When it comes to motorcycle leather gear and accessories you will find there are so many different manufactures and custom designs. All of which will need repairing and conditioning over time. The stitching and the braiding does wear out and the leather will dry out from weather exposure. You also have the issue of accidents and other people just being jerks as they walk past your bike.
Custom leather saddlebags and leather seats cost some money to have made, so why would you not keep that leather conditioned and protected from water damage. Saddle soap is a very good cleaner, conditioner and preserver for your leather saddlebags and seats. Just use a little water to dampen a old clean t-shirt or a horse hair dauber brush and then rub it into the saddle soap and apply to the leather in small circles working the saddle soap into and across the leather. Work the saddle soap into a lather across the saddlebags or the seat whichever you are working on first. Allow the saddle soap to dry a little while after you wipe the excess off. Once it has dried for about ten minutes or so, you can use a horse hair buffing brush or another clean dry t-shirt to buff the leather to a shine which will remove any further excess saddle soap. The saddle soap will have soaked deep into your leather and conditioned, preserved and leaned it. The buffing will bring out a nice shine to the finish.
If the color finish of your leather saddlebags or leather seat has been faded or worn off from the rubbing of your jeans or other clothing, you can restore the color with either dye or polish & wax. Remember that when using dye, polish and wax on leather that will come in contact with your clothing you must use the polish sparingly and buff it especially well to remove as much excess as possible. Using a clear coat fine wax spray will add to the prevention of color transfer to your clothing or use a waterproof spray lightly misted over the leather after polishing to treat the leather. Use the dye first to recolor the leather deep and allow to dry for an hour or two. Lincoln dye is my favorite brand of dye to use. Then use the polish to even out the color that the dye just replaced, since the dye has an odd finish. The polish will add even more color and even some conditioners and even some water protection. You apply the polish with a horse hair dauber brush, a rag or a t-shirt using your fingers working the polish in small circles rubbing it into the leather until there is no excess polish on the surface. Work in small areas such as about 4 to 6 inch areas so that you can buff the polish before it dries. After you have polished and buffed the entire leather article, go back and rebuff the entire leather article with another clean rag or old t-shirt to remove all excess polish and get a really good shine. MELTONIAN polish is one of my favorite polishes to use, it can be bought at most any shoe repair shop. Instead of polishing or after polishing, whichever you choose, go back over the leather article with colored wax and buff to a shine. Lincoln Wax is my favorite wax to use. It also has a lot of color to add to your leather and buffs off great to a fine shine. Apply and buff this wax off in the same way as the polish. Make sure that you use a clean area of your cloth to buff the leather again after you have buffed off the excess wax. You want to make sure that all excess wax has been buffed off. You will have a brilliant shine. The wax will give your leather a great protection from the weather, but you may still want to mist a clear wax over the entire leather article. MASTER SHINE is my favorite spray shine to finish the job. All of these products can be purchased at most shoe repair shops.
The stitching or braiding can wear out or be torn out from long use and just wear over time. Most of this stitching you will have to take to a shoe repair or to a leather repair shop. If one cannot repair it, do not give up, just take it to the next one. Some of the stitching can be done at home, especially if it requires hand sewing. You will need some items and tools to do the hand sewing yourself at home.
For most of these hand sewing issues and types of leather products you
will need to get the following tools: Hook Awl Needle with handle
(extra needles)
Catgut sewing cord (strongest hand sewing thread)
Colored hand sewing cord to match if possible (tan, brown, black, white, etc.)
Large needles (for hand sewing with large enough eyes for the catgut thread.)
Sharp Scissors or knife
These tools can be bought through a shoe repair or you can find a Tandy Leather Factory
store to buy the supplies you need to do the job that you are working
on. You should be able to get further advice from either source on how
they would go about repairing the article as well.
For most of these leather articles listed above, you will be able to sew
the seams that use a heavy thread or cord such as the catgut cord using
the large needle and the catgut threat. The catgut thread is a natural
type of cord that is prepared from the natural fiber found in the walls
of animal intestines, especially sheep. The other hand sewing threads
are strong and do come in different colors which can give you a better
match in shades.
Look over your leather article, such as your saddlebag or seat to get a good idea of the stitching that you are about to repair. You want to make sure that you can follow the same stitch pattern so that your repair job is not as noticeable. If you need advice about which type of needle to use or which type of thread would work best, simply ask a shoe repairmen or a leather craftsmen at a leather repair shop. Either way, you are sure to get good advice.
If your leather saddlebags or leather seat is damaged beyond your repair capability or any repair options, you can have custom leather saddlebags made and a custom seat made to match your taste and design for your bike. You can choose the leather type or exotic skin to use. It can become very expensive depending on the type of skins used and depending on the custom leather shop that you use. Just remember that the more expensive does not always mean the best. Look at other work they have done and check around and ask around to see what other people are saying about their work and customer service. You really want to be sure you are choosing the right place for you before you lay down a deposit for any custom leather work. In most cases, the deposit is non-refundable because it covers most of the materials cost. Most of the cost of custom leather work is the extensive labor involved in the creation and the many years of knowledge behind the leather craftsmen doing the custom leather work for you. Remember this when a price is quoted to you and you feel it is expensive, that you most likely would not be able to do it yourself. Especially since you do not own all of the tools and equipment to do it, not to mention the years of experience that these leather master craftsmen have.
For all of you that live in or near WAXAHACHIE, TEXAS you can contact
my brother, J.D. at his shoe repair at 972-938-7979. Hours of operation
are: Tues. - Fri. 10 am - 6 pm & Sat. 10 am - 5 pm. If you are
close to the area, you could just stop by his shoe repair at: 507 N.
Hwy. 77, Ste. 1100C, Waxahachie, TX 75165. You can also contact him at: TexasBootRepair.com
For those of you that live in or near WEST JORDAN, UTAH you can
contact my brother, Dan at his shoe repair at 801-448-1928. Hours of
operation are Tues. - Sat. 10 am - 6 pm. If you are close to the area,
you could just stop by his shoe repair at: 7650 S. Redwood Rd., Ste. B,
West Jordan, UT 84084. You can also contact him at: roycecustomleather.com, his business is Royce Custom Leather LLC.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Repairing zippers on purses and other leather goods.
Zippers are one of those convenient products that we all have on some sort of product in our homes. Whether it be in a suitcase, purse, leather jacket, computer case, day planner and many other leather products around home even many non-leather items. Zippers are very convenient and easy to use, but they can also become so frustrating as many or all of us have figured out over time. Zippers have many issues and problems that can cause you headaches.
1) The zipper stops working and starts opening behind the slider when you close it. This is usually easy to fix as long as you are careful. Carefully pull the zipper slide back down to the beginning so that both sides are even and straight. If you have something solid you can slide under the zipper slide and then lightly tap the zipper slide with a hammer. This tightens the slide again onto the zipper teeth and allows the zipper to catch both sides together again. Try pulling the zipper again and it should zip just fine now. (DO NOT HIT THE ZIPPER SLIDE HARD OR TO MANY TIMES OR YOU WILL BREAK IT OR YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SLIDE IT.) The slide tends to be slowly pulled apart over the use of time which causes it not to keep the zipper teeth in complete contact together, that is why the zipper comes apart after you zip it up.
2) The stitching comes out and the slide falls off. You can just replace the slide back on the zipper and slide it back down the zipper out of the way. Then tuck the end of the zipper back into place where the stitching came out and stitch it up if you have a sewing machine that can do it. Otherwise take it to a shoe repair and they can sew it for you at a reasonable price. It some cases it will have to be hand sewn into place. There are some cases where the zipper will have to be opened up from the other side and the slide slid on from the other end and then both ends need to be restitched. Most zippers cannot have the zipper slide put on in reverse because of the direction of the teeth.
3) The zipper teeth break off on plastic or metal zippers, coil zippers stitching tears and the slide comes off. Depending on where this happens the zipper can be stitched after the slide is replaced. Simply replace the slide in the correct direction and slide it away from the broken area, then either hand sew or machine stitch across the broken area of the zipper so that the slide cannot slide back to it again. You may want to take the article to a shoe repair or leather repair to have this done, they also have metal clips that can be tapped into place over the zipper to keep the slide in place. If the zipper damage is to far into the middle of the zipper to make repairing it reasonable, then replacing the zipper is the only option. This you will most likely want to have done at a shoe repair or a leather repair so that the stitching is as straight as possible and so that the zipper can be removed and replaced without damaging the leather or the liner it is stitched between. A seam ripper is used to do this so that the stitching can be cut without cutting the material, although accidents do happen because seam rippers are very sharp. There are other options for replacing the zipper if replacing the zipper is to expensive in some cases. Changing the style of the leather product with the use of a snap or a strap to close it may be an option. Just remember, that just because the zipper may be broken you can always do something with a leather article.
