TD1043 Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 I finally found some free time to dye this green leather ammo pouch I bought from a friend of mine, and I think it turned out pretty well. The only problem I'm having is that the dye rubs off kind of easily, and I'm afraid it's going to really mark up my armor pretty bad (it would be fine if it were sandy brown but not black). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stomper Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 Mine turned out to look EXACTLY like the ones in Jim's pictures, I'm really happy with them now. I wound up taking a B&D "mouse sander" to the 3-pouch as the brand new green finish was almost like a "vinyl" that dye wouldn't take too, plus I REALLY hated the "exagerated" bumps of the "pebble grain". TD1043- stick to it, you gotta let that dye set on that leather for a while, then buff it out, then re-coat, etc. I lightly sanded, then applied 4 coats of dye, then actually put a thin coat of black Kiwi shoe polish on them and brush shined them. Now I'm in the process of figuring out how to "wear" these things too, LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD1043 Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 TD1043- stick to it, you gotta let that dye set on that leather for a while, then buff it out, then re-coat, etc. I lightly sanded, then applied 4 coats of dye, then actually put a thin coat of black Kiwi shoe polish on them and brush shined them. One thing about my pouches is that it was pretty worn out already, and that I was afraid that some of it would turn out great (after adding the dye) and the worn out parts would look kind of... worn. I did a total of four applications, and I gave each application about 1-2 days of time to set. For doing it the first time I think it turned out pretty well, but I might have to give the shoe polish a try on it. Maybe that will make it look a little bit better. Thanks for the suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daetrin Posted March 27, 2006 Share Posted March 27, 2006 I noticed that after several days of drying I can still rub dye off the pouch. Is this normal? If so, how best to seal it? (using the spray sheen?) BTW, the pine boards work a treat. And yes Mr. Sot, I promise to post pix tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD7722 Posted March 27, 2006 Share Posted March 27, 2006 The spray sheen will make all the difference - stopped my dye from coming off completely. http://www.tandyleather.com/prodinfo.as ... =1&mitem=4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theGreatSot Posted March 27, 2006 Share Posted March 27, 2006 I'm not really sure yet what I should try to do with my pouches. I don't really like the shine that you get from using the sheen spray, but I obviously don't want my dye to rub off and I sure as **** don't ever want to see the ugly green color ever again . So, Seth, when you used the Kiwi shoe polish, did it ever end up rubbing off? Also, what is the point of the deglosser and do I really need it. Thanks you guys for the help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daetrin Posted March 28, 2006 Share Posted March 28, 2006 OK, here are my pix: GreatSot Pouches (stripped, dyed, sheened, with wood clips) http://www.hoeffer.com/public/SotPouches1.jpg http://www.hoeffer.com/public/SotPouches2.jpg For comparison, here are pouches from SithArmor http://www.hoeffer.com/public/SithArmorPouches1.jpg http://www.hoeffer.com/public/SithArmorPouches2.jpg http://www.hoeffer.com/public/SithArmorPouches3.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stomper Posted March 28, 2006 Share Posted March 28, 2006 Paul, your links don't seem to work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daetrin Posted March 28, 2006 Share Posted March 28, 2006 Whoops! Links are updated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD1529 Posted March 28, 2006 Share Posted March 28, 2006 If you dont want the shine. Consider using Leather Balm instead of sheen. Will help seal in the dye but without the shine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DL 44 Blaster Posted March 28, 2006 Share Posted March 28, 2006 When dyeing both of my MP40 leather pouches I bought "Tandy" leather oil dye in chocolate. I used their reducer fist to clean and prep the leather. Then while the leather was still wet from the reducer I applied the dye per instructions. I finished them off with a coat of their resolene for future protection. Whole process didn't take more than two days......most of which was spent in the wet molding process. They look good as new. Oh and I first wet molded them back into shape prior to dyeing. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daetrin Posted March 28, 2006 Share Posted March 28, 2006 Are there any other options to getting rid of the pebbling aside from hammering on them? I tried to do this on a sample and didn't see much difference. Does it take a lot of hammering, or am I just not banging on it enough? Or do most feel the pebbling is fine the way it is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ilovesand&dirt Posted March 28, 2006 Share Posted March 28, 2006 I like the way they are, IMHO. I have a pair of Zac's pouches and have gotten a lot of complements on them. The pebbling gives them a little more real world feel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DL 44 Blaster Posted March 28, 2006 Share Posted March 28, 2006 I'm no authority on leather, but I think the pebble grain, once done, is there to stay for the most part. Banging on leather with a hammer seems like it might damage it.....even if it weren't formed into a pouch, which seems like you would even further damage it. