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.
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