4) The stitching of the seam along the length of the zipper comes out. If you do not have a long arm sewing machine, you will need to take this to a shoe repair or a leather repair to have this stitched up. In most cases it will be a minimum cost, but can cost more depending on how much stitching is required to stitch up the seam.
5) Zippers on jackets are a bit more difficult due to the fact that they come apart when zipped open so that you can open the jacket to put it on and take it off. If the teeth break off on these kinds of zippers, about all you can do is replace the zipper or completely change the style of your leather jacket by using snaps, straps, buttons or toggles to close the jacket. Customizing your leather jacket is just another way of repairing your jacket if replacing the zipper is not what you want to do. You can have the zipper remover all together and either have snaps even placed up the front of the jacket. The snaps will require the punching of holes to put the snaps in. Buttons, straps or toggles would require stitching and holes cut and stitched into the leather to attach them. Straps with buckles would also be another option to a custom look and change to your jacket.
All of these options are things that you could do yourself at home or take your articles to a shoe repair or a leather repair to have the work done. Just always know that a professional at a shoe repair or a leather repair would most likely be more than willing to help you with advise with your project or give you recommendations on what you could do. You could also buy your items or supplies from the shoe repair or leather repair or go to a Tandy Leather Factory store. Sometimes you can find the supplies at a craft store, but not much assistance.
For all of you that live in or near WAXAHACHIE, TEXAS you can contact my brother, J.D. at his shoe repair at 972-938-7979. Hours of operation are: Tues. - Fri. 10 am - 6 pm & Sat. 10 am - 5 pm. If you are close to the area, you could just stop by his shoe repair at: 507 N. Hwy. 77, Ste. 1100C, Waxahachie, TX 75165. You can also contact him at: TexasBootRepair.com
For those of you that live in or near WEST JORDAN, UTAH you can contact my brother, Dan at his shoe repair at 801-448-1928. Hours of operation are Tues. - Sat. 10 am - 6 pm. If you are close to the area, you could just stop by his shoe repair at: 7650 S. Redwood Rd., Ste. B, West Jordan, UT 84084. You can also contact him at: roycecustomleather.com, his business is Royce Custom Leather LLC.
1) The zipper stops working and starts opening behind the slider when you close it. This is usually easy to fix as long as you are careful. Carefully pull the zipper slide back down to the beginning so that both sides are even and straight. If you have something solid you can slide under the zipper slide and then lightly tap the zipper slide with a hammer. This tightens the slide again onto the zipper teeth and allows the zipper to catch both sides together again. Try pulling the zipper again and it should zip just fine now. (DO NOT HIT THE ZIPPER SLIDE HARD OR TO MANY TIMES OR YOU WILL BREAK IT OR YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SLIDE IT.) The slide tends to be slowly pulled apart over the use of time which causes it not to keep the zipper teeth in complete contact together, that is why the zipper comes apart after you zip it up.
2) The stitching comes out and the slide falls off. You can just replace the slide back on the zipper and slide it back down the zipper out of the way. Then tuck the end of the zipper back into place where the stitching came out and stitch it up if you have a sewing machine that can do it. Otherwise take it to a shoe repair and they can sew it for you at a reasonable price. It some cases it will have to be hand sewn into place. There are some cases where the zipper will have to be opened up from the other side and the slide slid on from the other end and then both ends need to be restitched. Most zippers cannot have the zipper slide put on in reverse because of the direction of the teeth.
3) The zipper teeth break off on plastic or metal zippers, coil zippers stitching tears and the slide comes off. Depending on where this happens the zipper can be stitched after the slide is replaced. Simply replace the slide in the correct direction and slide it away from the broken area, then either hand sew or machine stitch across the broken area of the zipper so that the slide cannot slide back to it again. You may want to take the article to a shoe repair or leather repair to have this done, they also have metal clips that can be tapped into place over the zipper to keep the slide in place. If the zipper damage is to far into the middle of the zipper to make repairing it reasonable, then replacing the zipper is the only option. This you will most likely want to have done at a shoe repair or a leather repair so that the stitching is as straight as possible and so that the zipper can be removed and replaced without damaging the leather or the liner it is stitched between. A seam ripper is used to do this so that the stitching can be cut without cutting the material, although accidents do happen because seam rippers are very sharp. There are other options for replacing the zipper if replacing the zipper is to expensive in some cases. Changing the style of the leather product with the use of a snap or a strap to close it may be an option. Just remember, that just because the zipper may be broken you can always do something with a leather article.
4) The stitching of the seam along the length of the zipper comes out. If you do not have a long arm sewing machine, you will need to take this to a shoe repair or a leather repair to have this stitched up. In most cases it will be a minimum cost, but can cost more depending on how much stitching is required to stitch up the seam.
5) Zippers on jackets are a bit more difficult due to the fact that they come apart when zipped open so that you can open the jacket to put it on and take it off. If the teeth break off on these kinds of zippers, about all you can do is replace the zipper or completely change the style of your leather jacket by using snaps, straps, buttons or toggles to close the jacket. Customizing your leather jacket is just another way of repairing your jacket if replacing the zipper is not what you want to do. You can have the zipper remover all together and either have snaps even placed up the front of the jacket. The snaps will require the punching of holes to put the snaps in. Buttons, straps or toggles would require stitching and holes cut and stitched into the leather to attach them. Straps with buckles would also be another option to a custom look and change to your jacket.
All of these options are things that you could do yourself at home or take your articles to a shoe repair or a leather repair to have the work done. Just always know that a professional at a shoe repair or a leather repair would most likely be more than willing to help you with advise with your project or give you recommendations on what you could do. You could also buy your items or supplies from the shoe repair or leather repair or go to a Tandy Leather Factory store. Sometimes you can find the supplies at a craft store, but not much assistance.
For all of you that live in or near WAXAHACHIE, TEXAS you can contact my brother, J.D. at his shoe repair at 972-938-7979. Hours of operation are: Tues. - Fri. 10 am - 6 pm & Sat. 10 am - 5 pm. If you are close to the area, you could just stop by his shoe repair at: 507 N. Hwy. 77, Ste. 1100C, Waxahachie, TX 75165. You can also contact him at: TexasBootRepair.com
For those of you that live in or near WEST JORDAN, UTAH you can contact my brother, Dan at his shoe repair at 801-448-1928. Hours of operation are Tues. - Sat. 10 am - 6 pm. If you are close to the area, you could just stop by his shoe repair at: 7650 S. Redwood Rd., Ste. B, West Jordan, UT 84084. You can also contact him at: roycecustomleather.com, his business is Royce Custom Leather LLC.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Repairing your Penny Loafers
There are many different leather products that have hand stitched
seams or seams that were originally stitched with a machine when the
article was manufactured, but needs to be hand stitched to repair it.
Penny Loafers, handles of briefcases, many purse straps, horse tack and
saddles, leather saddlebags both for motorcycles and horses, moccasins, golf bags, motorcycle seats, car seats and
so many other types of leather products. I have hand stitched & sewn
more types of leather articles that I could ever list or count over the
years. I will try to describe how to repair the different types of articles in various posts, which can make it easy to do it yourself or you can take it to a
shoe repair or leather repair shop.
For most of these hand sewing issues and types of leather products you will need to get the following tools: Hook Awl Needle with handle (extra needles)
Catgut sewing cord (strongest hand sewing thread)
Colored hand sewing cord to match if possible (tan, brown, black, white, etc.)
Large needles (for hand sewing with large enough eyes for the catgut thread.)
Sharp Scissors or knife
These tools can be bought through a shoe repair or you can find a Tandy Leather Factory store to buy the supplies you need to do the job that you are working on. You should be able to get further advice from either source on how they would go about repairing the article as well.
For most of these leather articles listed above, you will be able to sew the seams that use a heavy thread or cord such as the catgut cord using the large needle and the catgut threat. The catgut thread is a natural type of cord that is prepared from the natural fiber found in the walls of animal intestines, especially sheep. The other hand sewing threads are strong and do come in different colors which can give you a better match in shades.
