Is it possible to dye leather boots?

[Ott]

I have a pair of boots that I quite like but rarely wear due to the colour. They're sort of an olive green, and it just isn't versatile. Perhaps I am too sartorially lame to pull them off

regardless, is there anything I could do to darken them? Ideally I'd like to somehow dye them black- can this be done professionally?

thanks.

 

[Arethusa]

Yes. You can do it yourself with dye or a dyeing kit or take them to a cobbler. They've come up in a lot of threads recently, but ATF sells one for their jackboots.

 

[Ott]

thanks Arethusa. I wonder how well that dye would hold if I wore them in the snow...

 

[Arethusa]

Honestly, I don't know. I guess you could email them and ask how colorfast it is. I'm sure there are other alternatives, too, and you could try asking a good, local cobbler.

The "simple" way to do this is to strip them with acetone and effectively redye with cream and polish. Rather worth intensive, but it might be worth a shot. Hell, if you want to keep a green cast to them, you could try a light application of acetone followed by lotion, then brown cream, then lots of brown, cordovan, and black polish. Could end up pretty interesting, really.

 

[Ott]

I'd love to retain the greencast but I'm not sure if I trust myself to go through with the above procedure

I think I'll check out cobblers in my area (never used one before) and see what they have to say.

thanks again.

 

[MCsommerreid]

Just done use aniline dyes. They dont hold up to anything even related to harsh wear.

 

[ken]

Originally Posted by Arethusa

Honestly, I don't know. I guess you could email them and ask how colorfast it is. I'm sure there are other alternatives, too, and you could try asking a good, local cobbler.

The "simple" way to do this is to strip them with acetone and effectively redye with cream and polish. Rather worth intensive, but it might be worth a shot. Hell, if you want to keep a green cast to them, you could try a light application of acetone followed by lotion, then brown cream, then lots of brown, cordovan, and black polish. Could end up pretty interesting, really.


I've done something like this w/a pair of grayish boots that I turned brown. It does take alot of work, but the end result is worth it if you never wear the boots because of the color.