Anybody here know that you can use Rit clothing dye to change the color of leather? Specifically, I darkened up my J. Crew Vintage work boots with Dark Brown Rit dye.
When I got a pair of the boots from a gracious member here I wasn't too crazy about the color. I tried using Meltonian and Kiwi polish to tone the orange down a bit but everytime I kicked the dog (joking) or the door or something, the polish came off. Even tried heating the boot and polish to make it flow better but got the same effect. Frustrated, I started thinking about Rit clothing dye. It's cheap and readily available around here and I gave it a shot.
Here's what I used:
One box Rit Dark Brown clothing dye (powdered) $1.49
One spray bottle $1.99
One 3M Scotchbrite Pad (found it under the sink)
Mild dishwashing soap (same as above)
Latex gloves (dye stains skin too!)
First, I took a Scotchbrite pad and removed all the old polish from the boots. This step is essential because if not, the polish will do it's job and protect the leather. Use a little water and mild soap if necessary. Of course, if you start with new boots you may just need to scuff the leather surface. Don't scrub the leather too hard, just enough to clean and remove old polish and rough up the leather. Once you've finished cleaning the boots get them outside or in a place that won't be hurt by dye overspray.
Before I started cleaning the boots I took my spray bottle and filled it with water. Distilled or spring water is best. I dumped the water into a metal pot and heated it on the stovetop. When it started to simmer I added one box of Rit dye and stirred well. When I was finished cleaning the boots the dye had heated nicely and so I poured the contents into the plastic spray bottle. (Let it cool down a little.) I guess the bottle held about 36 ounces so this dye mixture was really strong.
I took the dye and started spraying the boots. I had plastic shoe trees (to hold the form)in the boots and also stuffed newspaper inside to soak up any dye that may get in. The boots should still be damp from the washing process so the dye will soak in pretty quickly. I made several passes around the boots until I got the color I was looking for. It's hard to judge because the leather looks dark when wet but you'll definitely see where you didn't get all the polish off. Afterwards I put the boots inside to dry completely. Several hours in a warm room and the boots were dry. I wiped them off with a soft cloth and then put on a coat of polish to seal the leather. They shined up nicely and have worn very well. The dye seems to be holding, just an occasional application of polish is all that's needed.
This may not be everybody's cup of tea but I like the results. I don't think this has hurt the boots or affected their longevity either. I have pictures at home and I'll post them here if anyone is interested.
Matt
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Michaelson
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We got a free pool table about 10 years ago. Part of the reason was that it was butt ugly. It was white with a burnt orange cloth that really hurt the eyes to look at. I had exactly that same idea, except that I did not put shoe polish on it. I used a spray bottle and sprayed the felt black. The result was all the balls started turning black along with anything else hat came into contact with the pool table. Why? Because in my case, the vital step after you dye something with Rit dye is to rinse the excess and rinsing a pool table is not particularly easy. What I did was ruin the pool table. I do not recommend dying anything that is NOT specifically listed on the label if you value it.
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randystokes
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Michaelson
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Bogie1943
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I used Rit dye on a Wested a couple years ago because I was not happy with the look. Not just the color but after the distressing I ended up doing. Yes, it may be a sin to do such a thing to a leather item in such a way. However, I that jacket now, in the end it came out very nice. It has the color I want, the distressing looks great, and it fits me better. Yes is does shrink a little even if you line dry. I am sure it shrinks less with a line dry than it would using a dryer. It was a Wested authentic lamb by the way. Using Rit dye also worked on my old pair of Aldens and yes I am still wearing them almost everyday.
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randystokes
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