"Un-dying" a leather jacket that was dyed?

[Navin323i]

A while back I had a leather jacket professionally dyed... the jacket originally was a lighter shade brown with patina and after it was dyed it's now a really dark brown (I had gotten this dyed BEFORE I joined this site so I didn't have the appreciation of vintage patina back then like I do now).

Is it possible to get this dye off? I know with time the jacket will eventually fade but I wanted to try and get the original look back quicker if possible.

Thanks,
Navin

 

[JanSolo]

I don't think it could be "un-dyed" without destroying the leather or at least the surface of the leather. Getting the dye off would incorporate a significant amount of solvents which would also ruin the stitching if it's a poly-cotton blend. Wear it or give it away, but don't try something...

 

[H.Johnson]

This is not something you do lightly, but I have done it on a number of occasions with varying degrees of success.

It depends on the 'ink' used to colour the leather. Originally, it would almost certainly have been an analine. What the over-dying consists of is a matter of conjecture, but it's worth a try using acetone.

This is what 'distressers' (ugh...) use to age leather and it works in most cases. You should at least be able to lighten the tone and produce an effect more like the patina I think you wish to restore.

Needless to say, test it on a hidden part first. If it lightens the test area, go ahead. Work in a well-ventilated space (outdoors wins every time), use a rolled up lint-free rag, work quickly (you'll find you can 'drag' the colour around to give an effect) and don't smoke or get it on plastic items! Stay away from the stitching if you can.

And, most of all, don't tell anybody I told you this. I'm supposed to tell you to wear it for fifty years...

 

[JanSolo]

Edit: Please ignore my post above. H. Johnson knows a lot more about this issue than I do...

Good luck and don't forget to show us the result.

 

[Peacoat]

Edit: Please ignore my post above. H. Johnson knows a lot more about this issue than I do...

Good luck and don't forget to show us the result.

Jan, you misread his post above. He didn't give any advice on an artificial treatment, he only said to wear it for 50 years!

 

[JanSolo]

No, Peacoat, I understood H. Johnson very well. I only said that he knows much more about breaking in a jacket for 50 years than I do...

Ehm, Navin, don't forget to post some pictures of the result in 50 years time. I'm sure it will be one hell of a jacket then...
(And I will be a very very old fart.)

 

[Navin323i]

This is not something you do lightly, but I have done it on a number of occasions with varying degrees of success.

It depends on the 'ink' used to colour the leather. Originally, it would almost certainly have been an analine. What the over-dying consists of is a matter of conjecture, but it's worth a try using acetone.

This is what 'distressers' (ugh...) use to age leather and it works in most cases. You should at least be able to lighten the tone and produce an effect more like the patina I think you wish to restore.

Needless to say, test it on a hidden part first. If it lightens the test area, go ahead. Work in a well-ventilated space (outdoors wins every time), use a rolled up lint-free rag, work quickly (you'll find you can 'drag' the colour around to give an effect) and don't smoke or get it on plastic items! Stay away from the stitching if you can.

And, most of all, don't tell anybody I told you this. I'm supposed to tell you to wear it for fifty years...

Haha! I'll keep this as a secret between you and I, my friend.

You brought up a good point... I need to find out what dye was used and to do that I'll contact the person who dyed my jacket to begin with... maybe he might have something that can safely remove the dye without destroying the jacket.

 

[Navin323i]

No, Peacoat, I understood H. Johnson very well. I only said that he knows much more about breaking in a jacket for 50 years than I do...

Ehm, Navin, don't forget to post some pictures of the result in 50 years time. I'm sure it will be one hell of a jacket then...
(And I will be a very very old fart.)

lol You and I will BOTH be very old farts but wearing cool-looking leather jackets still.

 

[H.Johnson]

I never admit to knowing anything. It's dangerous.

This method was discussed at length on COW some years ago. Several people used it to remove the dye on their Wested 'Indy' jackets. It has worked for me, it worked for them. I can't promise it will work in this case, of course.

