I liked the red dyed version in one of Tony's example photos so I simply replicated it. The dye took several coats before it got dark enough to not appear pink. The soft side in the photo shows what the first few coats looked like and the mask shows what several heavy coats turns into. Since there is no historical basis for this piece a more radical color does not look that out of place.

The Fiebing's alcohol-based red dye dries very fast so it could be completed in a single evening. I've learned that if there will be lots of tight curves on a piece and you're using alcohol dye to apply it after primary assembly. This avoid cracking or fighting the leather too much when you're trying to manhandle it into place. Finally, I rubbed in a heavy application of neatsfoot oil to re-soften and protect the leather. This has the side benefit of helping darken it further.