Dye from Strap

[Luke MacGillie]

The "Joy" of modern leather work. The tanning and the dying were probably combined, thus that strap is going to be bleeding dye that has soaked all the way thru forever.

You can perhaps use something like Fiebrings bag kote. But sealing the back side, the rough side where the actual transfer is happening is going to continue to be an issue IMHO.

Looking at many period pieces, the way the items were dyed, its not pleasing to the modern eye, and thus here we are. Way back when, the hide, straight out of the bark tan vat, still wet with the tannic acid, would be brushed with a rag that was wet with a vinegar/iron mixture, and the reaction would turn the slick side black. Then the leather was cut. We know this because when you look at old pieces the edges of the object are not dyed.