Pigment for Shoes Colouring Uses - How to Color Shoes in 2024?

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Use of Leather Pigment FAQs

What types of pigments are used for shoes colouring?

Four types of pigments are often used to color shoe uppers: acid dye, basic dye, and neutral dye. Each of them comes with pros and cons. You can pick the right one as desired.

Acid dye

It is one of the most widely used upper pigments for its excellent coloring performance. Acid dye can render bold and vivid colors on various uppers with impressive color fastness. However, it is not that suitable for light-colored shoes because the colors might go through the uppers, resulting in uneven coloring.

Basic dye

It is another common choice for shoe supper coloring, slightly inferior in coloring performance compared to acid dye. It is often used to dye the uppers of rubber and plastic shores due to its deep and durable coloring.

Neutral dye

As the combination of acid and basic dyes, neutral dye features good coloring and duration. It can be easily applied to various shoe uppers for coloring. However, the colors it rendered tend to be lackluster compared with the results of acid dye.

Color-changing pigments

The color-changing principle of chameleon pigments is to absorb ultraviolet light sources of specific wavelengths, and produce color changes (to purple, red, yellow, sky blue) through the energy of the light source. When the ultraviolet light source of a specific wavelength is gone, it returns to the original color.

There are many basic colors of chameleon powder, such as purple-red to blue-gold green, red to golden yellow green, golden green to purple-blue, purple-red to red-yellow-green, etc. It has high environmental tolerance and anti-light aging performance. Sports shoes with chameleon powder can produce a variety of color changes and are the darling of fashion today. In addition, photochromic pigments and luminous pigments can also be used in shoes.

When using the pigments, balance the shade and apply them evenly to avoid affecting the overall looks of the uppers.

What type of colorant to use on shoes coloring?

I. Leather pigment

One of the most common colorants for shoes, leather pigment can realize vivid coloring and strong elasticity, resilience, and ductility in leather. Leather pigments are available in different types and formulas for you to choose from according to your preferences and requirements. Apply them correctly to avoid damaging the texture of your shoes.

II. Shoe Paint

Leather coating is another colorant commonly used for shoemaking. Blessed with brilliant coloring and better leather texture and water resistance it brought in shoes, the coating protects the shoe surface from dirt and scratches, thus extending its service life.

III. Shoe Dye

Dye is a common type of colorant for shoes to realize colorful finishing. After proper processing, it can be easily applied to shoes to realize the colors you want. Featuring even coloring, dye works better to change the overall coloring of shoes without the problems of leather pigment.

VI. Other shoe colorants

Besides the above three colorants, you can opt for other alternatives for shoe coloring. Tattoo paint, fluorescent coatings, and temperature-sensitive paint are all good examples to create more striking coloring and effects on your shoes. However, use with caution for their hazards and limitations.

In short, you can create a kaleidoscope of coloring and effects for your shoes with different colorants. However, you should balance your preference and requirements for the best performance because each pigment has its pros and cons. Apply them correctly to avoid damaging the texture of your shoes.

How to use DIY shoe upper dyeing pigments

Upper cleaning: Remove the dirt and other impurities from the uppers to make them clean and clear.
Even application: Evenly apply the pigments to the uppers with a brush or sponge to avoid color difference.
Color shading: Pay attention to the color shading when using the upper colorants. Try a color on an inconspicuous spot before applying it extensively to avoid too dark or light coloring.
Cautions: Do not smear other places when dying your uppers. Avoid the spillage onto your body or furniture.
Drying: Dry the colored shoe uppers before gently wiping off the redundant pigments to secure a good overall look for your shoes.

What are the main pigments for slipper shoes?

Pigments for slippers include organic pigments and fluorescent pigments. Here are the facts about them:

Organic pigments: Featuring brilliant colors and rich hues, they can fulfill the demands of various consumers.

Good stability: Characterized by good stability, organic pigments have strong resistance to light and oxidation and outstanding color fastness to realize durable coloring for your slippers.

Strong adjustability: You can blend various colors to facilitate flexible slipper design.

Unique characters: Each organic pigment has its unique chemical and physical properties to create special advantages in specific domains for the slippers.

Fluorescent pigments

Luminescent property: Fluorescent pigments can transform ultraviolet and visible lights into bright fluorescence to realize unique visual effects for your slippers.

Spectral character: Featuring narrow spectral bandwidths, fluorescent pigments can result in striking bold colors when blended properly.

Light resistance: fluorescent pigments maintain bright colors with good fastness to keep coloring stable and durable for your slippers.

In short, organic and fluorescent pigments are both commonly used for slipper-making for the rich palette and visual effects they bring about. Think over the situation carefully when choosing and using them to ensure good quality and safety for your slippers.

How do pigments adhere to different shoe materials?

You can color your shoe uppers by two ways: paint spraying and dyeing.

Paint spraying

It is a technique to spray paint onto the shoes that can color shoes quickly and keep them from dirt and water. Unfortunately, this technique changes the original texture of the shoes into a fragile coating that can wear and chip off easily.

Upper dyeing

Upper dyeing is a technique to apply the colorants onto the shoes and let them bleed into the leather. Highlighting lasting and natural coloring, this technique does not affect the breathability and comfort of shoes. However, limited in palette, this approach cannot create a glossy finish or metallic luster for your shoes.

How Pigments Affect Shoes?

Pigments affect shoes in the following aspects:

Damaged texture: If you apply color dyes on shoes made with leather or other delicate materials, the chemicals of pigments might damage their texture, hardening them or making them thin out.
Uneven coloring: Color dyeing might not work wonders on unevenly colored shoes or those made with materials unfriendly to color dyeing.
Degraded comfort: The remaining pigment might make the shoes uncomfortable by reducing their breathability. That is why you should be very careful with color-dying for your shoes.

How can color consistency be achieved in shoe production?

First, we should impose holistic management and control throughout the production to address the color differences of sample shoes. Rigid color control should start from sourcing raw materials to ensure color conformity. During production, technical processes should be implemented meticulously to guarantee the compliance of every link to avoid the color differences caused by improper treatment.

Second, the sample shoes with color differences should be addressed and adjusted promptly. You can employ different solutions to address the color differences as the case may be. For example, minor color differences in shoe uppers can be solved by dyeing or coat-spraying to achieve color conformity. However, when the color differences are conspicuous, we may consider remaking the sample shoes all over again to secure product quality.

Besides, we can prevent and solve color differences with technologies. For example, we can use a color analyzer to test and compare the colors of raw materials and finished products to identify and adjust the differences. Moreover, a well-polished system of standards and procedures for color difference treatment can be established to provide corresponding solutions to address color differences rapidly and efficiently.

In addition, staff training and management are vital to avoid and solve color differences in sample shoes. Employees should have a good knowledge of color differences, strictly follow relevant standard operating procedures, and enhance their sensitivity and handling ability to minimize color differences.

How to choose pigments during shoe production

Note that each type of pigment has its properties and range of application. When choosing and using pigments for shoes, consider the stability, safety, and environmental performance to ensure the desirable quality and safety of slippers. Meanwhile, you might need to select particular types of pigment or custom-make colorant formulas to fulfill the needs of special applications.

Moreover, besides pigment powder, it might take other materials and techniques to make shoes, like sole materials and relevant craftsmanship. Therefore, you should consider whether the pigment powder is compatible with the rest parts of the slippers.

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