Is it possible to re-colour leather?

[Ramirez]

I'm having a Highlander Ramirez Costume made but the sword belt is bit of a problem.

I cannot find one in red, only black.
Are there any products available to paint leather or to remove the black colouring so that i can re-dye it? Obviously any paint would need to be flexible so as not to crack.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Jayn]

Try just prepping the leather & coating w/ leather paint.. I swear by the Angelus brand..

http://www.fatbuddhastore.com/cart/categorylist.asp?psearch=Angelus+Leather+Paint

 

[Darth Mule]

I second that. After years of working in a theatrical costume craft shop, I've had to make more things more colors than they were ever meant to be. You can always dye leather darker, but if you want a lighter color, you have to paint it, and Angelus is the best.

 

[Ramirez]

Cool, thanks.

 

[Mados]

I was able to lighten the color of my Motorcowboy Luke Bespin boots, after sanding them, giving them a coat of white dye, then sanding again. The sanding will make the leather have a suede finish, but I lightened them successfully. They went from dark brown, to a medium tan finish.

 

[Ramirez]

I was able to lighten the color of my Motorcowboy Luke Bespin boots, after sanding them, giving them a coat of white dye, then sanding again. The sanding will make the leather have a suede finish, but I lightened them successfully. They went from dark brown, to a medium tan finish.

I might have to do that to the belt. In some pictures of the original prop, it looks like suede too.
What did you use to sand your boots?

 

[Mados]

Send ya a PM already, but I used a cheap vibrating sander you can get at a hardware store for like $20. Really made things go faster.

 

[tavrikgannon]

I was going to suggest sanding as well. Of course, it all depends on how deep into the leather the dye has seeped into, I should think. But sanding and dyeing it white and going from there would be a good start, too. If it were a wood prop, you'd just need to primer and paint the different color. Unfortunately, leather isn't like that. Conventional paint goes on nice, as long as the belt isn't being used. But when it is bent and contoured around the body, as belts are designed to do, conventional paint just cracks and withers.

Tandy does have leather paint. I don't know if they have anything in the way of primer, but another option would be to use a combination of the leather paints to achieve your goals if sanding the surface is not a desired method. I should think that several coats of white leather paint would do the trick and then you could repaint it in the red color that you need. Tandy's leather dyes and paints are also available in a spray form, too. So you can spray paint it on the leather, and it will work better because it is not a conventional paint. It is closer to a dye than anything, if I am understanding the application properties correctly.

- Bill

 

[Ramirez]

Try just prepping the leather & coating w/ leather paint.. I swear by the Angelus brand..

http://www.fatbuddhastore.com/cart/categorylist.asp?psearch=Angelus+Leather+Paint

They don't have the preparer deglazer (acetone) or matte finisher listed, what can i use instead?

 

[TK-2126_MD]

This is what i did for TK boots, and never looked back, they are white leather now.

 

[Ramirez]

That's great, thanks.

I've recently got hold of a similar looking belt to the screen used one so i will be able make a start on it, once i've worked out which shade of red i need.