Ravns' Vinegaroon Dye Tutorial

[Ravn The Skinner]

This is a great trick if you want a beautiful matte black "dye" for your leather. When I say dye, I mean that more like it chemically turns your leather black, differently than any dye that I have worked with. Not only does it look **** sharp, It's incredibly cheap when you consider that you can get a gallon for about $4. ($2 for a gallon of vinegar and $2 of wire wool from dollar general.)

What you will need:
Jug O' Vinegar, I like to use about a gallon, but its really up to you and how much you want.
Steel Wool. Use 0000 fine grit.
Gasoline.
Container with seal-able lid. This is going to be what you keep it in.


Start with your wire wool. Douse it with the gasoline and light it up. Wire wool is treated with oil and that will impead the process, so your burning it off at this point. Let it burn out. Next, let it sit in water for about a week so it rusts. When that is done, its ready to go. Next, pour your vinegar into the seal-able container, fill it as much as you need, then put your burnt wire wool in and sit that **** on a shelf for a about two weeks. CAUTION, gases build up during the process and it kind of burps and there is a good chance that some will leak out and stain whatever you have it on, so don't put it above anything important. Don't keep it in sealed glass either, contents under pressure and all that.

Two weeks have passed and now what you have is vinegaroon, also known as vinegar-oxide. Your steel wool rusted=Oxide. It looks like muddy water. Use a cheap foam brush and paint it on. Bend your leather a bit so it "drinks" up the vinegar as you paint it on for a uniform coat. Also, two weeks is kind of on the short end. Depending on how your conditions are where you keep your V-roon, it may take longer. Best conditions seem to be hot and lots of sunlight. Its also kinda like a pet plant in that you need to feed it every few months, only if plants ate rust.

When I am done and satisfied with the paint job, while its still wet, I rinse off the leather and wash it with some lava soap to take out some of the vinegar-ific smell, which can be pretty strong for a while if you don't.

If you use electricians tape, you can actually tape in designs that you can paint over, it will leave a sharp edge to it.

All in all, despite what seems like a big paragraph of care tips, v-roon looks great and is a very cheap alternative if you plan on using a lot of black dye. Also, its historically accurate. People have been using it practically since that very first sicko peeled a cow and started making crap with its skin. Hope you have success if you try this, its very easy.

[Zeldrine Cold]

I know that most people are probably going to jump and say how dumb this is and what not, but I am a person who loves these kinds of homemade how tos. I have printed this out and am going to actually try it.

I tip my hat to you.

[Forkbeard]

Dye is cheaper than you think and does not rub off.
FB

[Ravn The Skinner]

You're right Fork, dye doesn't cost a lot, and I don't work with a lot of non-homemade dye. You would definitely be the expert on that so I will edit that out of the tutorial. But in my situation, me and my crew go through a lot of black dye and we live about an hour out from anywhere with leather dye. We order a few dyes from the internet, but black is one of the main colors we use. So Vroon is an alternative that works well for us. I will post some of my work soon. Really though, the main reason I do it is for the unique look it gives the leather more than anything. It looks different than black dyed leather. It makes the actual leather black rather than dyed or painted on. Kinda hard to describe, but you can definitely see a difference. I get a lot of compliments on my armor, which is vroon black with deer pelt sewed on, as well as other custom work I have done like knife sheaths and gun holsters. I plan on doing a tutorial for tanning hides later (hair on and hair off), if anybody is interested. Just trying to pass on some of what I know, nothing more.

Thanks Zeldrine, good luck, let me know if you have any questions.

[Forkbeard]

Post pictures.

[Solusar]

That sounds really awesome, I'm excited to see what your stuff looks like.

[Ravn The Skinner]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =3&theater
My best work so far.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =3&theater
A good example of the Vroon. Its still kind of hard to see the texture of it without just seeing it in person. I will be more than glad to show it in person at Okfest.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =3&theater
Another shot, back of my armor.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =3&theater
Waste of rivets, but you can see some of what you can do with this "dye" if you drip it.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =3&theater
Arrow rest.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =3&theater
I keep my dye in this mason jar, which I would not recommend. A Folgers plastic coffee can seems to be the best idea that I have seen.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =3&theater
My archery set up with vroon dyed bracer and arrow rest. All other leather items not custom.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =3&theater
Close up.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =3&theater
Me in my full close range combat rig. Minus a javelin called the "ravjav" Clever, I know.

Sorry I took a while getting this up. I'm on midnights right now plus due to the heat, I keep losing power. It's literally been 108 degrees most of this week. Sleep and staying cool have taken priority over trying to impress my new internet nerd friends Also, If you want, add my fb. I am trying to keep in better touch with this sport and its peers.

[Arrakis]

This is pretty * cool. This method of dying leather is super duper documentable to a very long time back in history and that's neat if nothing else.