How to Blacken a Leather Jacket

Apply leather dye products lightly and evenly.

You don't need to take your leather jacket to a professional leather-care shop to dye it black. Whether you want to change the color of your jacket entirely or simply touch up places where the current coat of black has worn thin, you can do the job at home with some patience and attention to detail. Apply leather dye in a well-ventilated area, and take your time -- you'll get better results if you work slowly and methodically.

Things You'll Need

• Newspapers
• 3 cloths
• Leather cleaner
• Leather conditioner
• Black leather dye
• Sponge
• Leather finish

Instructions

1. Cover a work surface with newspapers. Open the jacket and lay it with the inside facing down on the newspapers. Brush the leather gently with a soft brush to remove dirt.

2. Pour a small amount of leather cleaner onto a cloth. Rub it lightly onto the jacket, using circular strokes. Wipe off the excess with a clean portion of the cloth. Let the jacket dry for 30 minutes.

3. Coat the leather surfaces of the jacket lightly with leather conditioner. Rub the conditioner onto the leather in circular strokes. Wipe off the excess with a clean portion of the cloth. Allow the leather to dry.

4. Apply a thin coat of black dye to the jacket with another cloth. Cover all leather areas of the jacket, including under the collar, cuffs and flaps of pockets. Allow the leather to dry fully before applying another coat.

5. Continue applying coats of dye until the leather is a consistent black color. Don't apply more than five coats because this can dry out the leather.

6. Dip a sponge in leather finish and apply a top coat to the jacket. Cover the surface evenly with the leather finish and allow the jacket to dry.

Tips & Warnings

• If your new dye job gets scratched, the old color might show underneath it. Repeat the dying process on the scratched area to hide the damage.

• Depending on the original color of your jacket, you might not be able to achieve a deep black tone without drying out the material.

References

• Leather Magic: Caring for Your Leather
• Coach: Product Care

Resources

• LeatherWorld Technologies: Leather Dyeing
• Overstock.com: How to Care for Leather Jackets