swivelsphinx Report post Posted November 2, 2011 Hi There! I just bought a "mystery selection" of soft bag leathers. They are pretty nice- no holes, brandy new- nice suede and top grain. However, the grain side is *wayyyy* too shiny for my tastes. I've found that rubbing the shiny side on unfinished wood surfaces does soften the glaring shine, but this is *terribly* slow. So, I'm trying running it through a conventional washing machine to see if I can break up the surface a bit more and cut serious time off of the job. Does anyone have a way they break the finish on upholstry leathers? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Art Report post Posted November 2, 2011 Just be careful, the finish is only skin deep. If you use chemicals, the whole finish can just lift off like a sheet. Most of these finishes are sprayed on. They can even release if you get them too wet. If you mechanically break through to the grain, then you will have a peeling problem. I would suggest calling LCI in Dallas and see what they have to do the job 214-920-9524. Art Hi There! I just bought a "mystery selection" of soft bag leathers. They are pretty nice- no holes, brandy new- nice suede and top grain. However, the grain side is *wayyyy* too shiny for my tastes. I've found that rubbing the shiny side on unfinished wood surfaces does soften the glaring shine, but this is *terribly* slow. So, I'm trying running it through a conventional washing machine to see if I can break up the surface a bit more and cut serious time off of the job. Does anyone have a way they break the finish on upholstry leathers? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
swivelsphinx Report post Posted December 27, 2011 Hi There! Thanks for the suggestion- I'm going to check that out! What I ended up doing was running the apholstry hides through a warm wash cycle with a cup or two of baking soda. I let the hides drip dry, then gave them a quick Saddle Soap treatment. This dulled the finishes significantly on all but one of the hides I washed, and the last one is still in good shape- still too stiff and shiny for my tastes. Best Wishes, The Swivelsphinx Just be careful, the finish is only skin deep. If you use chemicals, the whole finish can just lift off like a sheet. Most of these finishes are sprayed on. They can even release if you get them too wet. If you mechanically break through to the grain, then you will have a peeling problem. I would suggest calling LCI in Dallas and see what they have to do the job 214-920-9524. Art Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
