Leather making
Leather making classes
- Starting in October (just after 'Folsom Street 2006' and in time for Christmas!) Robin Roberts of the BackDrop club held his Leather Workshops. Send email for more information
- If you are lucky enough to live in the Bay Area, I would recommend a trip to Sto-rex at 9th and Minna in the San Francisco.
- Tandy Leathers (they also own Radio Shack) has been around since the 1920's. You can order almost anything for the beginning leather maker. You can find a local store by going to their store locator
- Sartan of Treve has a lot of plans online and a catalog of 'those little goodies' needed to make almost anything
- There is an exceptional article on leather care at
Leather care
- Question [1]
Hi, I'm making a leather case and have noticed that the back of my leather gives off a lot of fiber. Do you have any tips on how I can solve it? Then I would also like my leather to be a little stiffer / harder. Is there anything you can do to make the leather stiffer?
- Answer
It sounds like you were actually choosing a different type of leather. But you can e.g. take either gelatin or wallpaper paste to treat the meat side with. Iron the fibers with a soft cloth e.g. To get it extra nice, you can then take a rebate or something else hard and smooth to iron down the fibers with. Think about the direction of the fibers… The fibers will settle, and the leather will have a little more control. Take a little and do it several times, rather than taking too much. Make sure it does not get on the grain and make stains.
- Re-dyeing of suede garment
It is not possible to re-dye or repaint suede garments. You can not guarantee that the color does not end up on other things such as furniture, shirts, etc., which the garment comes in contact with. In other words, the color cannot be fixed. Suede shoes can be improved in color as they give less risk of them staining on other things.
- Buy leather & leather
This is what you need to keep in mind when buying leather. Prepare carefully. Make a template in paper or fabric of what you need, including sleep space etc. Do this even if it is a square piece you need. We save time and you save money. See more under LEATHER TRADE
- Lubricating
All leather needs to be lubricated to have as long a life as possible. It is usually recommended 2-4 times a year, depending on how exposed the leather is to e.g. wear, sun, weather and wind. If you do not lubricate the leather, it will dry and then lose its natural protection against wear, dirt and rain. And if it goes on for far too long without lubrication, small dry cracks will form in the grain itself, the strong, protective surface of the leather - the "front". Once dry cracks have formed, you can not remove or repair them, but if you lubricate the leather properly, you can hopefully prevent further decay.
Which conditioner you should use depends partly on the type of leather in question, and how exposed it is. Seldon and boots often have a fatter conditioner, while a bag would be too sticky if you used the same conditioner for this. Furthermore, there is conditioner that is extra good for furniture and the kind of leather that often occurs there. And sometimes it is best to use a good, uncolored shoe polish.
- Leather wash
If the leather is old and / or stained, you can try washing with a leather soap. Then lubricate it with a conditioner. However, it is often difficult to predict the result, as all leathers are unique and also differently worn. If it is also an old leather, you must be extremely careful; it is a balancing act with how much water you can use. Too much water can destroy the object.
References
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