[Ciaran Daly]

Hi folks. I'm expecting my Albion Talhoffer within a week or two and my only complaint is that having bought it second hand the grip will be oxblood and not black. Any tips on dyeing it black without making a hash of things?

best regards,

~ C.

[Christoffer Lorang Dahl]

What about normal leather colouring/dying? Or are you looking for a more historical approach?

Step by step here: http://www.ehow.com/how_15423_dye-leather.html

My 50 cent; leave it oxblood, and it will get that nice and aged look after half a year of use. The red is a nice contrast to the steel. But thats just me

[Peter Johnsson]

The one thing to be mindful of is the treatment the grip has been given after initial staining. The leather is treated with wax/oil to recondition after the leather dye has saturated the material.

To add new leather dye you need to remove the fats from the leather by cleaning/rubbing gently with alcohol or similar. This will most probaly lift some of the oxblood dye as well and make a small mess.
You can limit the effects of this by masking the steel with masking tape (at east the blade). You can always clean the steel with another quick wash of aclohol, so no need to worry.

When you feel the leather is cleaned of most of the impregnating wax/oil, you can add another wash of leather dye.
I always color leather when it is slightly damp. You need only wipe the grip with a damp cloth so the surface is darkened by moisture. This helps the leather dye seeping into the leather more evenly. Regardless of this you will porbably notice that the dye will take more in some areas than in others, leaving a mottled and uneven coating. Keep adding more dyeuntill you get an even saturation.
I normally use a brush and paint the dye on, rather than using a sponge, when I add dye to a finished grip. You might want to try using a sponge at first just to see how readily the leather will take the dye.
If there seem to be fat/oily areas that resist the dye, you need to go back a clean them with more alcohol.

Try not to rub the seam to aggressively, as that might wash away the hide glue that keeps the leather down.
If you need to go over the seam with alohol, make sure you do not rub *against* the seam, but in th same direction it overlaps.

Adding black dye to oxblood is not difficult.
I think you will not run into any problems. Just be aware that fat and dye are not happy together. Be sure to clean the grip well, mask the steel components (perhaps even putting a plastic bag over the blade?)and work carefully.

Let the first coating of dye dry and judge the result. You might need to add another coating to even out the color.

You can add dye with a brush or a sponge.

Damp leaher accepts dye more readily.

Overloading the leather with dye does not give a pleasing result. The black color can get an almost metallic sheen if applied too liberally. If you need to wash the grip heavily, you can go back after most of the dyes has been absorbed and remove the ecxess carefully with a dry towel or sponge. Do this with a light hand or you might produce a mottled effect.

Avoid making the leather *too* damp as that might be damaging for the hide glue that keeps the wrapping down (the only concern is the seam, where you should take some extra care not to rub to vigorously). I never run into problems with this, but I still think the seam is an area of *potential* trouble.

Working with leather dye is a little bit like working with watercolor. The final color looks different from the wet dye as it is freshly applied. You need to foster some pateince waiting for the final look to reveal itself. And much depend on the state of the leather: how clean it is, how evenly damp it is and how evenly you can apply the dye.

My advice may make this sound more difficult than it is, I just wanted to point ot some things to be aware of. I don´t think you will run into much trouble. If your first wash of dye is not to your liking, you may add another. As you are working with black, there is not danger of getting final color too dark.

Afterwards apply a generous coating of leather conditioner. Use a product that penetrates, and avoid products that produces a varnish like coating. Shops that caters for horse and saddlery equipment should have a good selection of leather conditioning products. I use a leather fat that is pretty much like vaseline. It penetrates deeply and restores lustre and vigour to worn and tired leather.

Good luck.

[Ciaran Daly]

Peter, thank you very much! A more thorough and informative reply is hard to imagine. I can't wait to hold my first Albion.

Best regards,

~ Ciaran Daly

[Robin Smith]

Why would you want to dye it black? Of all the grip options Albion offers, black would have been the most difficult to achieve historically. I think for the sake of historical accuracy, you should leave it oxblood, but that is just my $.02...
Personally, I am in the process of removing all black from my kit. Many reenactment groups do not allow black, although some give a pass for sword grips. Not because it is accurate, but because they know that often that is all that is availible in the sword market...

[Ciaran Daly]

I'm not a re-enactor and so don't really concern myself with that kind of thing. Historical accuracy is important to me insomuch as it leads to the end result of my holding a fine, beautifully functional sword. So it's really more a question of aesthetics, and on this particular sword I prefer the look of the black grip.

[Robin Smith]

Alrighty then. In that case, carry on good Sir...
I would like to add for the sticklers out there. Yes I know that a dye that would appear similar to black could be achieved with an Iron Oxide dye, or with Oak Galls. That is why I said "would have been the most difficult" as opposed to " would have been impossible". Just to clear it up...

[Peter Johnsson]

[Peter Johnsson]

Another method:
Clean the grip to get a fresh start, but apply a dark shoe polish instead of leather dye.
This will give you a color that plays with the underlaying oxblood. The result can be rich and attractive.
Repeat shoe polish treatment a couple of times and finish with a cood treatment with penetrating leather fat.
You will probably get a cooring that changes a bit over time, but you can always add another coat of dark brown or black shoe polish.
With time, the grip will get a nice and deep "natural" and rich patina.

...And no, shoe polish is not any more historic than modern leather dye
The end result can stll be pretty nice

[Michael Edelson]

[Peter Johnsson]

[Michael Edelson]

[Robin Smith]

[Ciaran Daly]

[Peter Johnsson]

[Ciaran Daly]

Duly noted Peter. Thanks again!