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stomper Posted March 29, 2006 Share Posted March 29, 2006 I lightly sanded mine with a mouse sander to knock the bumpy texture down a bit, this also removed the bulk of the green dye as well allowing the black dye to directly penetrate the leather. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robster Posted March 29, 2006 Share Posted March 29, 2006 I used Tony's way to start dying mine.I just used some fine grip sandpaper to go over mine and not a sander.I was wondering do you guys cut off the loops on the back of the pouch?Also did anyone use anything to cover up the brass knobs on the front?(when dying?sorry) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SethB6025 Posted March 29, 2006 Share Posted March 29, 2006 Prior to dyeing, I only cleaned the pouches (post-war MP40's). Mine were somewhat worn when I first got them though. What you see below is the result of weathering via a hammer (to soften the old leather & get rid of the rounded front look), making the pouches wet, wringing them, then putting blocks in the pouches while they dried. I finished it up by modifying it with straps and fabricating the extra pouch. I don't think you would want to cover up the brass studs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SethB6025 Posted March 29, 2006 Share Posted March 29, 2006 So, Seth, when you used the Kiwi shoe polish, did it ever end up rubbing off?Oops, sorry I missed this. While a few people seemed to have problems with the dye coming off, I haven't. Some excess rubbed off from the back, but it didn't "come off". I'm not sure about the deglosser, as mine were lacking gloss when I got them. I wouldn't bother with a spray sheen, unless there is a matte. That makes them look awfully shiny. When it comes time to weather them, skip any paints and just use fullers earth. It comes out pretty nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD1529 Posted March 30, 2006 Share Posted March 30, 2006 The pebbling is pressed into the leather when it was wet (probably during the tanning with a big drum) You may be able to get rid of a lot of it by thouroughly soaking the leather then "smoothing" it back out. I have used this technique for other patterns in leather or adding them to it. You need a very smooth piece of plastic (or Reindeer antler) to use to smooth it back out. While the leather is wet keep working it to smooth out the bumps. Same technique can be use to add texture or patterns to the leather. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD4549 Posted March 30, 2006 Share Posted March 30, 2006 I wound up cutting off the loops on the back and using them as suggested on TK409s site for my belt pack. They really stuck out without the removal of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theGreatSot Posted March 30, 2006 Share Posted March 30, 2006 TD4549 - What did you do for the pouch that goes on your right hip? The only thing that I can think to do is to cut the straps and somehow reattach them vertically instead of the way that they are, at an angle. Let me know what you suggest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD4549 Posted March 31, 2006 Share Posted March 31, 2006 Here is a photo of the back of my belt pack - The light blue lines are where the straps use to be. I popped the rivets, placed the straps vertically, and riveted them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theGreatSot Posted March 31, 2006 Share Posted March 31, 2006 Awesome Chris! Thanks for the photo. I think that I'll probably end up doing the same for my set. What did you use to pop the rivets out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD4549 Posted April 1, 2006 Share Posted April 1, 2006 No Prob Zac I tried to drill them out but that didn't work out too well. I used a blade to remove the leather from around the rivets and then sawed thru the rivets using a dremel + cutting blade. I left the 2 partial pieces as they have yet to cause me trouble and hey, what ye can't see can't hurt. Shall more than likely remove em and touch up the black this weekend though. One thing I did find and I don't know if anyone has encountered it - The bottom of the pack would catch on my thigh and push it down. I wound up adjusting the straps on the back to lower the pack. Seems to have helped so far. 6'2" may be the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD 551 Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 Sorry to hash up an old subject but I got a little lost reading this thread (a lot of dead links). I got a set of Zac's pouches (beauties, btw) and wanted to know if anyone who has purchased as set of these has a set-by-step to dying them from green to black (not shiny black, preferably flat). Should I use "deglazer", should I not? What kind of polish will stay put with the 'earth' on it? Again, sorry to start this up again... Thanks guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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