....2;st=22 Other's may have better information. JJF

FCS · Nov 25, 2004

FIH, I was the one who started asking A. Harris about his antiquing technique. I'm hoping to do a lasting, permanent colouring job to a pale brown shoes and thinking to experiment with re-dyeing.

FIHTies · Nov 25, 2004

FIH, I was the one who started asking A. Harris about his antiquing technique. I'm hoping to do a lasting, permanent colouring job to a pale brown shoes and thinking to experiment with re-dyeing.

Ooops...

I didnt see that part of the thread as J only liked that page. Mi Scusi. Enjoy your thanksgiving. JJF

RIDER · Nov 26, 2004

Has anyone here ever re-dyeing their shoes to a much darker colour

You will need De-Glazer, Feibings Dye, a couple of daubers and some newspaper. Take out the laces, stuff shoes with newspaper tightly. With a rag, deglaze per instructions on can. Wearing rubber gloves, start applying dye with dauber at toe (I start above the welt), working quickly across the shoe from left to right. Let dry overnight, rub out the first coat and re-apply. After a few hours, start applying polish - 2 or 3 coats.
If you are looking for an antiqued effect, you will need to rub off the dye almost immediatly, and work with rags instead of daubers. This takes some practice to get right. If you have some old shoes to work on first, that would be best. If not, pick something up cheap at a thrift store before dying your shoes.

A Harris · Nov 26, 2004

Oil based or spirit based dye?

I wonder what would happen if I stripped a pair of black shoes and dyed them dark brown? Could be cool, I'll have to try that...

stache · Nov 26, 2004

You can only dye darker. Going lighter requires paint.

FCS · Nov 26, 2004

Oil based or spirit based dye?

Uhm, care to enlighten me on the strengths and weaknesses of each?

And thanks Rider for the quick tutorial.

kabert · Nov 26, 2004

Rider's method sounds right to me. A few years ago, I used common shoe store shoe-dye to change the color of a pair of loafers from a cordovan color to black.

bengal-stripe · Nov 26, 2004

You can only dye darker. Going lighter requires paint.

Apparently you can bleach (strip) out the color, even black, with acetone (ending up with some dirty grey). Then you can apply either burgundy or navy and you will end up with something like this:

No, I've never tried it. But the result in that picture is so attractive that I might go out on the weekend to find a cheap pair in a thrift shop to practice on.

j · Nov 26, 2004

Wow, great result. Where does one get this dye?

Ed13 · Nov 26, 2004

Also, where can you get the De-Glazer? I am not happy with the colour on a pair of burgandy wingtips. If I could get more of a dark brown shade with a hint of burgandy I would be happy. Any info appreciated.

RIDER · Nov 26, 2004

where can you get the De-Glazer?v

Go to your local repair shop, and ask them to order it from their jobber for you. they should not have any problem doing this for you.

Ed13 · Nov 26, 2004

Thanks. I will go tomorrow and order some.

armscye · Nov 27, 2004

Deglazer is generally acetone, which you can find in quart containers at any hardware store.

I have acetone-stripped several pairs of black shoes (in fact I customarily strip any grain correction off of a new pair of shoes), and have NEVER found that black color comes off or turns gray. So although I don't think stripping a pair of black shoes will hurt them, I don't think you'll be able to recolor them either. With black, you're stuck with black.

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