PENNY LOAFERS: The toe of penny loafers and the side of the strap that holds the penny in the front are machine sewn when the shoes are manufactured, but can only be hand sewn to be repaired when the stitching breaks and comes unwound. If the leather tears through the holes and cannot be just hand sewn, you will need to take it to a shoe repair to have them patch it for a professional look. One stitch for the hand sewing of the toe is very simple in most cases. It simply loops around and around in one direction from one end to the other non-stop. Then you tie the knot under the strap and cut and tuck. The second stitch is a little more difficult, it is sewn every other hole going one way and then every other hole coming back the other way to get a complete stitch. Then you tie the knot under the strap, cut and tuck it as well. The strap has a row of stitches that hold it on both side of the shoe. These stitches are large thread and need to be hand sewn to replace them when they break to maintain the look of the shoe. When you tie the knot, make sure it is between the strap and the shoe so that the knot is not on the inside of the shoe against your foot. You can lightly tap the new stitching with a hammer to flatten them out, but DO NOT hit the leather hard it can be cut by the hammers edge. Polish the leather when finished to complete the job and even out the color and bring out the shine once more.
For all of you that live in or near WAXAHACHIE, TEXAS you can contact my brother, J.D. at his shoe repair at 972-938-7979. Hours of operation are: Tues. - Fri. 10 am - 6 pm & Sat. 10 am - 5 pm. If you are close to the area, you could just stop by his shoe repair at: 507 N. Hwy. 77, Ste. 1100C, Waxahachie, TX 75165. You can also contact him at: TexasBootRepair.com
For those of you that live in or near WEST JORDAN, UTAH you can contact my brother, Dan at his shoe repair at 801-448-1928. Hours of operation are Tues. - Sat. 10 am - 6 pm. If you are close to the area, you could just stop by his shoe repair at: 7650 S. Redwood Rd., Ste. B, West Jordan, UT 84084. You can also contact him at: roycecustomleather.com, his business is Royce Custom Leather LLC.
For most of these hand sewing issues and types of leather products you will need to get the following tools: Hook Awl Needle with handle (extra needles)
Catgut sewing cord (strongest hand sewing thread)
Colored hand sewing cord to match if possible (tan, brown, black, white, etc.)
Large needles (for hand sewing with large enough eyes for the catgut thread.)
Sharp Scissors or knife
These tools can be bought through a shoe repair or you can find a Tandy Leather Factory store to buy the supplies you need to do the job that you are working on. You should be able to get further advice from either source on how they would go about repairing the article as well.
For most of these leather articles listed above, you will be able to sew the seams that use a heavy thread or cord such as the catgut cord using the large needle and the catgut threat. The catgut thread is a natural type of cord that is prepared from the natural fiber found in the walls of animal intestines, especially sheep. The other hand sewing threads are strong and do come in different colors which can give you a better match in shades.
PENNY LOAFERS: The toe of penny loafers and the side of the strap that holds the penny in the front are machine sewn when the shoes are manufactured, but can only be hand sewn to be repaired when the stitching breaks and comes unwound. If the leather tears through the holes and cannot be just hand sewn, you will need to take it to a shoe repair to have them patch it for a professional look. One stitch for the hand sewing of the toe is very simple in most cases. It simply loops around and around in one direction from one end to the other non-stop. Then you tie the knot under the strap and cut and tuck. The second stitch is a little more difficult, it is sewn every other hole going one way and then every other hole coming back the other way to get a complete stitch. Then you tie the knot under the strap, cut and tuck it as well. The strap has a row of stitches that hold it on both side of the shoe. These stitches are large thread and need to be hand sewn to replace them when they break to maintain the look of the shoe. When you tie the knot, make sure it is between the strap and the shoe so that the knot is not on the inside of the shoe against your foot. You can lightly tap the new stitching with a hammer to flatten them out, but DO NOT hit the leather hard it can be cut by the hammers edge. Polish the leather when finished to complete the job and even out the color and bring out the shine once more.
For all of you that live in or near WAXAHACHIE, TEXAS you can contact my brother, J.D. at his shoe repair at 972-938-7979. Hours of operation are: Tues. - Fri. 10 am - 6 pm & Sat. 10 am - 5 pm. If you are close to the area, you could just stop by his shoe repair at: 507 N. Hwy. 77, Ste. 1100C, Waxahachie, TX 75165. You can also contact him at: TexasBootRepair.com
For those of you that live in or near WEST JORDAN, UTAH you can contact my brother, Dan at his shoe repair at 801-448-1928. Hours of operation are Tues. - Sat. 10 am - 6 pm. If you are close to the area, you could just stop by his shoe repair at: 7650 S. Redwood Rd., Ste. B, West Jordan, UT 84084. You can also contact him at: roycecustomleather.com, his business is Royce Custom Leather LLC.
Hand stitching & sewing of your leather footballs and baseball gloves.
Football and baseball gloves have special sewing kits that are marketed just for them so that the average person can repair the stitching themselves without the cost of paying someone to repair it for them. These kits can be purchased at some shoe repair shops, sporting goods stores, leather repair shops, leather craft stores. Each kit comes with complete directions on how to sew your football and how to sew your baseball glove. With these easy to follow instructions the most inexperienced person can restitch their own football or baseball glove if they want.
FOOTBALL: With a football, you must let some of the air out of the ball to allow the ball to be more flexible while sewing it up again. The kit is for the white lacing replacing. It is not the easiest thing to get the new leather strip as tight as the original strip was, but it can be done. If you do not feel up to it your self, just take it to a repair shop. Be sure not to over fill the ball when you are finished. If any of the other seams that are stitched together on your football happen to break, understand that the ball is not ruined. This is repairable, the ball must be deflated and the lacing has to be removed. The air bladder is then removed and the football shell must be turned inside out, which is not an easy task. This requires a steel or very strong wooden post, which you then press one end of the football in towards the inside to come out through the opening. once the tip is pushing through the hole, place it over the post and pull down pulling the rest of the football shell over the rest turning it inside out. You may need to flip the ball over and use the post to press the other side of the ball through the opening to get the football completely inside out. Now, once the football is inside out you can have the seams restitched at a shoe repair or a leather repair shop. Most people do not own a machine that will sew the leather thickness of a football seam. Once you have had the seam or seams sewn, you just reverse the process and turn the football right side out using the post again. Reinsert the air bladder correctly to ensure that the air valve is in the correct placement. Air up the bladder just a little bit, but not all the way. You will need some pressure when you start to lace the white lacing back in using a new lacing kit. Once you have the lacing completed and cut off in place, you can air up the football to the recommended pressure. You may want to take it to a sporting goods store and have them air it up in one of their racks for a football. Some of them will have specially sized tubes for placing the football into before airing it up to ensure that the football stays formed without any bulges.
BASEBALL GLOVE: With a baseball glove, you have a very long leather lace throughout the entire glove lacing the fingers and thumb together. This leather lace does break after a lot of use and abuse on a field. After all, most people do not keep their gloves conditioned the way that they should with a good leather conditioner, which will keep the leather from drying out and cracking or peeling. When you have a glove that the leather lace breaks in, it really is not a difficult repair to do yourself. It just takes time and a lot of attention to detail. The kit comes with the directions, the leather lace and the needle. There are many knots across the glove in different places holding it tightly together. As you thread the leather lace through the fingers and the palm of the glove you must pay very close attention to the directions and how straight the lace is. The leather lace must not be twisted or it becomes weak and can break easily when used. Make sure that you get the crisscrosses correct and tie the knots exactly the way the directions tell you. After you finish sewing the glove, you really need to condition it with a good leather oil, such as, Neatsfoot Oil is one of the most popular conditioners for baseball gloves. Use a rag to apply it and rub it in very liberally. Then work it in by bending the glove and folding the glove over and over. Then form the glove the way you want it folded and leave it lay. Wipe off any excess oil if any, but it should soak right into the leather especially if the leather if very dry.
FOOTBALL: With a football, you must let some of the air out of the ball to allow the ball to be more flexible while sewing it up again. The kit is for the white lacing replacing. It is not the easiest thing to get the new leather strip as tight as the original strip was, but it can be done. If you do not feel up to it your self, just take it to a repair shop. Be sure not to over fill the ball when you are finished. If any of the other seams that are stitched together on your football happen to break, understand that the ball is not ruined. This is repairable, the ball must be deflated and the lacing has to be removed. The air bladder is then removed and the football shell must be turned inside out, which is not an easy task. This requires a steel or very strong wooden post, which you then press one end of the football in towards the inside to come out through the opening. once the tip is pushing through the hole, place it over the post and pull down pulling the rest of the football shell over the rest turning it inside out. You may need to flip the ball over and use the post to press the other side of the ball through the opening to get the football completely inside out. Now, once the football is inside out you can have the seams restitched at a shoe repair or a leather repair shop. Most people do not own a machine that will sew the leather thickness of a football seam. Once you have had the seam or seams sewn, you just reverse the process and turn the football right side out using the post again. Reinsert the air bladder correctly to ensure that the air valve is in the correct placement. Air up the bladder just a little bit, but not all the way. You will need some pressure when you start to lace the white lacing back in using a new lacing kit. Once you have the lacing completed and cut off in place, you can air up the football to the recommended pressure. You may want to take it to a sporting goods store and have them air it up in one of their racks for a football. Some of them will have specially sized tubes for placing the football into before airing it up to ensure that the football stays formed without any bulges.
