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what is the best way to clean my brushes after dying? used 90% alcohol and murphys soap, but what is the best?

I just picked up some boots second hand, which I wouldn't normally do, but they were $10 for a pair that usually costs well over $100. I want to disinfect them prior to wearing them, but since the inside of the bit has exposed flesh side leather, I'm unsure of what to use. I have isopropyl, which I have used before on the grain side with no I'll effects, but I'm not so sure if the same will be true here. Thanks for any advice.

Hello folks, I have my first machine ever a Singer 7-34 with small feet that I want to clean and sell. It was sold to me dipped and stripped of paint. Over the past 20 years it has developed rust, even after applications of wax. My question is. Can I dip the whole machine in an electrolysis bath to clean? Should I remove the hook first. Any input would be welcomed. It runs well and smooth, but I would like it show nicely for the next set of hand to use. cheers and thanks, James

Hi, I'm new to this forum but this seems like the right place to get some help and opinions on my new machine. I picked up this machine using fb marketplace for $250 Canadian after searching for a few weeks. The seller mentioned her sister worked in the apparel industry and used the machine for her personal non-work projects, it was not a company machine. When the seller came into possession of the machine she found it overkill for her projects and preferred her singer domestic machine instead. It seems like its in very good shape mechanically, the paint has seen better days. It has a clutch motor but I plan on replacing it with a servo. The insides have a fair amount of built up lint, I suspect from using excessive oil and infrequent cleanings. I'm planning on using it for some projects I have in mind - canvas tent, backpacks and anything else that pops up. I'm hoping you all can help me answer the following: - is this as good of a deal as I think it is? - any good videos of the teardown and rebuilt would be much appreciated, youtube wasn't so helpful it seemed - any recommendations of needle, thread suppliers (preferably a member of this forum) in the Greater Toronto Area or in Ontario, Canada in general - what is the best way to clean the machine, I'm guessing isopropyl and a cloth/toothbrush? - should I clean the machine first, re-oil everything and then test it? or should I test it, troubleshoot and then tear it down, clean, and replace any parts at that stage? - the reverse paddle doesn't seem to go all the way back up when its depressed, could this mean the spring needs to be replaced or is that normal? - a good resource on how to tell the best thread size and needle combinations, and what thread size to use in my various projects - it came with U size bobbins but the owner had it set up with a pre-loaded 'bobbin' made of cardboard, see pictures of bobbin case - what's that about? - I read somewhere the walking foot could be removed, some parts replaced and it would function as a quasi-needle feed machine, is this true? - would a servo motor with needle positioning be helpful enough to warrant the upgrade cost? My main Brother machine has needle position, auto beginning/end lock stitching and thread cutter, its the bee's knees. Yes I am aware I have a bike addiction, apparently its spread to sewing machines now too. Thank you,

