Altering Belt Color

[Roger]

I don't mean substantially, just changing the tone a little. I need to "tone" a light tan belt to better match some British chestnut-colored shoes. By "British chestnut," I mean that unique medium-light reddish-tan that the Brits call "chestnut." I need to find a way to get a bit of a reddish cast to the belt leather, which at the moment has none whatsoever. Do any of you shoe-color experimenters have any suggestions? I'm reluctant to just use the methods we might with shoes for fear of cream and polish coming off on clothes. Or is there a way to get the cream to sort of set in and dry completely in such a way that it wouldn't cause this problem? What could I try?

 

[Henry Boogers]

I did this exact thing just last week. I used a little black and blue melatonin cream and wiped it down well while still wet. I then repeated the process, allowed to dry for 24 hours and wiped VERY well with a polishing cloth. The resulting color was perfect, but time will tell if there is any risk of staining clothing.

 

[Tomasso]

Originally Posted by Henry Boogers

but time will tell if there is any risk of staining clothing.

Been there, done that. Just be sure to wear the belt with dark colors because it will rub off on and stain fabric.

 

[Roger]

Originally Posted by Tomasso

Been there, done that. Just be sure to wear the belt with dark colors because it will rub off on and stain fabric.
Tomasso, looking back on your experience, are there some other avenues you could have taken? For example, what about diluting down considerably some red leather dye, and sponging it on very lightly? Is this asking for disaster?

 

[kitonbrioni]

Neatsfoot or mink oil should darken a light leather belt.

 

[Alter]

I did this succesfully with some Leather Dye from Fiebings.

It was a relatively cheap (but real leather) belt that used some sort of corrected grain. I rubbed it down with some acetone (actually just some nail polish remover that contains acetone), then applied the leather dye.

Applying the leather dye is very simple.

As you won't need to use very much, the remaining leather dye can also be used as edge dressing for shoes.