BASEBALL GLOVE: With a baseball glove, you have a very long leather lace throughout the entire glove lacing the fingers and thumb together. This leather lace does break after a lot of use and abuse on a field. After all, most people do not keep their gloves conditioned the way that they should with a good leather conditioner, which will keep the leather from drying out and cracking or peeling. When you have a glove that the leather lace breaks in, it really is not a difficult repair to do yourself. It just takes time and a lot of attention to detail. The kit comes with the directions, the leather lace and the needle. There are many knots across the glove in different places holding it tightly together. As you thread the leather lace through the fingers and the palm of the glove you must pay very close attention to the directions and how straight the lace is. The leather lace must not be twisted or it becomes weak and can break easily when used. Make sure that you get the crisscrosses correct and tie the knots exactly the way the directions tell you. After you finish sewing the glove, you really need to condition it with a good leather oil, such as, Neatsfoot Oil is one of the most popular conditioners for baseball gloves. Use a rag to apply it and rub it in very liberally. Then work it in by bending the glove and folding the glove over and over. Then form the glove the way you want it folded and leave it lay. Wipe off any excess oil if any, but it should soak right into the leather especially if the leather if very dry.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Motorcycle gear and accessories customized and cared for.
Those of you that own motorcycles and like to have leather motorcycle gear and accessories will like this post I believe. My brothers and I used to custom make all types of boots, chaps, saddlebags for bikes & horses, leather bikinis, customize leather jackets & other leather gear, leather vests, and many other leather articles for motorcycle riders. My brother, Paul named the business "Gypsy Custom Leather" and we had so much fun doing what we loved doing. Side by side with our shoe repair businesses we made and repaired all manner of motorcycle leather gear you could think of.
So, if you have a plain ordinary leather jacket, vest, pants, boots or chaps do not think that they have to stay plain and ordinary. You can customize them yourself if you want to take the time and expense and even the possible risk of doing it yourself or you could take the article to a shoe repair or a custom leather shop and have them do something for you to your taste. Now granted, I have been trained by my older brothers to do what I have done in my past and they were trained by our uncle Rod who was GREAT at what he did. You are capable of doing it yourself with the right tools and materials.
First you would need to decide exactly what custom changes you would like to make to your leather article, say a leather vest. Personally, I would want to maybe braid some leather down the side for a different look which would also serve as a air vent to allow air to circulate through without taking away from the strength of the vest.
Tools required: Multi-hole punch or a 1/4" hole punch or smaller and mallet (Has a ring of about 6
different size hole punches on a pliers)
Tape measure and a seam marker (A seam marker wipes off very easy when
finished)
White grease marker (To mark the placement of the holes to be punched)
1/4" width, long leather strips (The color you want or the same color as the article
working on)
Lacing Needles (Flat needles for lacing thin leather strips, the end has small barbs)
All of these tools and supplies can easily be found and bought at a TANDY Leather Company which can be found in several cities all over the place or on the WEB.
Once you have your supplies and tools, you need to mark off on the vest exactly where you will be punching the holes so that you can braid the leather strips into it for your custom look. Start by folding the vest over at the seam that runs down the outside under the arm. Once folded, mark a thin line about a 1/2" in from the seam. This will be the line you will punch your holes down. Now mark small cross lines starting from the top just below the top seam of stitching so as not to punch a hole in any stitching of a seam every 1/4" going down to the bottom. You will end up with a line with small crosses on it and you will be ready to punch holes centered over each cross. Use the grease marker to go over and mark each cross if you wish to ensure you do not miss one or accidentally rub one off while punching the holes. It is very important that while punching the holes, that you do not move the folded seam area of the vest. You want to keep the opposite side lined up exactly. Once you have marked all of the holes to be punched, you are ready to start punching holes. You can use bulk paper office clips, the kind you pinch the handles together to open the C-clamp on to clip onto the seam of your leather vest to hold it together while you punch the holes. Whatever it takes for you to ensure you get straight and even holes on both sides of the vest seam. Once you are finished punching the holes, get the 1/4" leather strips and a lacing needle for each end of the leather strip. Start from the top on the inside of the vest feeding the needles out evenly so that the leather strip is flat on the inside and that you have the same length on either side. Now insert the needle in the third hole on the opposite side and bring it back out of the second hole of that same side. Then do likewise with the other needle on the other side. Now, repeat this skip one hole on the opposite side inserting the needle and come back out of the hole you skipped, then do the same with you other needle on the other side. Remember that if you start from the left side, always start from the left side with each new braid. It will keep it uniform and smooth. Once you have reached the bottom, feed the excess through the opposite side forming the final cross or braid so that the needles are on the inside. Flip the vest inside out and insert the needles into the braid center and back out about 2" higher above the finished braid. If you have either some rubber cement or contact cement that you can put on the soft side of the strips before inserting them here it could make for a more secure bond, but it is not required. Once you are finished braiding the side, unfold the vest completely and lay the seam over something solid and lightly tap the newly braided seam with a mallet or hammer. Do not hit it hard or you may cut or damage the leather braiding you have just worked so hard to put in. Repeat on the other side of the vest for a uniform look.
You can also put leather tassels on your leather articles yourself if you choose using the same tools, by punching either two holes for a simple look or four holes for a crossed or braided look. You can place all types of metal or other decorative objects into these leather tassels if you so desire.
Like I said before, customizing your leather motorcycle gear is not hard and you can do it yourself or pay to have a professional do it for you.
For all of you that live in or near WAXAHACHIE, TEXAS you can contact my brother, J.D. at his shoe repair at 972-938-7979. Hours of operation are: Tues. - Fri. 10 am - 6 pm & Sat. 10 am - 5 pm. If you are close to the area, you could just stop by his shoe repair at: 507 N. Hwy. 77, Ste. 1100C, Waxahachie, TX 75165. You can also contact him at: TexasBootRepair.com
For those of you that live in or near WEST JORDAN, UTAH you can contact my brother, Dan at his shoe repair at 801-448-1928. Hours of operation are Tues. - Sat. 10 am - 6 pm. If you are close to the area, you could just stop by his shoe repair at: 7650 S. Redwood Rd., Ste. B, West Jordan, UT 84084. You can also contact him at: roycecustomleather.com, his business is Royce Custom Leather LLC.
So, if you have a plain ordinary leather jacket, vest, pants, boots or chaps do not think that they have to stay plain and ordinary. You can customize them yourself if you want to take the time and expense and even the possible risk of doing it yourself or you could take the article to a shoe repair or a custom leather shop and have them do something for you to your taste. Now granted, I have been trained by my older brothers to do what I have done in my past and they were trained by our uncle Rod who was GREAT at what he did. You are capable of doing it yourself with the right tools and materials.
First you would need to decide exactly what custom changes you would like to make to your leather article, say a leather vest. Personally, I would want to maybe braid some leather down the side for a different look which would also serve as a air vent to allow air to circulate through without taking away from the strength of the vest.
Tools required: Multi-hole punch or a 1/4" hole punch or smaller and mallet (Has a ring of about 6
different size hole punches on a pliers)
Tape measure and a seam marker (A seam marker wipes off very easy when
finished)
White grease marker (To mark the placement of the holes to be punched)
1/4" width, long leather strips (The color you want or the same color as the article
working on)
Lacing Needles (Flat needles for lacing thin leather strips, the end has small barbs)
All of these tools and supplies can easily be found and bought at a TANDY Leather Company which can be found in several cities all over the place or on the WEB.