“Furniture Clinic” Professional Leather Care/ Repair Kit++ : Pick up only in Hamilton, ON Please view this ad: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-other-business-industrial/hamilton/furniture-clinic-professional-leather-care-repair-kit/1468645064?utm_source=com.google.android.apps.docs&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialbuttons&utm_content=app_android Price: $ 950 I am offering an amazing deal on everything you need to start your own Leather Repair Business, or for the leatherworker to do professional repair and dye jobs. I purchased all of this four years ago, but ended up pursuing a different career. 99% of all of this product is unused and as new. It has barely been touched at all. You get everything in the attached pictures and listed below. The manuals that come with the kit give excellent detailed instruction on every repair or colouring challenge you may face, and you can also call the makers, Furniture Clinic, for assistance or advice. The kit allows you to mix any colour needed. You can check out furnitureclinic.com to see what all of these products do. I am offering much more here than is in the kit they have on the website and it is all-together worth at least $1800 Canadian new. I am offering it all for $950. I am sorry it would not make sense for me to sell any items separately. It sells as one lot. Please see linked ad for all items included, as my formatting is lost here: 1 Litre Leather Ultra Clean, 1 Litre Leather Prep, 1 Litre Alcohol Cleaner 1 Litre Leather Protection Cream 500ml Leather Ultra Clean 500ml Leather Binder 500ml Leather Revive 500ml Adhesion Promoter 500ml Leather Finish Matt 500ml Leather Finish Gloss 250ml Cross Linker X 250ml Dye Fixative 250ml Leather Stain Remover 250ml Leather Degreaser 250ml Flexifil 250ml Heavy Filler 250ml Acid Wipe 150ml Leather Mousse Foaming Cleaner 100ml Leather Aroma Spray 50ml Grain Repair 50ml Leather Glue PU 15ml Grain Copier Hardener Half-bottle of Magic-Zymes Original Odor Eliminator 30ml Mixing Cups 35 x Plastic Pallet Knife Assorted Sandpaper, Scouring Pads, and Sanding Sponges Assorted Terry Towels, and Cotton Cloth Paint Stir Sticks Colour Matching Swatch Booklet and Guide Huge Stanley FaxMax Toolbox with Shelf, as pictured Rolling Case with many optional dividers for storage and transport Cleaning, Repair and Restoration Manual 14 Paint Strainers Syringe Tampico Scrub Brush 288 page Full-Colour “Leather Care Compendium” Book by Kim and Axel Himer 0.01 to 200g Scale (will require batteries) Daylight Magnifying Lamp for natural-light colour checking 5 x 1500 yard spools of High-speed bonded leather sewing thread 4 Sponges 7 x 250ml Leather Re-Colouring Balm in: Dark Brown Tan Maroon Medium Brown Ivory 2 x Black 16 x 250ml Pigments (Standard Colours) plus 250ml Matting Agent: JS Black HC LS Blue LC MS Yellow LC NS Red LC PS Green QS Yellow RS Blue HC TS Yellow Oxide US-N Orange VS Red HC WS Umber XS Black LC YS Red Oxide ZS Violet BS Magenta KU White All of this stuff manages to fit into the two transport boxes, so that you have a fully mobile business. I also have an Iwata Power Jet Lite Air Brush Compressor that I would be willing to part with for an additional $400, but you would need to buy your own airbrush. Using an airbrush is the most efficient and even method of applying dyes and finishes, rather than just using a sponge.

Hi all! New here - as I suppose you can tell from my account. I am working on a piece using Wickett and Craig Chestnut Skirting Leather. From W&C I seem to have, from what I can tell, an oil from the tanning process on the flesh side of the leather I tried very light scrapping to avoid any damage to the skin side. I thought perhaps some Acetone, but thought this may hurt the finish to the skin side. Thought I might get some help from those much more experienced than I am. I would appreciate any feedback. Thank you!

I work in the oil field and have a leather tally book that needs a good conditioning! What is the best way to clean leather of dirt, grim, petrochemical type greases and the like? Natural and synthetic cleaners if you have a recipe

Okay, so, I had a lady call in saying she had a couch that was aniline leather, and had bad staining. She had researched a bit and found that a “neutral ph soap” was advised. She didn’t know what that was. So she called. I didn’t know what that was, so I researched it. The very sparse info I found said that dove and neutragena were neutral ph soaps. ...neutragena is glycerine. Saddle soap is glycerine. Saddle soap is neutral ph? Are all elephants pink? And after she has soaped up her couch, what should she put on it to keep if soft and supple?

All - Some PO used lubricating oil on my machine that over the years has gotten very stiff or turned into an evil form of varnish. Last time I work on the issue I traced the biggest culprit to the main bearing that supports the upper shaft at the flywheel. Mild attempts to remove it failed so I slipped the timing belt out of the way, tilted the machine sideway in a pan and soaked the bearing in situ in a pan filled with kerosene for several days. Active use of the machine made me think things were OK, but after sitting for several months it is very, very stiff again (cold mornings don't help, either). So I am looking for some thoughts and encouragement on how to clean it, hopefully without disassembly. I happily submerge the whole machine in some appropriate solvent that would not degrade the timing belt or other painted or non-metallic parts. Or on a sunny day us kerosene, heat gun, air compressor to blow things out, break cleaner... Erik

I have an expensive buffalo leather messenger bag, fabric lining, I've used non-stop as a purse since I got it. Last night I slipped on mud and fell into a pond. (Not deep, thank goodness.) It took a couple of minutes to get out. The purse was underneath me and the zipper pockets were open. I poured water and mud out of it even before I got me out of the pond. We wiped off the surface mud as soon as we got inside. I'm not too worried about that -- I've got saddle soaps and leather conditioners and all. Packed the bag full of paper towels and left it in a warm room, out of direct heat currents, overnight. This morning the paper towel's soaked and it's dirty enough I can tell there's mud inside. The fabric for the lining is something the manufacturer gets -- printed with the designer's name. I need to get it clean without doing damage to the leather. Any ideas? I have e-mailed the manufacturer and asked them for help. Thanks!

