Monday, October 8, 2012

Oxblood Boots ( ... Without Harming a Single Ox ...)



In a previous post I wrote that my Fall Fashion Dreaming included fantasies of a pair of oxblood knee-high boots. Every magazine is touting the color as The color of the season (or at least One of The dominant colors of the season.) That isn't as important to me as, for the last few years, I've really missed the deep reds for my wardrobe; burgundy, wine, and oxblood. However, and as of this writing, the color in a boot or shoe is scarce online and non-existent in stores. Particularly in remote areas like ours.

So, rather than obsess over something that I can't find (although I'll probably be able to find it everywhere NEXT year ... does that happen to you?) I decided to dye a pair to suit myself. How hard could it be?

I found an inexpensive pair of leather boots, the right size and shape at JC Penny, or JCP as they seem to like to be called these days.



Then I ordered dye products from good old Amazon. I chose Fiebing's Leather Dye. The good folks in Fiebing's customer support department recommended that I first remove the factory finish from the leather with their Deglazer. I took their advice, and it didn't take long to prepare the boots to take the dye. (Deglazer requires a very well ventilated place, and I wore a mask as well ... smelly stuff.) The company also recommended 2 bottles of dye (more about that later) and a small bottle of their Resolene finish. The dyeing process itself didn't take long and it was easy to do. I haven't put the final finish on them, but here they are! I am very pleased with the way they turned out. Just what I wanted.



My big caveat about this process is that it is very, very messy. I was so glad that I ordered two bottles of the dye, not so much as they were both needed to cover the boots, but that just after I began the process I knocked one of them clean off the table and on to my concrete porch. My porch now looks like I've adopted hog butchering as a hobby. It will look that way for the foreseeable future, but I'm just grateful and amazed that I had the sense not to do the project in my living room. The good news is that one bottle easily sufficed for the two coats of dye that I wanted.

I'm very happy with my new boots, and I recommend the process if you ever wish to try it.
But take their advice and order that second bottle of dye ... just in case.

And ... Visible Monday!

I've joined the brave glamourati over at Patti's "Not Dead Yet Style." Come see how other people put it together!

11 comments:

  1. The result is amazing - looks just like burgundy boots from the highest end store! Sorry to hear of the spill, something I would most certainly do as well. Outdoors is best! Thanks for linking up with Visible Monday.

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    1. Thank you ... I'm pleased. They look even better after overnight drying. As if the dye has just settled in.
      Regarding Visible Monday ... I'll figure out how to use the cropping tool. Hubby was nonplussed to see me headless. Told me "I cut off my best feature." Awwwww.

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  2. Spilling the dye is for sure something I would do! I laughed at your description of your porch. Maybe you should just get some other dye colors and then create an abstract artwork on your porch.

    The boots do look fabulous. I just saw something somewhere on dying leather. Darn it, I cannot remember where! They featured a beautiful gold color for leather.

    I know what you mean about not being able to find any shoes that color. I spent hours on Zappos looking for some boots. The only ones I found were way out of my price range.

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    1. Yes, I just periodically go out and stare at the stains, then go right back inside. Hubby just shakes his head. Not sure about a larger art project (!) but I've wondered if the stains might be a discouraging factor in visits from strangers. I could map out a body in tape (a la CSI) amid the oxblood stains ...

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  3. Ooh, I'm totally impressed! They turned out great!

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    1. Thank you! Now for navy blue pumps, maybe ...

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  4. I love how these turned out , I got a pair that I have been holding onto to dye but wasn't sure what to buy. Great job those boots are definitely on trend. Thanks for stopping by , hope to see you again.

    Carrie

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    1. Thanks, Carrie! If you decide to dye your pair, let me know how they turn out ... if you wish to show them off. The Fiebing dye products are good quality, with intense pigments.

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  5. Glamourati, I love the term, and your boots. I just bought a pair of oxblood boots and am loving them. The color is dark and warm and seems to go with everything in the Fall.

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    1. There's a romantic quality to the color that black, brown and tan just don't convey. And there's no little drama associated with the color. There's a lot of range from warm to cool in what's being described as oxblood as well. I absolutely understand what you love about the color ... wear your new boots with pleasure and comfort! Thanks for reading!

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  6. What shade in the leather dye did you purchase to achieve this results - I want to do this!

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