Rawhide over laquer w/ some dyed rawhide results???

[ajooter]

I dont have any dye but i was going to paint the back of a bow with black laquer and then
glue the rawhide on top of that with titebond hide glue.  I wanted a darker effect on the rawhide without dying it prior to glueup. Do you think the rawhide will stick???

[adb]

I've never tried it, but I don't think it would stick, especially with titebond.

[ajooter]

Ok...thanks

[Pat B]

Get Kool-Aid or Rit dye and mix it with alcohol...or even a black magic marker.

[ajooter]

I have some black liquid RIT dye and some alcohol...what mix ratio do you suggest Pat?

[Cameroo]

Not sure about lacquer, but I once tried adding a rawhide backing (with TB3) to a bow that was already finished with polyurethane.  Needless to say it popped right off.

[Pat B]

You'll just have to do a few tests to see what ratio you like the best. I never measure these things. Start out lighter. You can always make it darker. Have you thought about dying the rawhide?

[ajooter]

I did consider dying the rawhide... was gonna use coffee and let it soak for a few days.  Or can i use the Rit alcohol mixture to soak it?

[JW_Halverson]

Even very strong coffee will make a tan color for the rawhide, tried it and I liked the color.  To get darker colors, you will need stronger dyes, like aged walnut hulls or oak bark tan.  The alcohol and Rit dye will definitely take care of that task of dying the rawhide dark.  Post pics, I'm interested in how your experiment turns out.  I am planning on rawhide backing a yew bow and thought black rawhide over sapwood would be pretty dramatic.

[Pat B]

I'd soak it in the dye or use a sponge or brush to wipe the dye on the rawhide while the rawhide is still dry.

[ajooter]

I may do some test strips and post results...thanks for the input guys!

[ohma2]

you can make a quick dye with walnut husks if you want  that sort of color.

[ajooter]

The pieces glued on the bow are as follows...dark brown, red, black (RIT dyes), and coffee.  The riot dyes were mixed in a 1:4 (dye:water) ratio.  I tried dying some strips but I think they need to be layed flat to get similar results.  I have a bow I'm making I'm gonna try the red dye on rawhide with.

[Cameroo]

I like that coffee color myself, gonna have to try that sometime.  Thanks for the pics.