Question for cavscout

[cavscout]

I wish I had better news for you Cecil but all the leather I work with is already dyed at the tannery when I get it. The only dyeing I do is on the edges after I've cut into it and for that I use Fiebings dyes. They smell for a short time but then go away completely. I have noticed that the browns have quite a bit more oily, bitter smell than the black which is more like alcohol.

It does seem unusual that after so may weeks there would still be an aroma. What kind of leather are you using (oil or vegetable tanned). Perhaps the leather was tanned with something that is reacting with the dye. And if this is a piece of leather not tanned by a professional, it's possible the leather was not properly tanned and the smell you have is the smell of decaying flesh.

I'd go with Turpin's idea first and them maybe use a sealer on the leather. Maybe that will trap in the aroma so it's not so strong.


Post back when you have an update, I'm very curious about this.