stain old couch leather?

[tom deinek]

Found a really nice discarded couch & salvaged some leather but the brown has worn off onto somebody's expensive suit seat (based on neighborhood couch came from and high quality of upholstery).

How do I re-brown it? Shoe polish would come off & make a mess, I suppose.

Just retired so I've got time to try making a small bag for a favorite flintlock.

tia

 

[Dwight Rutherford]

I have used "Fiebing's" leather dye for many leather applications. Excellent product! Comes in many colors. I get mine from Tandy, but there are other sources. Google it.

 

[Zonie]

A real shoe repair shop will have Fiebings Leather dye in a lot of different colors.

It's getting to the point that shoe repair shops are few and far between but there is a better chance of finding one of them than finding a Tandy's in a small town.

While we're at it, that old couch leather can be turned into a lot of various muzzleloading equipment and cloths.

With enough sewing it can make possibles bags, shooting pouches and even flint wraps for a flintlock.

Now. I've turned this topic into something that is muzzleloading related so it won't be deleted. :rotf:

 

[tozzybum]

well done my ball pouches and flint bag are all retired leather welding aprons ,2mm thick and as soft as cheese.recycling old leather saves money to buy more shooting n fishing gear cos i need it :grin:

 

[Rifleman1776]

Agree with all of the above. Thrift stores, like Salvation Army, can be a treasure trove of good leather for various projects. Jackets, boot, furniture, etc. Most are very cheap. Even purses can be repurposed into shooting bags and/or taken apart and used as patterns. Be resourceful and do yer own thang. Enjoy.

 

[BrownBear]

It's getting to the point that shoe repair shops are few and far between....

Yeah. Sad. GOOD being the operative word, but when you find one it's a treasure.

If you don't run crossways with shipping regs, Fiebings is available online, too, from Tandy and other sources. Good stuff.

When dying worn salvaged couch leather, you're likely to get into get mottled results. Most upholstery leather has a finish in addition to the dying, and it's not going to accept even Fiebings well, except in the worn spots. I kind of like the effect, but don't have your heart set on uniform dying results.

 

[BrownBear]

It's getting to the point that shoe repair shops are few and far between....

Yeah. Sad. GOOD being the operative word, but when you find one it's a treasure.

If you don't run crossways with shipping regs, Fiebings is available online, too, from Tandy and other sources. Good stuff.

When dying worn salvaged couch leather, you're likely to get mottled results. Most upholstery leather has a finish in addition to the dying, and it's not going to accept even Fiebings well, except in the worn spots. I kind of like the effect, but don't have your heart set on uniform dying results.

 

[tom deinek]

Thanks all.

I said I was retired. I'm so old I call a shoe repair shop, "The Cobbler's"

lol

 

[MSW]

if you don't already have it, get a copy of TC Albert's book from Track of the Wolf. well worth the money!

 

[Artificer]

When dying worn salvaged couch leather, you're likely to get mottled results. Most upholstery leather has a finish in addition to the dying, and it's not going to accept even Fiebings well, except in the worn spots. I kind of like the effect, but don't have your heart set on uniform dying results.

I was thinking the same thing as I was reading down through the posts.

One thing to keep in mind is if one uses Fiebing's Dye, or any kind of spirit/alcohol based dye, then one can take some of the dye colour out by using a wad of paper towels moistened with alchohol or acetone. Might help match the colour closer.

Gus

 

[thecapgunkid]

Probably not a good idea to be rushing out to buy leather dye. Before you do anything, take a good look at the leather and decide what you want to use it for.

Is the finish worn through where the tush was sitting on it in its couch days to the point where the finish is worn off? If so, then dye is just going to turn it very dark and it'll run.

Can you arrange your patterns on it so that the wear is in the right places? For example, on a hunting bag you'd like the backside that rubs against your shirt to be as close to fully finished as you can get it so it does not rub off on your clothes and the seams should not be in a worn or fuzzy area lest they give out.

Are you going to use one single layer of leather for your project or can you line it...say, for example, a hunting bag or belly bag. I made my last two hunting bags from worn deerskin lined with light canvas and the bag is not only durable but also avoids being shapeless or flimsy looking.
A little gluestick will hold the cloth in place so you can stitch inside out and the turn it right and the edge of the cloth is hidden by the folded seam. A seam is where most of you wear takes place except for something like the heel or toe of a shoe.

Is there too much shine? That's a give away for a 20th century piece of leather. A de-glazer will take off the plasticky finish for you unless the stink kills you first.

