rubbing alcohol aging leather

[regius]

Can someone with experience describe the theory and process to discolor and age a leather jacket with rubbing alcohol? especially the black leather.

My understanding is the alcohol draws out the dye, but here's the question, if it's a dyed through black leather, then what's left would be white, if it's a brown leather dyed superficially, then it's easy to imagine. What I don't understand is how a dyed through black jacket could turn brown too? For example, the wardrobe people of Terminator II aged the black Bates jacket, and made some of them brown, but the leather was a through and through black cowhide.

Thank you!

 

[kirkaero]

I only know about this from shoes. The London bespoke shoemaker Foster & Son left shoe samples in the window of their shop for years and they became sun faded, some from black to a brownish color. Customers liked the look and they have replicated the look using cotton balls and alcohol. You have stop at just the right time to get the brownish look if you go to far it does start to turn white. This is done on standard leather unlike the Japanese teacore look which is a black dye over a brown one. It takes a while to do a pair of shoes so it would take a long time to do a jacket. Of course it may not work at all on some leathers. I would test it on a hidden area.

 

[regius]

THanks! my theory of the white vs brown evolution is due to oxidation, heat required (e.g. sun). the protein in the leather reacts with the carb in the dye and other tanning chemicals and turns brown (Mailard reaction). I just witnessed the whitening effect after i rubbed alcohol on my boots. The boots has black leather but the rough side is brown, suggesting it's not dyed through. I was hoping an instant brown but it didn't happen, instead the rubbed area became white and tacky. I think if I expose the area to sun, soon it will be brown.

 

[regius]

I think this is how movie makers distress leather. Acetone to remove color aggressively, then use a brown shoe polish to polish and re-dye the whitened part.

 

[Doctor Jones]

I know this is a three-year-old thread, but just now seeing it I thought I would post a couple pics of what I've done.

For a costume project I needed a vintage-looking belt and holster. I bought a new holster, cut it down, and weathered it. I put the belt together from a belt blank and weathered it.

As people are saying you soak the leather well in rubbing alcohol, then hit it with sandpaper, scrape it against bricks, whack it with files or whatever. Then the leather is very dull. I rubbed beewax on the leather here and there especially where it would be handled most, to simulate the oil from your hands.

Hard to believe this is a new belt! The holster and belt were plain dark brown when I got them. (The bullets and pistol are solid resin, that I painted.)

Sorry I don't have "before" photos of that belt and holster.

I do have, from this recent project, for a Jedi costume. Here's the belt and pouch as I got them

Here's the same belt buckle and pouch after weathering. For the pouch it was the same thing: soak in rubbing alcohol, rough up the surface with sandpaper (more around the corners and edges where it would get the most wear), whack with files, scrape on bricks, then (because the leather is too dull) rub beewax on it in places. I curled up the edges of the flap and the strap to simulate age and wear. The belt buckle roughened with sandpaper and files, then painted with black enamel paint, then hit with sandpaper and files again.

 

[Doctor Jones]

Now with vinyl or pleather it's totally different! You can't weather it like leather.

For example here are cheap vinyl cosplay boots made by Funtastma. They're inexpensive and comfortable and best of all come in size 14!

Funtasma makes numerous boots for Star Wars characters, pirates, Anime, etc. These are their standard plain boot. Let's face it: they're ugly, and in person they look like exactly what they are, cheap vinyl boots.

Here they are after weathering.

Now what is the process? First using a sea-sponge you dab on paint (Liquitex) to get a mottled or variegated background.

After that's fully dry (Liquitex dries quickly) you dry-brush Liquitex with a wide housepainting brush, beige to simulate dust and wear.

Liquitex is pretty amazing. It bonds well to the vinyl and flexes with the vinyl without flaking off. I've worn these boots many hours and the paint as stayed put.