Once you have your supplies and tools, you need to mark off on the vest exactly where you will be punching the holes so that you can braid the leather strips into it for your custom look. Start by folding the vest over at the seam that runs down the outside under the arm. Once folded, mark a thin line about a 1/2" in from the seam. This will be the line you will punch your holes down. Now mark small cross lines starting from the top just below the top seam of stitching so as not to punch a hole in any stitching of a seam every 1/4" going down to the bottom. You will end up with a line with small crosses on it and you will be ready to punch holes centered over each cross. Use the grease marker to go over and mark each cross if you wish to ensure you do not miss one or accidentally rub one off while punching the holes. It is very important that while punching the holes, that you do not move the folded seam area of the vest. You want to keep the opposite side lined up exactly. Once you have marked all of the holes to be punched, you are ready to start punching holes. You can use bulk paper office clips, the kind you pinch the handles together to open the C-clamp on to clip onto the seam of your leather vest to hold it together while you punch the holes. Whatever it takes for you to ensure you get straight and even holes on both sides of the vest seam. Once you are finished punching the holes, get the 1/4" leather strips and a lacing needle for each end of the leather strip. Start from the top on the inside of the vest feeding the needles out evenly so that the leather strip is flat on the inside and that you have the same length on either side. Now insert the needle in the third hole on the opposite side and bring it back out of the second hole of that same side. Then do likewise with the other needle on the other side. Now, repeat this skip one hole on the opposite side inserting the needle and come back out of the hole you skipped, then do the same with you other needle on the other side. Remember that if you start from the left side, always start from the left side with each new braid. It will keep it uniform and smooth. Once you have reached the bottom, feed the excess through the opposite side forming the final cross or braid so that the needles are on the inside. Flip the vest inside out and insert the needles into the braid center and back out about 2" higher above the finished braid. If you have either some rubber cement or contact cement that you can put on the soft side of the strips before inserting them here it could make for a more secure bond, but it is not required. Once you are finished braiding the side, unfold the vest completely and lay the seam over something solid and lightly tap the newly braided seam with a mallet or hammer. Do not hit it hard or you may cut or damage the leather braiding you have just worked so hard to put in. Repeat on the other side of the vest for a uniform look.
You can also put leather tassels on your leather articles yourself if you choose using the same tools, by punching either two holes for a simple look or four holes for a crossed or braided look. You can place all types of metal or other decorative objects into these leather tassels if you so desire.
Like I said before, customizing your leather motorcycle gear is not hard and you can do it yourself or pay to have a professional do it for you.
For all of you that live in or near WAXAHACHIE, TEXAS you can contact my brother, J.D. at his shoe repair at 972-938-7979. Hours of operation are: Tues. - Fri. 10 am - 6 pm & Sat. 10 am - 5 pm. If you are close to the area, you could just stop by his shoe repair at: 507 N. Hwy. 77, Ste. 1100C, Waxahachie, TX 75165. You can also contact him at: TexasBootRepair.com
For those of you that live in or near WEST JORDAN, UTAH you can contact my brother, Dan at his shoe repair at 801-448-1928. Hours of operation are Tues. - Sat. 10 am - 6 pm. If you are close to the area, you could just stop by his shoe repair at: 7650 S. Redwood Rd., Ste. B, West Jordan, UT 84084. You can also contact him at: roycecustomleather.com, his business is Royce Custom Leather LLC.
Welcome to my blog about leather care & repair.
Welcome to my blog about leather care and repair everyone. I will be writing about all types of leather products for the care and treatment of your leather shoes, boots, bags, briefcases, coats/jackets, chaps, pants, skirts, furniture, motorcycle gear, saddlebags, saddles, tack, sports equipment, and basically anything that you can think of that is made from leather. In my over 30 years of experience, I have cleaned, conditioned, polished, waterproofed, recolored and repaired just about every kind of leather made product you have heard of and some you may not have.
I will be introducing you to many products and explaining just how to use them so that you can get the best results yourself. Everyone owns some type of shoes or boots that require cleaning, conditioning, polishing and repairing from time to time. I will start with talking about how to take care of your leather purses, briefcases, skirts and coats/jackets because the care for these articles and products is very much the same as taking care of your shoes and boots. Although, the biggest difference is that you need to use more care in the amount of polish with color on these types of articles due to the fact that they tend to rub against your clothing throughout the day. You really do not want to have color transfer from say a burgundy briefcase onto a beige skirt or khaki pants. I will explain how you can keep your articles clean, conditioned, polished and professional looking almost like new for a long time. Doing this yourself will save you lots of money as well.
I will also let you know about the places where you can find these different products to care for your leather articles as well as to get your articles repaired when needed. Lets face it, leather is not as strong as we all would like it to be. Some repairs you will be able to do yourself and I will explain how to do them. While other repairs will require the help of a trades craftsman such as a shoe repairman or a custom leather repair shop. Do not always think you have to go to a custom leather repair company though just because you have expensive leather goods. As a shoe repairman, I repaired so many different types of leather products that had nothing to do with shoes or boots. Shoe repairman in some cases have great skills to repair nearly any type of leather product, although there are some repairman that have not been trained properly either. So, if you do not find one that can repair your article, just go to the next repair shop and ask.
I will continue to post to this blog more information about how to care for your leather goods and give details on just how you can do it yourself or where you can go to get it done if you do not have the time.
I will be introducing you to many products and explaining just how to use them so that you can get the best results yourself. Everyone owns some type of shoes or boots that require cleaning, conditioning, polishing and repairing from time to time. I will start with talking about how to take care of your leather purses, briefcases, skirts and coats/jackets because the care for these articles and products is very much the same as taking care of your shoes and boots. Although, the biggest difference is that you need to use more care in the amount of polish with color on these types of articles due to the fact that they tend to rub against your clothing throughout the day. You really do not want to have color transfer from say a burgundy briefcase onto a beige skirt or khaki pants. I will explain how you can keep your articles clean, conditioned, polished and professional looking almost like new for a long time. Doing this yourself will save you lots of money as well.
I will also let you know about the places where you can find these different products to care for your leather articles as well as to get your articles repaired when needed. Lets face it, leather is not as strong as we all would like it to be. Some repairs you will be able to do yourself and I will explain how to do them. While other repairs will require the help of a trades craftsman such as a shoe repairman or a custom leather repair shop. Do not always think you have to go to a custom leather repair company though just because you have expensive leather goods. As a shoe repairman, I repaired so many different types of leather products that had nothing to do with shoes or boots. Shoe repairman in some cases have great skills to repair nearly any type of leather product, although there are some repairman that have not been trained properly either. So, if you do not find one that can repair your article, just go to the next repair shop and ask.
I will continue to post to this blog more information about how to care for your leather goods and give details on just how you can do it yourself or where you can go to get it done if you do not have the time.
Leather jacket repair and conditioning.
If you own a leather jacket and you have ever put to much stuff into the pockets or loaned it to a friend and the pocket was torn along the outer edge up the side of the jacket, you are not alone. This is a common tear in leather jackets. It may seem like it cannot be repaired, but let me assure you that it can be fixed. Simply take the jacket to a shoe repair or to a leather repair company and they will quote you a price to patch the tear. They will have to open up the seam at the bottom of the jacket to gain access to the inside of the pocket area. This way the leather patch can be glued into place on the inside of the tear to hold the torn leather together to make the tear not very visible. In some cases the patch may need to be stitched into place depending on how much stress the area gets during common wear. If stitching is needed, you will see stitching along both sides of the tear keeping it together. If the repairman is really good and knows how to do finishing work well, you may not even notice the tear after they are done unless it had to be stitched. Even then if it is finished and polished correctly with a good wax, the stitching can all but be hidden as well by smoothing it over with a semi-hard wax and buffing it with a buffing wheel. If the tear does not need to be stitched and the patch can be simply glued into place, the seam of the tear will be so clean and smooth it may not be seen without very close inspection.
Conditioning of your leather jacket is very simple. Simply pick a high quality leather conditioner, such as, Leather Balm or Tannery and use as directed. With either product you simply use small quantities and spread them over a large area to prevent from leaving excess on the jacket. The leather conditioner will go a long way. Leather Balm is a liquid cream that comes in a bottle and is applied with a rag over your finger. You apply it in small circles working it into the leather spreading it until the excess is completely worked in. You buff the conditioner off with a clean soft rag or t-shirt until the leather comes to a shine. Tannery is a spray conditioner and cleaner that comes in an aerosol can. With this conditioner you just spray it on lightly over the leather and allow it to soak in for a couple of minutes, then rub in with a rag or t-shirt to completely cover the area. Then buff the leather with a clean rag or t-shirt until all of the excess conditioner is removed and the leather comes to a shine.
This same type of leather repair applies to all types of leather products, not just jackets. The conditioning also applies to all types of leather as well.
