Today, we’ll show you how to make vinegaroon leather dye with a historic twist. If you’re aiming to recreate leather goods like those from colonial America, vinegaroon is your go-to. This isn’t just any dye—it’s a piece of history! While some sources hint at its use as early as 50 AD in the Roman Empire, the earliest solid reference comes from Jean-Felix Watin’s 1772 book, L’Art du Teinturier. Pliny the Elder (c. 77 AD) also mentions tanning with gallnuts and astringents, but it’s in the 18th century that we see vinegaroon clearly documented for dyeing leather knife sheaths. So, when Greg set out to craft knives from 200 or 300 years ago, he knew the sheaths had to match that authenticity—and vinegaroon was one of the answers.
Unlike modern dyes that coat the leather’s surface, vinegaroon dye works magic by reacting chemically with the leather’s tannins, transforming it to a rich, permanent black all the way through. Why does that matter? Imagine a scratch on a sheath dyed with modern black dye—it’d reveal the leather’s natural color, forcing you to re-dye and buff. With vinegaroon, that scratch stays black, and a quick wax and polish is all you need to make it disappear. That’s the kind of durability that made it a favorite centuries ago!
Making vinegaroon leather dye is surprisingly simple, using everyday materials you might already have. Here’s how Greg does it:
What You’ll Need
- A glass jar (plastic works too, but no metal—it’ll react!). I use an old pickle jar.
- White vinegar (cheap 5% acidity from any grocery store)
- 0000 steel wool (available at Lowe’s, Home Depot, or hardware stores)
- A wooden stir stick (Greg uses a ⅜-inch dowel)
How to Make Vinegaroon Dye
Pick an area that your solution can sit for at least a week. Take the steel wool and fluff up about 1 ½ bales and place them loosely in the glass jar.
Cover the 0000 fluffed steel wool with vinegar. Now the hard part, you wait! Make sure you stir the mixture a couple of times a day.
When the steel wool gets almost totally dissolved, fluff up another bale and add it to the mixture. Keep stirring the vinegar and steel wool mixture for about 7 days. I say “about”, because the longer you wait, the deeper black the vinegaroon will make your leather.
At the end of the 7 days you can drain off the liquid into whatever container you are going to store your vinegaroon in. You should store your Vinegaroon in a glass or plastic container that will not react with the vinegar.
Pro Tip: You can swap steel wool for other high-iron materials like old nails or railroad spikes, but they’ll take longer to break down. I’ve read where some folks leave a jar sitting with an old railroad spike! They pour off what they need and add fresh vinegar to keep making vinegaroon as needed, keeping the process going. Save any leftover steel wool to jumpstart your next batch!
Greg’s been brewing this concoction in our workshop, and the results are stunning—deep, durable black sheaths that look like they stepped out of the 18th century.
Curious to see it in action? Check out our 🗡️ GreBec Knives’ Historic Leather Dyes introduction and dive into our latest post, Crafting History: Vinegaroon Leather Sheath Dyeing, where I walk you through how I use vinegaroon to dye a sheath, with tips to get that perfect finish for your own projects.
Discover our handcrafted knives and sheaths, some featuring the historic black of vinegaroon or rich boiled oak bark dye, by visiting our store. Filter by ‘Historic Knives’ to find sheaths crafted with these traditional dyes. Stay tuned for more on oak bark dye coming soon!