Hi all, I've been using some cotton cloths I had around the house to apply neatsfoot oil and Aussie Finish and generally buff my work. I haven't gotten there yet, but I know you can also use cloths to apply dye. So... I was wondering, what do you guys do when these cloths get dirty? Ditch them and start anew or does anybody toss them in the washer and if so, what are you using to clean them? Seems like kind of a waste to toss them, but I don't want to contaminate one project with something leftover from another. Also, I'm assuming you have different cloths for different products/types of products. How do you split them up? One per product or one per type of product (e.g., alcohol based dyes vs. finishes vs. oils)? Thanks!

Greetings, I'm thinking of making a cooking apron, which is made out of denim or canvas fabric, and line the bottom skirt of the apron with a 5 or 6 inches piece of leather. This piece of leather will run the whole width of the apron and serves as a decorative touch. Now my question is if I use pig hide as the leather of choice, can the apron be machine or hand wash? Pig hide is tougher than cow hide so I thought that maybe it can withstand the washing process. I am new to leathercraft and I'm trying to make 3 of these as Christmas presents so I would appreciate any pointers I can get. Thanks for your time, Quang

I am looking for a way to clean, store, and preserve my tools (especially knives). My first thought is something like Rem Oil, and I am curious if anyone has any thoughts on this. I store my round knife in a leather sheath, but I am worried about rust spots developing over time. Immediately something like Rem Oil comes to mind, being that a person would use that to clean and store firearms. My only hang up with this is that the residue may harm the leather when using the tool, something like causing it to not accept dye or finish. Obviously I wouldn't soak the blade in the oil, but give it a good wipe down like a person would with their guns. If there are no unwanted effects on the leather, I can see this being a great way to care for all metal tools. Any input on this would be greatly appreciated. Mark

What sort of solvent can I use to clean leather dye, please? I'm using Fiebings oil dye, and up till now I've applied it with a cotton bud or a dauber, and just discarded them when I'd finished Today I used a small paintbrush, and tried to clean it with paraffin/kerosene, but it's not touching it

I am in dior need of some knowledge.... Last night my husband & I bought a diamond in the rough. It was a pre= 1980 Original Billy Cook MAKER Greenville, TX 15" cutting saddle. I was BEYOND excited for this find & couldn't wait to clean it up! So today i went to it with soap & water, a sponge, & a tooth brush to get into the floral tooling... the dirt was really deep in there & still wasn't come out so i talked to my friend who has restored a couple older saddle & she said power wash it.... i was a little hesitant but i took her word for it... My husband power washed it on LOW in a fan setting on the washer & now in some spots it looks like the finish has literally been taking off... she reassures me this is normal & i don't believe her. I have put several coats of 100% pure neatsfoot oil on it & it is soaking now but i'm terrified i have now ruined this saddle. But also this saddle has been repaired in a few places that i can see & is very old so scuffs may also be from wear & tear but still, i'm freaking out a little. What are you thoughts? Tips? Suggestions? Kind words to keep me from breaking down into tears...lol Pictures of before & after included...

Is the product commonly referred to as "Saddle Soap" actually bad for leather? I came across a few web articles on saddle soap while researching a related topic which were news to me. "No Saddle Soap Please!" http://www.autogeek.net/nosasopl.html "Saddle Soap Truths - A Century of Deception?" http://voices.yahoo.com/saddle-soap-truths-97557.html Thoughts and comments ?

Hi I have recently brought back from Zambia an African Drum. The drum was made using traditional methods by a villager using untreated wood for the drum itself (i helped cut down the tree) and rawhide for the drumskin. The wood didn't have time to properly dry before i needed to fly back to Australia, thus it was still green with heaps of moisture. during both the flight home and the Australian customs required 4week quarantine period, a considerable amount of mold has grown on both the wood and the rawhide. The wood is of course not the topic for this forum but rather the rawhide skin. Mold is on both the outside and the inside (this the most difficult to get at by hand). I have cleaned the rawhide mold off the outside surface and attempted to get at the inside surface. i used water and a dishwashing scrubber to clean the rawhide. i have left the drum in the sun for days to attempt to dry it out. My problem and question is how can i better clean the skin and is there a way to prominently stop mold from growing. i thought about pouring a bleach solution into the inside of the drum to kill the mold on the wood. however, i do not know how that will affect the rawhide skin (as well as the wood for that matter). i will upload some pictures so you all can get a better feel for the matter.