Slicking down the flesh side

[Mungo]

I tooled out a thin piece of leather that I had used painters tape on the back (flesh side). When I removed the tape it pulled up the fibers something awful. It looks like a grizzly bears back now. How can I return to the smooth condition it was before? I don’t have a glass burnisher but I can get one if needed. Would a burnisher damage my tooling?

[DieselTech]

Use some gum tract & a heavy thick drinking glass & then slick. Lightly damp it with some water & saddle soap & slick. 

Just don't get too crazy when slicking & it should not effect your tooling. Or at least I dont think it would.

[SUP]

I saw an East Asian video for this some time ago but I cannot find it. The woman used dilute Tokonole  on small sections (so that very little is absorbed) and quickly slicked it down, moving her glass slicker in long strokes in one direction, towards the edges. This pasted down the fibres while removing most of the Tokonole, leaving only a very thin layer behind. This smoothened the flesh side without making it stiff or damaging the tooling on the grain side. I tried it and it works well. Much pressure is not needed, so the tooling on the grain side is not damaged in any way. I used a glass coaster for this as I did not have a burnisher and it worked. If you use something too heavy or put too much pressure, the tooling might get affected. This technique does not require much pressure. 

 

Edited August 2 by SUP

[Mungo]

Thanks for the replies!

[Littlef]

One thing to add, which may be obvious. - Make sure your work surface is nice and clean, so you don't beat up the nice stamping while slicking the back.  It might be worth laying down a soft t-shirt type material to prevent any scrapes or abrasions.  As long as the top -stamped side is dry, it shouldn't affect the stamping. I'd probably be a little more gentle than normal, knowing that the other side is the nice pretty outward facing side.

[JDFred]

I had the same problem with some spur straps I tooled.  I used a glass slicker with water and glycerin saddle soap and it did not affect the tooling and it worked well.  It was 9-10 oz leather so there is that difference.  However I cut the straps from the belly so when I slicked it I got a lot of compression of the leather and it still did’t affect the tooling as far as I could see.