Friday, January 30, 2009

Know-how to Repair Leather

By Ethan O. Tanner

Leather is a natural substance that requires special treatment for various repairs.The only way to un-crack leather is to replace it. One approach that leather repair specialists use is to clean the leather and then re-color it. The result is that the leather will have a uniform appearance. The cracks will still be there but will be less apparent. You can also have a leather repair professional replace the cracked areas and match the new leather to the original color. This works best when you are working with a panel of leather, for example on a car seat or the surface of a furniture cushion.

Dog and Cat abrasions may easily harm an expensive leather piece of furniture. For dogs, nearly all damage happens when jumping on and bounding off. If you're a cat owner, leather fillers or tanner's resin will treat the symptoms just not the problem. You could consider purchasing your cat a scratching post and set it close to the area where the cat scratches prior to using the filler.

You may be able to repair slight scratches on leather furniture. Spray water on the scratch and cover it with a small square of 1000 grit wet sand paper from the hardware store. Sand very lightly until the surface is smooth and you cannot feel the tear from the scratch anymore. You may end up needing to re-color the furniture if the scratch damage is extensive. That would be a job for a pro.

If your leather has a tiny tear and it's not highly visible, (and if the color is black) any leather repair kit should be sufficient if you follow directions. However, there are a couple of things to be aware of in case you run into problems. The repair material may not bond well with the leather. This happens if the leather is old or if the heating element supplied with the kit (if it's included) is not hot enough.

Generally, a leather repair kit will have grain papers that you rub across the repaired area to imprint a grain-like finish. The thought constitutes that the grain will resemble that of the original unblemished leather as much as imaginable. Some grain papers are in addition to pigmented. It is hard to match color but it's even harder whenever the leather is age-old. Experts allege that unless the leather color is black, the repair will reveal.

You may need to place a small piece of cloth and padding under the tear to help hold the edges together. You can place a piece of material under the tear and glue it with the edges to be repaired as close together as possible. Hold the edges together while the adhesive dries, or use a hair dryer (very carefully) to speed up the process.

Utilizing a leather repair kit will normally hide the rip and hopefully forestall additional damage. The trouble with utilizing a leather repair kit is the damaged surface area will all of the time be weaker. The other thing you can do of course is have somebody replace the battered section of leather and match the color professionally. This is the most expert repair, but in addition to the most high-dollar.

Stuck together leather confronts a challenge. If you've a leather article with sides, such as a pocketbook that appear to be stuck together, looking inside to ascertain if you'll be able to tell precisely where the sides are binding. Hold the item over a pot of boiling water ? but not too closely and don't let the pocketbook to get too wet. The heat and humidity will expand the pores in the leather and may allow for you to work out the sides free, but don't force them if they will not shift. You could also try to work some leather cleaner in 'tween the sides. If there is grime or other grunge that's holding the sides together, this might loosen it. In conclusion, if getting the sides apart does not appear easy, take it to a shoemaker for restoring.

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