Handmade Books: dying leather

This past fall I decided it was time to start using the natural vegetable tanned leather I bought a few years ago to make books.   The veg tan leather would need to be cut, dyed and sealed before I could use it to make books.  All of the leather books I previously made used pre-tanned and dyed leather.  I had been hesitant to use the leather until I understood how to dye it.  I read several articles on dying leather and watched several videos tool.  In the end I decided to pick some dyes and give them a try.

Leather is often finished using a tan, brown or black oil or alcohol based dye.  I started by using Fiebing’s Tan Dye.  It took a few coats to cover the leather evenly, but I liked the final color and look of the finished leather.  Fiebing’s site has instructions on how to use their dye. 

I also tried Eco-Flo Dye Pack colors.  These are water based dyes that can be mixed to create a variety of different colors.  I mixed water with the red, blue and green to create lighter shades; and mixed the red and blue to make several different violet and purples.  The resulting leather was colorful but still soft.  The finished books were very well received.

All of the books I made this fall have found new homes!