Changing the Color of Black Leather Shoes

[j]

What color were they before? You're going to get sued, BTW.

And it makes a huge difference what type of dye/finish is on the shoes you're trying to strip. The best way to get an eggplant or black cherry effect is to start with a tan or lighter shoe and use the dyeing techniques that Marc Guyot shows on his website.

 

[zjpj83]

Originally Posted by j

What color were they before? You're going to get sued, BTW.

And it makes a huge difference what type of dye/finish is on the shoes you're trying to strip. The best way to get an eggplant or black cherry effect is to start with a tan or lighter shoe and use the dyeing techniques that Marc Guyot shows on his website.
I think they were that antique pewter/gray color.

If sysdoc actually wasted his money on a frivolous lawsuit for posting two photographs of his shoes in what is clearly fair use, I would be extremely amused.

 

[well-kept]

Did those start their lives as BLACK??

 

[maxnharry]

I did it about the same time that sysdoc did. I am not sure if the threads were lost in the board crash of a few months ago, but it would be worth a search.

1. I bought a pair of EG Dovers from eBay that were black
2. Following sysdoc's method, I bleached them in a solution of bleach and water.
3. It took about 3 tries to get the color out of them
4. I used Fiebing's leather dye to dye them Navy blue
5. Grew tired of the Navy and recolored them black

 

[sho'nuff]

here is a pair of black shoes i creamed crimson several times and then repeat the next day. at the end i put a mirror polish.
(you cannot put a mirror polish if you just cake or layer cream on the leather like paint, you have to impart the essence of the cream color and buff off the cream. do this several times per day and a few days).

here is how they look under a flash. they dont look like this in natural light (those of you experience taking pictures of shoes with digital camera know).
see how the cream imparted a brownish reddish hue . i repeat, i did not cheat and just paint the cream dried on. or else i cannot get a mirror shine like above. it is imparted color . if you take your finger and run across that toe, you will feel a smooth even surface.

as you can see i tried a john lobb red MUSEUM mottled effect. doesnt look good in flash but in natural light under the mirror polish it is subtle.

 

[HappymaN]

Hey diorshoe, those are Gucci wholecuts yeah? What size are you in those compared to what size you are in other shoes? Do they run small or large? Was thinking about buying a pair online, but I have never tried them on.

 

[sho'nuff]

i wear a 10 in these gucci. i can wear a very snug 9.5

bit loose in 10 and bit snug in 9.5 .

i am 10-10.5 in EG and 9-9.5 E UK in Lobb


i think the above gucci is true to size, but gucci is very known to be all over the place in sizing.

 

[bespoke-london]

I have tried this technique & as you will see from the photo's it works & I believe that with care, any colour can be achieved.

1...Use Asetone chemical to remove the surface polish. Rub very hard with a cloth / duster. (approx 5 mins per shoe) This will leave the died black leather without a shine surface.
2...Use un-diluted hosehold Bleach to remove colour. Rub very hard with a cloth / duster. Where you want an extra light area, pour the bleach on to the shoe being careful to wipe in quickly to ensure an even area..( if not, it will look streaky) (approx 10 mins per shoe)..I left some areas black so to give a patina look.
3...Leave to dry for an hour or so. (The shoes will smell of bleach for a week or so)
4...To Colour...Use Kiwi Renovating polish on the dry leather & then kiwi polish to create the required shine. I did not use shoe cream as I have found that renovating polish is more of a dye & creams tend to wipe off easily.

I would say that I polished these 10 or so times to achieve the shine I wanted.

 

[Leaveitothexperts]

Originally Posted by bespoke-london

I have tried this technique & as you will see from the photo's it works & I believe that with care, any colour can be achieved.

1...Use Asetone chemical to remove the surface polish. Rub very hard with a cloth / duster. (approx 5 mins per shoe) This will leave the died black leather without a shine surface.
2...Use un-diluted hosehold Bleach to remove colour. Rub very hard with a cloth / duster. Where you want an extra light area, pour the bleach on to the shoe being careful to wipe in quickly to ensure an even area..( if not, it will look streaky) (approx 10 mins per shoe)..I left some areas black so to give a patina look.
3...Leave to dry for an hour or so. (The shoes will smell of bleach for a week or so)
4...To Colour...Use Kiwi Renovating polish on the dry leather & then kiwi polish to create the required shine. I did not use shoe cream as I have found that renovating polish is more of a dye & creams tend to wipe off easily.

I would say that I polished these 10 or so times to achieve the shine I wanted.

Nice work dude. The end product looks a little streaky (very, very fine streaks though), is this due to the dye not coming off completely or is it a texture effect? Do you think that the bleach did any damage to the leather quality?

And lastly, you have courage my friend, trying this on Lobbs. The end result is very good though, so I suspect you have done this before.

 

[bespoke-london]

Yes, they were slightly streaky, but only because I was in an excited rush to see the end result. They quickly polished out after they had been worn.

I have a new pair of JL 2002 in black that I will change. Not sure if I should go Very dark Green or Very dark Purple?

Any thoughts?

 

[kronik]

I vote purple.

 

[Leaveitothexperts]

Eggplant?

 

[BigSur]

preamble: extremely ignorant question

Is it absolutely necessary that you remove the original color? What if you don't. I have a pair of navy blue shoes I'd like to make black. Would simply polishing them with black polish work? Will they look normal? I love the shape of these shoes, but can't pull off the blue.

 

[Shikar]

I have Crocodile Boots in Blue. After a few weeks decided that i couldnt carry off the blue horn back skin.....so took some kiwi black polish and covered it in black. Then gently rubbed off most of the black polish with cotton cloth. The effect in this skin was excellent...it seems black but the light brings out a blue tint in spots, much nicer.

Regards.

 

[grimslade]

Originally Posted by BigSur

preamble: extremely ignorant question

Is it absolutely necessary that you remove the original color? What if you don't. I have a pair of navy blue shoes I'd like to make black. Would simply polishing them with black polish work? Will they look normal? I love the shape of these shoes, but can't pull off the blue.

Not if you're going to darken them to black. But if you want to lighten black shoes, you're not going to get very far without first stripping them, as above.