Aniline dye, How to

[ferhama]

I'm doing some experiments with the raw material.

I bought a 20 sq feef of 0.8 mm horse hide, vegetable tanned. I must soften and dye the leather to make a new jacket.

I have read some post about aniline dye and sprayed dye.

The question is.

The Aniline dyed used in vintage A-2 was water or alcohol soluble?. or both methods?

I did three experiments, Left to right, a piece of leather with eight coats of aniline water soluble, second four coats of aniline water soluble and the third three coats of aniline alcohol soluble. The color was brown bismark.

The three pieces where softened by mecanic methods and the best result was the aniline water soluble four coats. But the color that I obtained was a redish brown.

Regards,

Fernando

 

[Dr H]

Hi Fernando
I'm not speaking from a historical standpoint, but a practical one. If the aniline is in a neutral form then it'll be soluble in an organic solvent (if charged - i.e. as a salt such as aniline hydrochloride then it'll be water soluble). So, I guess that it's more a question of whether you're looking for a darker/more concentrated application (organic solvent) or more of a dispersion (water as the carrier). In an organic solvent it'll pass through the skin more easily...
Either way, please...PLEASE...be careful and follow safety instructions (and take heed of the MSDS information).
Aniline is an aromatic amine [Toxic. Possible carcinogen. Possible mutagen. Possible sensitizer. Cyanotic reagent. Readily absorbed through the skin.] don't spray it liberally, use a face mask, and eye/skin protection and don't work in a confined space...
Best
Ian

 

[Dr H]

P.s.
Apologies if I'm teaching my granny to suck eggs, but...

 

[ferhama]

Thak you for the advice Ian. I didn't know that aniline was a possible carcinogen. I must get a mask to continue my experiments.
I like water solvent method instead alcohol, because the leather finish is softer and elastic. The alcohol leaves the leather stiffer and seems to dry. I'll try to mix colors to get a darker brown.

Regards,

Fernando

 

[Dr H]

You're welcome Fernando, I'm a chemist and always advise my researchers to treat aromatic amines with particular care.
Invest in some nitrile gloves or similar - just make sure that they're rated for the solvent you're using.
Good luck
Ian

 

[dmar836]

I know that some of the nicer jackets are dyed first with aniline sprayed over them to get a different look.
I have about 45 sq feet of HH but ran out of time to play with it. Watching this one closely!

 

[regius]

Ian, and guys

John Chapman mentioned to me that the Great Escape jacket is re-dyed. Am I to understand that the jacket came as a russet RW 27752, and re-dyed as a finished jacket? What method can I use, as an average person, at home, to dye my own russet 27752 to that color? (and not get cancer?)

 

[ferhama]

Hi Guys!

I finished my jacket last week. At first I used two coats of aniline dye in water solution. The result wasn't satisfactory, I didn't got the brown color. Finally I used two coats of dark brown Tarrago Dye, a 0.5 l bottle for 21 sqft. of leather.

I dyed two hides for a jacket.

More details in my blog, in spanish: www.alasrepublicanas.blogspot.com

 

[Dr H]

Looks good Fernando - did you use the gloves?

Where did you dispose of the waste water (or shouldn't I ask)?

 

[ferhama]

I followed your advise, I used gloves and mask!. And about waste water, uhmmm. I did not wasted water. I still have some ml of dye waiting for a new project, or repairs.

 

[Dr H]

Well done!

Common sense really, but avoid disposing of any waste water near water courses/aquatic life, etc.