Leather Experts - need help...

PHArchivist

Master Member

• Aug 1, 2016

• #1

Those familiar with the various grades of leather:
--Full grain
--Top grain
--Genuine
--Bonded

I have a garment that appears to be "Genuine Leather" - third down on the ladder. It bears a faux grain pattern stamped into the otherwise sanded down surface. Looks like couch leather. Or purse leather.


Any tips or tricks to improve the look?


This is for a static display, not to be worn. Supposed to be black, but is more of a dark charcoal grey.

 

PHArchivist

Master Member

• Aug 1, 2016

• #2

Here is the difference...

 

PHArchivist

Master Member

• Aug 4, 2016

• #3

I always want to flick those newbs in the ear that come back after a couple hours whining 'cause no one responded to their precious thread...

But come on peeps... THREE days!?

No love for leather out there...?

 

Mike J.

Master Member

• Aug 4, 2016

• #4

Rub it down with black shoe polish? I dunno....

 

M

MrSouthpaw

Sr Member

• Aug 5, 2016

• #5

PHArchivist said:

Here is the difference...

View attachment 650268

Click to expand...

You want the piece on the right to look like the piece on the left?

 

PHArchivist

Master Member

• Aug 5, 2016

• #6

MrSouthpaw said:

You want the piece on the right to look like the piece on the left?

Click to expand...

Yeah... But they're clearly different grades of leather, different tanning process. So not sure its possible.

 

M

MrSouthpaw

Sr Member

• Aug 5, 2016

• #7

You can still a few things and see how it works out.

You could try hand distressing to get those natural lines and wrinkles. Just bunch up the leather in a way you like and squeeze a bunch. Try not to let your nails dig in. This may have limited success if that is a furniture grade piece of leather. If you can wear the piece you can move around, bend your joints, etc. See how it should wrinkle over time and you can try and match that.

If you have a local Tandy leather store or another leather supplier near you they could recommend some conditioners that will make it shine more. Probably something wax-based. I don't really know how you could make it smoother though.

 

PHArchivist

Master Member

• Aug 5, 2016

• #8

MrSouthpaw said:

You can still a few things and see how it works out.

You could try hand distressing to get those natural lines and wrinkles. Just bunch up the leather in a way you like and squeeze a bunch. Try not to let your nails dig in. This may have limited success if that is a furniture grade piece of leather. If you can wear the piece you can move around, bend your joints, etc. See how it should wrinkle over time and you can try and match that.

If you have a local Tandy leather store or another leather supplier near you they could recommend some conditioners that will make it shine more. Probably something wax-based. I don't really know how you could make it smoother though.

Click to expand...

That's pretty much the direction I'm going now. Past three nights or so I've wadded it up, compressing it whenever I'd pass by, and letting it sit for 24 hours.

We do have Tandy, and I spoke at length with the guy (since posting the thread). He set me up with a conditioner, but I haven't used it yet.

Tandy also had a full "side" of black leather the perfect grade for what I want. I thought about grafting ti onto the original pants, but I think in the end it'd be easier just to make new pants with it (if I went that route). The side was $200.

 

Last edited: Feb 1, 2017

mdb

Sr Member

• Aug 7, 2016

• #9

I have been a bit absent but I wouldn't have been able to answer as you didn't really explain you were trying to match two different leathers

Are they two different garments? Because if different garments it's not an issue. Also less of an issue if they are at least vertically symmetric (so one grain on the lower half other on the upper half but not left and right differences.)

So could you show the pieces in context? Is one a copy of the other- one to be worn the other on display? If so then sure there are ways to tone down a surface but if you were trying to match on a single garment that's a different beast.

 

FPLeatherCo

Well-Known Member

RPF PREMIUM MEMBER

• Aug 8, 2016

• #10

The whole genuine leather label can really apply to any leather that isn't bonded or somehow fake so that could mean a lot of things let alone if it's full grain or veg-tan, chrome-tan, etc.

Garment leather like that is usually factory finished so you probably won't have any luck with dyes. It's possible shoe polish (like someone suggested) might work but it could also mess it up. If you're trying to match the colors or darken it up you could try a leather conditioner or oil, something meant for garment leather.

 

M

Maxphobia

New Member

• Aug 9, 2016

• #11

I'm not an expert but I have worked a lot with leather if your trying to get them to look spot on alike, you can't. One has a pebble texture where are the other has a cross grain texture that's where the difference is. The best way to limit that notable difference is to weather the leather and work it with either sand paper a wire brush or water and dirt naturally, the conditioner you can use to soften the leather and make it easier to do so, but if your not use to working with leather conditioners its easy to over do and mess up what your going for.

If it were me, I'd stick with just water mud and a wire brush, leather is meant to last so its not something you can do over night its going to take awhile if you go hard with mud water and the wire brush and don't apply to much pressure to the leather with the brush it should look pretty natural and a lot closer in about a week if you do it for about 2 hours a day.