Conditioning of your leather jacket is very simple. Simply pick a high quality leather conditioner, such as, Leather Balm or Tannery and use as directed. With either product you simply use small quantities and spread them over a large area to prevent from leaving excess on the jacket. The leather conditioner will go a long way. Leather Balm is a liquid cream that comes in a bottle and is applied with a rag over your finger. You apply it in small circles working it into the leather spreading it until the excess is completely worked in. You buff the conditioner off with a clean soft rag or t-shirt until the leather comes to a shine. Tannery is a spray conditioner and cleaner that comes in an aerosol can. With this conditioner you just spray it on lightly over the leather and allow it to soak in for a couple of minutes, then rub in with a rag or t-shirt to completely cover the area. Then buff the leather with a clean rag or t-shirt until all of the excess conditioner is removed and the leather comes to a shine.
This same type of leather repair applies to all types of leather products, not just jackets. The conditioning also applies to all types of leather as well.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Repairs and strap shortening on purses, bags and briefcases.
Purses, bags and briefcases all have a few things in common. They all get placed on the floor, tossed, on the car seat or floorboard, kicked under a desk, rub against our clothing while being carried, have straps and zippers and clasps. All of these things open up these articles of leather products for all sorts of repair possibilities and upkeep. All of the tossing kicking, placing on the floor and rubbing against our clothing can damage the finish and remove some of the color by scuffing the leather. Also, you may end up with cuts or tears in the leather as well as seams wearing our or the stitching just breaking. The straps, zippers and clasps have their own set of issues that can cause you headaches. I will cover each of these issues and address how you could fix it yourself if possible or recommend taking it to a shoe repair to have it fixed.
As with shoes and boots, purses, bags and briefcases need to be kept conditioned to protect the leather. Waterproofing will also help protect the leather from damage and even fading. However, with day to day use as we all know, these types of bags sustain many types of damage from small cuts and scuffs to large tears and even holes. Now the large tears and holes would require a skilled craftsman such as a shoe repairmen like myself or my brothers. There are many skilled leather craftsmen out there in shoe repair shops and leather repair businesses around the world, all you have to do is check around and ask questions. Just do not give up if one or two repair people tell you that they do not work on your type of leather product. I have worked on some very strange leather products in my past. With the small cuts and scuffs, you can get a tube of contact cement for leather to glue the cut down and clean off the excess glue off the surface after it dries. It usually will rub off, just be sure to rub it the direction of the cut so that you do not rub the cut open again.
Scuffs on your leather can be smoothed out with polish in some cases depending on how rough the scuff is and how much of the color has been scuffed off. If you can polish the scuff out, take you leather article to a shoe repair with you to match the color to a polish. Do not use to much polish! Rub the polish on in small circles spreading it out and rubbing it in until it is dull and there is no excess polish on the surface. Do not try to polish the entire purse, bag or briefcase at one once, do it in stages or areas. Once you have put polish over the entire area you are working on, use a horse hair polishing brush or a clean cotton t-shirt to buff the polish to a shine. Now take a clean cotton t-shirt or rag and rebuff the article to ensure that there is no excess polish that could rub off or transfer to your clothing. Then use a waterproof spray or a lite spray wax shine (MASTER SHINE) for leather to seal the polish.
If the scuff is extremely bad, you have a couple of choices. Your easiest choice is to find a shoe repair that recolors leather or refinishes leather. This is basically dying or painting the leather with specialized dyes and paints for leather. They will match the color as close as possible and recondition it after the refinishing is complete to ensure the new finish is not sticky and very flexible with the leather it is now apart of. You can do it yourself as well. Go to a shoe repair, take your leather article to match a color and ask about leather paint. Buy some leather cleaner such as thinner or spot remover to clean the entire surface of the article before you start and allow to dry completely. There are two major brands that I like: MELTONIAN and Nu-Life. Both of these brands are specialized for leather and I prefer to use TANNERY leather conditioner spray as my conditioner of choice after the paint has dried. With the bad scuffs, mist just enough paint directly onto the scuff to make it a little wet and rub it into the scuff with your finger tip until it is smooth and not wet looking. Completely cover the entire scuff mark in this manner to replace the color and smooth out the scuffed leather. The paint will help fill in the rough leather to bring back the smooth surface. Let this dry for a few minutes and then lightly mist the area with paint holding the can about 6 to 10 inches from the leather. AVOID WET RUNS IN THE PAINT. Paint the leather in a light coat to blend the new color with the old color to get an even color match all over. Once you have your desired color and appearance, allow to dry for at least several hours ever 24 hours if you can. Then use the Tannery leather conditioner spray by lightly spraying it over the leather article over the entire newly painted area and allow to sit for a couple of minutes and wipe off with a clean cotton t-shirt or rag. If you cannot find Tannery you can get Leather Balm or any other leather conditioner that may be recommended by the shoe repairmen where you buy the paint. The shoe repairmen will be a GREAT source of information and opinions when doing work yourself if you are not sure what to do.
Pretty much all sewing involving purses, bags and briefcases, I would recommend that you find a shoe repair near you and take it in to have them look at it and have it repaired. Most home sewing machines are not able to sew leather very well if at all and some issues requiring sewing on purses, bags and briefcases may require a patch or maybe even hand sewing with a hook awl needle.
Straps can be shortened if you find that they are to long for you or have new holes punched into them for further adjustment. If you have a strap that broke off from your purse, bag or briefcase, it can be repaired at a shoe repair. Do not get rid of your favorite bag because a strap broke. It usually does not cost very much to repair a strap depending on how it was attached and what needs to be done to re-attach it. Stitching comes undone on straps after months or years of being carried around. Straps can be restitched on machines or be hand stitched if needed. Shoulder purses and bags can have the straps shortened to make them hand bags.
Handles on briefcases can be replaced and repaired!
Zippers are an issue with all types of leather products, especially purses, bags and some briefcases. Zippers can be repaired or replaced and it is cheaper than replacing the leather article in most cases. Most of the time the zipper just needs to be fixed or adjusted. Sometimes a stitch or a clip to stop the slider at a new point will help. New sliders can be replaced and new zippers can be put in. Shoe repair shop do this all the time. You also have other repair companies out there that just work on baggage.
Clasps, "D" rings, "O" rings and other attachments on purses, bags and briefcases can be replaced or repaired as well. Do not think that just because it broke to just throw it away. Take it to a shoe repair and ask the question. Odds are that they can fix it or know someone that can. Most articles with straps or handles have "D" rings, "O" rings or other types of links to attach them to the bags. When a strap breaks loose from these it can be re-attached either by patching, new leather straps or just sewing back into place. New rings or links can be replaced without a problem as well.
Simple thing is that you should never think that all you can do is donate or throw away your leather article just because it is broken or damaged. If you are attached to or if it is an expensive leather article always take it to a shoe repair shop or a leather repair shop and ask about repairing it and get a price before you just get rid of it.
As with shoes and boots, purses, bags and briefcases need to be kept conditioned to protect the leather. Waterproofing will also help protect the leather from damage and even fading. However, with day to day use as we all know, these types of bags sustain many types of damage from small cuts and scuffs to large tears and even holes. Now the large tears and holes would require a skilled craftsman such as a shoe repairmen like myself or my brothers. There are many skilled leather craftsmen out there in shoe repair shops and leather repair businesses around the world, all you have to do is check around and ask questions. Just do not give up if one or two repair people tell you that they do not work on your type of leather product. I have worked on some very strange leather products in my past. With the small cuts and scuffs, you can get a tube of contact cement for leather to glue the cut down and clean off the excess glue off the surface after it dries. It usually will rub off, just be sure to rub it the direction of the cut so that you do not rub the cut open again.
Scuffs on your leather can be smoothed out with polish in some cases depending on how rough the scuff is and how much of the color has been scuffed off. If you can polish the scuff out, take you leather article to a shoe repair with you to match the color to a polish. Do not use to much polish! Rub the polish on in small circles spreading it out and rubbing it in until it is dull and there is no excess polish on the surface. Do not try to polish the entire purse, bag or briefcase at one once, do it in stages or areas. Once you have put polish over the entire area you are working on, use a horse hair polishing brush or a clean cotton t-shirt to buff the polish to a shine. Now take a clean cotton t-shirt or rag and rebuff the article to ensure that there is no excess polish that could rub off or transfer to your clothing. Then use a waterproof spray or a lite spray wax shine (MASTER SHINE) for leather to seal the polish.
