Minerva

Thanks for the pointer. I think I read every single post on oxalic acid. I tried it on the edge of sun-bleached areas and it did not help at all. It seems that the discoloration is deeper than just the surface. The worst thing is that the marks have very straight edges and right angles, making them so obvious. Does anyone think that neastsfoot oil and then sun-tanning would even out the hide color? Maybe subsequent applications of oil on just the light areas to try and even it out? I really like the sun-tan look that some of you have posted on this forum. I'd like the chair to look like a well-used saddle. I don't feel that dying is an option for me, as it's such a big hide I'd have streaks.

Poprivet, did you successfully even out the color on that leather and if so what helped? I have a similar issue.

I'm a total newbie, so forgive my ignorance - I'm trying to fix a chair (see photo). My problem is that the heavyweight hide I purchased has become unevenly discolored by exposure to light. I weighed it down with books to flatten it for a week or so because it was tightly rolled up. It was inside, but had limited western sun exposure. My plan was to use neatsfoot compound to allow it to darken and soften a bit. (As an old horse-person I always liked how that worked with tack.) But then I saw that the leather darkened except for the areas where the books were. I called Tandy, where I purchased the whole hide, and they said that even dying the leather might not help with this two-tone problem. Has anyone had an issue like this? Do you think neatsfoot compound would help smooth out the color differences? What about putting it outside in bright sun? Additional photos with more detail at the links: Chair I'm fixing (for context) https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1x9mbciSM17QzM0dnZ6aUVvWGM/view?usp=sharing New leather closeup of a problem area: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1x9mbciSM17SkdUMnRiMVBSN00/view?usp=sharing New leather, view of whole hide: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1x9mbciSM17YkhRMk5uMHlVMDg/view?usp=sharing Many thanks!