A word of caution - you won't need much acetone, but it can be difficult to obtain as it is a major component of a terrorists' current explosive of choice, so you may be asked to provide ID.

 

[John in Covina]

A word of caution - you won't need much acetone, but it can be difficult to obtain as it is a major component of a terrorists' current explosive of choice, so you may be asked to provide ID.

Don't try to do this while flying commercially either.

 

[John in Covina]

If you proceed, please post: Before, During and After pictures - if possible.

 

[Micawber]

If you cannot obtain acetone then it may be worth experimenting with something like cellulose paint thinners - but test on an out of sight sample first.

I've used other solvents and some may well work for you but as H. Johnson rightly says it is a risky business.

 

[John in Covina]

A good hardware store will usually have a selection of industrial type solvents. Solvents have the ability to unlock a chemical or combination of chemicals much like a key in a lock. If you find the right one it can work very quickly and thoroughly. Some chemicals may be too strong to use effectively becasue they are too quick to handle. (In solvents there was a term used to describe the strength as a chemically hot rating, the hotter they were the stronger the solvent.) MEK Methyl Ethyl Ketone is very hot and can disolve stuff in a short time. It is very strong. If you can't get acetone you might try MEK. But be very careful it's strong ang very flamable, don't get it on your skin either, wear gloves.

 

[DanielCoffey]

Once Navin has treated the jacket to get rid of whatever dye he can, would it be beneficial for him to give the jacket a lick of Obenauf's Leather Oil (or similar) to restore the oils which the solvent would leach out?

 

[H.Johnson]

MEK and trichlorethelyne are possibilities, but both are, I think more aggressive than acetone and at least the latter has some 'track record' in this context.

Whatever is used, I think you should work quickly and lightly and be prepared to quench the surface if you see any unwanted effects. I agree with Daniel, it wouldn't do any harm to apply something afterwards just in case you've taken any of the fats out of the leather. Unlikely (you're addressing the surface, not the substrate) but a possibility.

Oh, and good luck...

 

[John in Covina]

You definately want some type of Leather Dressing to help restore oils that are removed by the solvents. There seems to be a number that people like, I heard of one "Pecards" that has been mentioned most favorably.

 

[Navin323i]

Thank you all so much for posting here... much appreciated!

H. Johnson - Not sure if you got my last private message to you but I'm interested in seeing pictures of the indian water buffalo jacket(s) you picked up while you were in India.

Well I spoke with the guy who professionally dyed my leather jacket which is a cheap jacket I picked up at a garage sale made of cowhide... he said it can't be undone, but I may still attempt to try and do it in a small inconspicuous area. A friend of mine wanted to buy this cowhide jacket from me but that was before I dyed the jacket to its current color like in the pictures below...

The leather color you see at the internal pocket edge was actually the original color of this jacket before I got the jacket professionally re-dyed and interior lining replaced

 

[GriffDeLaGriff]

Color on the pocket looks perfect
Resembles my old jacket

 

[H.Johnson]

I got into using acetone in the middle 1960s when I used to work at week-ends and evenings for a motorbike racer who made GRP (fiberglass) fairings. Acetone is used to clean polyester resin off tools etc. You soon found that it would remove the colour from leather if you wore your favourite leather jacket to 'lay up' in!

At the time I 'had a thing' for a brown leather 'bike jacket - almost unobtainable in the UK at the time. So, I used acetone in the way described (keep wiping quickly and dump the cloths when they are full of colour) to remove the black dye. Chrome tanned leather will usually go to a blue-grey colour. Then I used brown shoe dye, taking off the resulting bloom with shoe cream. As I recall, it looked OK.

If you just want to reduce the density of the black finish, I suggest that a moderate wiping with acetone would lighten the finish, allowing you to use some brown polish to get that 'patina'.

I replied to your PM - I no longer have the buffalo jacket. I have a briefcase made from buffalo (again picked up in India). That's dense, tough leather.

 

[Navin323i]

Color on the pocket looks perfect
Resembles my old jacket

lol You're right, it does! Hope you've been doing well, bro.