If the scuff is extremely bad, you have a couple of choices. Your easiest choice is to find a shoe repair that recolors leather or refinishes leather. This is basically dying or painting the leather with specialized dyes and paints for leather. They will match the color as close as possible and recondition it after the refinishing is complete to ensure the new finish is not sticky and very flexible with the leather it is now apart of. You can do it yourself as well. Go to a shoe repair, take your leather article to match a color and ask about leather paint. Buy some leather cleaner such as thinner or spot remover to clean the entire surface of the article before you start and allow to dry completely. There are two major brands that I like: MELTONIAN and Nu-Life. Both of these brands are specialized for leather and I prefer to use TANNERY leather conditioner spray as my conditioner of choice after the paint has dried. With the bad scuffs, mist just enough paint directly onto the scuff to make it a little wet and rub it into the scuff with your finger tip until it is smooth and not wet looking. Completely cover the entire scuff mark in this manner to replace the color and smooth out the scuffed leather. The paint will help fill in the rough leather to bring back the smooth surface. Let this dry for a few minutes and then lightly mist the area with paint holding the can about 6 to 10 inches from the leather. AVOID WET RUNS IN THE PAINT. Paint the leather in a light coat to blend the new color with the old color to get an even color match all over. Once you have your desired color and appearance, allow to dry for at least several hours ever 24 hours if you can. Then use the Tannery leather conditioner spray by lightly spraying it over the leather article over the entire newly painted area and allow to sit for a couple of minutes and wipe off with a clean cotton t-shirt or rag. If you cannot find Tannery you can get Leather Balm or any other leather conditioner that may be recommended by the shoe repairmen where you buy the paint. The shoe repairmen will be a GREAT source of information and opinions when doing work yourself if you are not sure what to do.
Pretty much all sewing involving purses, bags and briefcases, I would recommend that you find a shoe repair near you and take it in to have them look at it and have it repaired. Most home sewing machines are not able to sew leather very well if at all and some issues requiring sewing on purses, bags and briefcases may require a patch or maybe even hand sewing with a hook awl needle.
Straps can be shortened if you find that they are to long for you or have new holes punched into them for further adjustment. If you have a strap that broke off from your purse, bag or briefcase, it can be repaired at a shoe repair. Do not get rid of your favorite bag because a strap broke. It usually does not cost very much to repair a strap depending on how it was attached and what needs to be done to re-attach it. Stitching comes undone on straps after months or years of being carried around. Straps can be restitched on machines or be hand stitched if needed. Shoulder purses and bags can have the straps shortened to make them hand bags.
Handles on briefcases can be replaced and repaired!
Zippers are an issue with all types of leather products, especially purses, bags and some briefcases. Zippers can be repaired or replaced and it is cheaper than replacing the leather article in most cases. Most of the time the zipper just needs to be fixed or adjusted. Sometimes a stitch or a clip to stop the slider at a new point will help. New sliders can be replaced and new zippers can be put in. Shoe repair shop do this all the time. You also have other repair companies out there that just work on baggage.
Clasps, "D" rings, "O" rings and other attachments on purses, bags and briefcases can be replaced or repaired as well. Do not think that just because it broke to just throw it away. Take it to a shoe repair and ask the question. Odds are that they can fix it or know someone that can. Most articles with straps or handles have "D" rings, "O" rings or other types of links to attach them to the bags. When a strap breaks loose from these it can be re-attached either by patching, new leather straps or just sewing back into place. New rings or links can be replaced without a problem as well.
Simple thing is that you should never think that all you can do is donate or throw away your leather article just because it is broken or damaged. If you are attached to or if it is an expensive leather article always take it to a shoe repair shop or a leather repair shop and ask about repairing it and get a price before you just get rid of it.
My Brothers J.D. & Dan run Shoe Repair Businesses in Texas & Utah.
For all of you that live in or near WAXAHACHIE, TEXAS you can contact
my brother, J.D. at his shoe repair at 972-938-7979. Hours of operation
are: Tues. - Fri. 10 am - 6 pm & Sat. 10 am - 5 pm. If you are
close to the area, you could just stop by his shoe repair at: 507 N.
Hwy. 77, Ste. 1100C, Waxahachie, TX 75165. You can also contact him at: TexasBootRepair.com
For those of you that live in or near WEST JORDAN, UTAH you can contact my brother, Dan at his shoe repair at 801-448-1928. Hours of operation are Tues. - Sat. 10 am - 6 pm. If you are close to the area, you could just stop by his shoe repair at: 7650 S. Redwood Rd., Ste. B, West Jordan, UT 84084. You can also contact him at: roycecustomleather.com, his business is Royce Custom Leather LLC.
For those of you that live in or near WEST JORDAN, UTAH you can contact my brother, Dan at his shoe repair at 801-448-1928. Hours of operation are Tues. - Sat. 10 am - 6 pm. If you are close to the area, you could just stop by his shoe repair at: 7650 S. Redwood Rd., Ste. B, West Jordan, UT 84084. You can also contact him at: roycecustomleather.com, his business is Royce Custom Leather LLC.
Exotic skin repair and conditioning.
With your exotic skin leather products, if you do not keep them
conditioned you will find that they will begin to dry and peel. If you
find that your exotic skin article already has splits or areas of
peeling, you can repair this yourself before you condition it. To repair the splits or peeling, you will need to either go to a shoe repair or to a store that sells shoe repair type products because you will need Contact Cement especially for leather. Personally, I would recommend taking it to a shoe repair because they will repair ir for you and make sure that any excess glue is removed. Also, depending on the shoe repair sometimes they will do a quick conditioning of your product after they repaired it. The cost is usually very low, in most cases in my own business past I only charged $3.00 minimum for a repair such as gluing something or a minor sewing job. Be aware that there are some exotic skin repairs that may require sewing or some type of patching to place some type of thin leather behind the slit in order to provide extra strength.
Exotic skin products such as boots, shoes, bags/purses, belts, etc. tend to cost more to buy and some are extremely expensive. So before you just decide that the article is ruined take it to a shoe repair and have them look at it to see if they can repair it. If the first place you go says no or says they cannot or have never done that before, try another shoe repair. Not all repairmen have the same experience but they all have their own strengths.
For all of you that live in or near WAXAHACHIE, TEXAS you can contact my brother, J.D. at his shoe repair at 972-938-7979. Hours of operation are: Tues. - Fri. 10 am - 6 pm & Sat. 10 am - 5 pm. If you are close to the area, you could just stop by his shoe repair at: 507 N. Hwy. 77, Ste. 1100C, Waxahachie, TX 75165. You can also contact him at: TexasBootRepair.com
For those of you that live in or near WEST JORDAN, UTAH you can contact my brother, Dan at his shoe repair at 801-448-1928. Hours of operation are Tues. - Sat. 10 am - 6 pm. If you are close to the area, you could just stop by his shoe repair at: 7650 S. Redwood Rd., Ste. B, West Jordan, UT 84084. You can also contact him at roycecustomleather.com, his business is Royce Custom Leather LLC.
Exotic skin products such as boots, shoes, bags/purses, belts, etc. tend to cost more to buy and some are extremely expensive. So before you just decide that the article is ruined take it to a shoe repair and have them look at it to see if they can repair it. If the first place you go says no or says they cannot or have never done that before, try another shoe repair. Not all repairmen have the same experience but they all have their own strengths.
For all of you that live in or near WAXAHACHIE, TEXAS you can contact my brother, J.D. at his shoe repair at 972-938-7979. Hours of operation are: Tues. - Fri. 10 am - 6 pm & Sat. 10 am - 5 pm. If you are close to the area, you could just stop by his shoe repair at: 507 N. Hwy. 77, Ste. 1100C, Waxahachie, TX 75165. You can also contact him at: TexasBootRepair.com
For those of you that live in or near WEST JORDAN, UTAH you can contact my brother, Dan at his shoe repair at 801-448-1928. Hours of operation are Tues. - Sat. 10 am - 6 pm. If you are close to the area, you could just stop by his shoe repair at: 7650 S. Redwood Rd., Ste. B, West Jordan, UT 84084. You can also contact him at roycecustomleather.com, his business is Royce Custom Leather LLC.
TANNERY leather cleaner and conditioner spray.
TANNERY is one of the simplest and effect spray cleaner and conditioners on the market. I have used it for many years on every type of leather and exotic skins of all kinds. This spray conditioner is perfect to use on all colors and all types of smooth leather. DO NOT USE ON SUEDE LEATHER! If you have a pair of ropers or other type of leather boots or even any other type of leather product that you may use a leather spray paint to recolor, Tannery is one of the best conditioners to treat it after the paint dries. I used it for years as a conditioner after recoloring boots and all other leather products.