Try some oil or paste on the worn areas first in a scrap piece. Sometimes you can be surprised with the results and you may not need any dye at all. You might also want to try brisk rubbing with a smooth glass jar where there are no ridges. The leather you burnish this way will have a different appearance than anything you apply in liquid form.

Olive, Neatsfoot, mink or even motor oil will work as long as you don't rub in anything that has silicon on it. You can't beat lanolin paste for that. Shoe polish will wear off, and that's why shoes have to be periodically shined.

One craftsman I know uses oven cleaner to age his leather. I pray for him occasionally.

Lastly, don't kill yourself on the finish only to betray your work with poor stitching. Stay away from the rotary punches and engage a polished awl and anything other than artificial sinew. Try to keep your stitches between 1/8 and 1/4 inch apart...the former for thinner leather and the latter for thicker. That seems to be close to the standard for 18th and 19th stitching on everything except shoes.

Yeah, it is kind of ironic that the shoe repair guy ( a cobbler) survived the shoe maker guy ( A Cordwainer) and the lesser guild had the endurance. Most of those guys today, tho, do know a lot about leather, and can help you with your projects. Let your own judgement prevail, tho.

Good luck.

 

[BrownBear]

Yeah, it is kind of ironic that the shoe repair guy ( a cobbler) survived the shoe maker guy ( A Cordwainer) and the lesser guild had the endurance. Most of those guys today, tho, do know a lot about leather, and can help you with your projects. Let your own judgement prevail, tho.

Wow.... You sure raised an important point. The several great cobblers I know are masters at matching leather color when replacing parts on shoes. Downright amazing how much those guys have learned. If you've got one nearby 2751, it would sure be worthwhile to take the leather to them and talk it over. I'm betting a matching dye job can be done, but I sure don't have their experience!

 

[Rifleman1776]

Stay away from the rotary punches

....Uh???......why?
I have two I have used since about the beginning of time. Work fine.
And, the silicone thing is also a puzzlement. I do prefer natural things (motor oil?) and used (still do) a mink oil that only recently I learned contains silicone. No bad effects I can see on some decades old items. Also, in use, I can see no difference between pure neatsfoot oil and that with silicone.
Really, except not being 'authentic' wassa matter with it? :idunno:

 

[BrownBear]

Stay away from the rotary punches

....Uh???......why?
I have two I have used since about the beginning of time. Work fine.

Can't speak from an HC/PC standpoint, but for me the holes from rotary punches are downright unsightly compared to the "invisible" slits from a good awl. With hard use, the holes also tend to stretch and open, making it worse.

Just a personal taste thing for me, but my rotary punch is reserved for the rare western-style lacing I do.

Different boats for different waters, but the bottom line is float your own boat the way you want it floated.

 

[thecapgunkid]

Brown Bear answered your question on rotary punches. They work just fine otherwise.

Silicon will attack leather fibers over time, and can corrupt a seam in a matter of months. Some of the other Cordwainers told me that it does not have much effect on synthetic threads, which they will use on 19th century stuff, but I just don't trust the stuff on leather and don't make anything modern enough to engage it.

Motor Oil isn't correct either but I just threw that in to see if anybody would pick up on it.

:shocked2:

I guess if there is a complaint at all about couch leather it is in the finish itself. The really shiny, almost patent leather, just won't look authentic in something like a hunting bag or anything produced by a cobbler. Tanners and Leatherworkers could pretty much get a mirror finish on leather, but a backwater crafted item is better off without gloss. That's a convention rather than a rule, and I betcha somebody out there can find an artifact or doc that testifies to patent finishes. I just wouldn't go there on something I'd make for a rifleman.

Some of the more supple leathers with the matte finish get by admirably, but patina over shine is the generally accepted rule on pre-industrial leather finishes.

 

[tozzybum]

silicone also wrecks plastic ,where i work is a silicone free zone.when your making crash resistant carparts from abs the last thing you need is silicone weakening the strength of said parts .silicone isnt quite the super product theyd have you believe atb

 

[tom deinek]

Wow!

Already have the Albert book.

With comments like this, I'm confident I can make a bag, post a picture & nobody will laugh at it/me.

Thanks, guys.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Silicon will attack leather fibers over time, and can corrupt a seam in a matter of months.

If ye say so...... :hmm:
But, I have leather items I made as long as 70 (threescore and ten) years ago that have been treated with neatsfoot oil containing silcone and/or mink oil containing silicone and they are still just supple and fine. Few other items not quite so old, just 10, to 50 years or so.
BTW, I do usually use a large triangle harness needle for sewing but heavier stuff it is either the rotary punch or drill press.

 

[Billnpatti]

I just picked up a bottle of Fiebings at Hobby Lobby yesterday. It's in the leather craft section.