How can I dye nylon stitching, which is stitched into leather?

Question

The leather is black. The stitching is white. How can I dye the stitching black?

I cannot do the usual routine of boiling/adding salt - this could damage the leather or the entire item.

How can I successfully colour the stitching black? There is only a small amount of stitching and the item will not be washed regularly (it is not clothing).

Could I paint it with some type of acrylic!?

Thanks for your help.

Answer 1

Use aniline dye which is used in dyeing leather furniture. This will dye the stitching and you will be able to remove any excess from the leather itself if it is not the sort that absorbs dye.

Using acrylic paint will not work and may come off

Answer 2

Might it be time-efficient to find suitable black nylon and re-stitch by hand?

aniline - C H N; also called aniline oil, benzeneamine, aminobenzene 6 7
Aniline used to be a very commonly used chemical in the synthesis of dyes. Sometimes the term ‘aniline dye’ is
used as something of a catch-all term for synthetic dyes, though very few dyes still in production are actually aniline
derivatives. Because of toxicity, aniline has been replaced with other compounds for most dye synthesis. {Rev
3.0.0r}
from http://list.emich.edu/~dyers/pdfs/dyeglossary.PDF

nylon - a polyamide used for fibres and solid plastic
There are several different types of nylon, each having different properties. Two common ones, based on
molecular structure are nylon 6 and nylon 6,6 (nylon six six). Nylon is the oldest synthetic polymer used for textiles.
It is usually dyed with acid dyes, but can be dyed with disperse dyes, particularly if barré is a problem. For acid
dyeing, nylon can be formulated specifically to take up only a little dye, “normal” amounts of dye, or large amounts
of dye. {Rev 3.0.0r} from same source

If the final product was sealed, as would be usual for wallets or other accessories, the sealant would need to be removed before the nylon could be spot-dyed. For *many* purposes, careful covering with a line of black acrylic would be efficient. If it's for your own use, any necessary touch-up would be easy-enough.

Answer 3

Use a black felt tip pen or black polish. I have recently upholstered a backrest on a carriage(as in horse and carriage!) and the cotton I used to stitch on the piping was a little too light so this was what I did to make it less obvious. It worked for me so good luck and I hope it works for you!

Answer 4

I have used rub-a-dub laundry markers. They're more permanent.

Answer 5

use a sharpie marker