If you have leather furniture, Tannery is great for keeping the leather soft and smooth. To use this product, you simply lightly spray it over the surface of the leather and let it set for a couple of minutes and then wipe with a clean cloth. For the most part, I used a clean old t-shirt. The cotton t-shirt worked extremely well wiping the cleaner and conditioner into the leather and taking the excess off. Tannery absorbs into the leather to condition deep and cleans the surface of all dirt and oils that are left behind from day to day use. Now there are some things that Tannery cannot remove and it cases when a stain will not come off, get a product called Spot Remover. If that does not work, depending on how delicate the leather is, take it to a shoe repair or try leather dry cleaner. After using any of these other striping and cleaning products though, you must recondition your leather article to replenish the moisture in the leather.
If you have leather furniture, Tannery is great for keeping the leather soft and smooth. To use this product, you simply lightly spray it over the surface of the leather and let it set for a couple of minutes and then wipe with a clean cloth. For the most part, I used a clean old t-shirt. The cotton t-shirt worked extremely well wiping the cleaner and conditioner into the leather and taking the excess off. Tannery absorbs into the leather to condition deep and cleans the surface of all dirt and oils that are left behind from day to day use. Now there are some things that Tannery cannot remove and it cases when a stain will not come off, get a product called Spot Remover. If that does not work, depending on how delicate the leather is, take it to a shoe repair or try leather dry cleaner. After using any of these other striping and cleaning products though, you must recondition your leather article to replenish the moisture in the leather.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Write me with questions
If you ever have questions for me about any type of leather
cleaning or repair of any kind, feel free to write me and ask. I will
answer them the best I can and as straight forward and honest as I can.
For those of you that live in Utah or in Texas, I can give you the
addresses to my brothers shops in Salt Lake City, Utah and in
Waxahachie, Texas if you would like to take your leather articles to a
leather craftsman.
Old School Saddle Soap Cleaner
Saddle Soap is one of the most well know cleaning and preserving leather products on the market. There are many companies that manufacture it these days. Most recently, I bought a can of Saddle Soap made by PEAK Shoe Products. I picked this can up to clean my daughter's boots that she had left laying on her closet floor. As luck would have it, there was a water leak when the water heaters pressure valve sprayed water all over, which soaked under her closet wall and soaked her carpet. Which in turn got her boots all wet since they were laying on their sides on the carpet, instead of on the shelf where they belong. If you have ever had wet leather shoes that stayed wet or damp for an extended period of time, then you already know how fast the mildew can grow on the leather.
To start cleaning the mildew off of the leather boots you get a clean cloth or old t-shirt, which is what I use. Old t-shirts just save you money since most of the time it is a t-shirt you do not wear any more. Use a damp wash cloth to wipe the boots off to clean off excess dirt and mildew. You can use a small horse hair dauber or a damp cloth/t-shirt to apply the Saddle Soap to the leather. While applying the Saddle Soap using small circular motions, work it into a slight lather as you work it over the entire boot. Wipe off the excess lather and allow to dry. Once it has dried for a while, buff the Saddle Soap on the leather with the old t-shirt until you obtain an even shine. The Saddle Soap will not only clean your leather, it will also soften and preserve it. Saddle Soap is a neutral color cleaner, so it is completely safe for all colors of smooth leather. DO NOT USE ON SUEDE because suede is a fuzzy leather and it will be matted down. There are special cleaners especially made for suede leather and I will cover those products on another post.
If you ever have questions for me about any type of leather cleaning or repair of any kind, feel free to write me and ask. I will answer them the best I can and as straight forward and honest as I can. For those of you that live in Utah or in Texas, I can give you the addresses to my brothers shops in West Jordan, Utah and in Waxahachie, Texas if you would like to take your leather articles to a leather craftsman.
To start cleaning the mildew off of the leather boots you get a clean cloth or old t-shirt, which is what I use. Old t-shirts just save you money since most of the time it is a t-shirt you do not wear any more. Use a damp wash cloth to wipe the boots off to clean off excess dirt and mildew. You can use a small horse hair dauber or a damp cloth/t-shirt to apply the Saddle Soap to the leather. While applying the Saddle Soap using small circular motions, work it into a slight lather as you work it over the entire boot. Wipe off the excess lather and allow to dry. Once it has dried for a while, buff the Saddle Soap on the leather with the old t-shirt until you obtain an even shine. The Saddle Soap will not only clean your leather, it will also soften and preserve it. Saddle Soap is a neutral color cleaner, so it is completely safe for all colors of smooth leather. DO NOT USE ON SUEDE because suede is a fuzzy leather and it will be matted down. There are special cleaners especially made for suede leather and I will cover those products on another post.
If you ever have questions for me about any type of leather cleaning or repair of any kind, feel free to write me and ask. I will answer them the best I can and as straight forward and honest as I can. For those of you that live in Utah or in Texas, I can give you the addresses to my brothers shops in West Jordan, Utah and in Waxahachie, Texas if you would like to take your leather articles to a leather craftsman.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Select a brand and color of polish.
My favorite brand of polish is called MELTONIAN, it is manufactured by KIWI Brands Inc. Meltonian comes in nearly 200 colors which covers basically every color of leather product you could own. You should be able to find it at nearly all shoe repair shops and some major department stores in their shoe care area of the shoe department. When choosing a color, the color does not have to be an exact match. You merely have to find a color that is very close. However, with so many colors to choose from it is not to difficult to find a good match. The original color of the leather article will stay true as the color of the new polish restores the color and shine.
Meltonian polish has very rich color as well as conditioning and some waterproofing properties. When using this brand of polish on your shoes and boots to recolor scuff marks and to just shine them, you can use a small horse hair dauber brush or just a plain old t-shirt to apply the polish in small circles to the leather area and rub it in. Using a horse hair polishing brush or the same t-shirt, use rapid buffing motions over the polished areas until the dull look of the polish has turned to a clear shine. In the case of leather articles such as a purse, briefcase or item that may ever rub against your clothing rebuff the entire article with another clean area of the t-shirt lightly to ensure that you do not have much excess transfer of the color. The last thing you want to have happen is to have color transfer from your blue or black purse or from your burgundy briefcase onto your beige skirt or khaki pants. There are also treatment sprays, such as Meltonian Waterproofer which can be lightly misted over the leather article to seal it. There are also some spray shine products such as Master Shine spray wax for leather, which is a light clear wax in a aerosol can to spray on your leather products after you polish them.
I have used Meltonian polish on furniture, motorcycle seats and even some wood applications. Some of the lighter colors may not cover as well as you would like, but the color does fill in the scuffs. On most light colored leathers, you may have to clean the leather with a good cleaner before you polish it. There are some aerosol sprays and some liquids to use with a rag or t-shirt to rub the dirt off. I am sure you have noticed that the scuff marks may have ground in dirt discoloring the leather. You can pick up a product called Spot Remover from a shoe repair and it really cleans it off great along with cleaning off many other types of things off of your leather articles.
Remember, just because you get a stain on your leather article, do not think it is ruined. Leather is one type of material that has many options to clean or change.
Meltonian polish has very rich color as well as conditioning and some waterproofing properties. When using this brand of polish on your shoes and boots to recolor scuff marks and to just shine them, you can use a small horse hair dauber brush or just a plain old t-shirt to apply the polish in small circles to the leather area and rub it in. Using a horse hair polishing brush or the same t-shirt, use rapid buffing motions over the polished areas until the dull look of the polish has turned to a clear shine. In the case of leather articles such as a purse, briefcase or item that may ever rub against your clothing rebuff the entire article with another clean area of the t-shirt lightly to ensure that you do not have much excess transfer of the color. The last thing you want to have happen is to have color transfer from your blue or black purse or from your burgundy briefcase onto your beige skirt or khaki pants. There are also treatment sprays, such as Meltonian Waterproofer which can be lightly misted over the leather article to seal it. There are also some spray shine products such as Master Shine spray wax for leather, which is a light clear wax in a aerosol can to spray on your leather products after you polish them.
I have used Meltonian polish on furniture, motorcycle seats and even some wood applications. Some of the lighter colors may not cover as well as you would like, but the color does fill in the scuffs. On most light colored leathers, you may have to clean the leather with a good cleaner before you polish it. There are some aerosol sprays and some liquids to use with a rag or t-shirt to rub the dirt off. I am sure you have noticed that the scuff marks may have ground in dirt discoloring the leather. You can pick up a product called Spot Remover from a shoe repair and it really cleans it off great along with cleaning off many other types of things off of your leather articles.
Remember, just because you get a stain on your leather article, do not think it is ruined. Leather is one type of material that has many options to clean or change.
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