Little Accident With Fiebings Leathercraft Cement

[reddevil76]

Just finished a wallet and was feeling rather pleased with myself. Then as I was applying leather balm on the exterior, I noticed 2 spots which wouldn't soak in the balm. Upon closer look, it looks like somehow, 2 drops of leather craft cement (the white very liquid type) has gotten onto it.

As I have success washing my cement brush simply by soaking it in water, I decided to wet a small cloth, apply a little white saddle soap and work that area.

Turns out, the spots not only remained, the area became burnished. I'm about to throw this wallet out of the window in frustration, it's probably a goner but just wanna try my luck and see if anything can be done to return it to its natural colour.

[Vikti]

I don't know how well this would work out or if you would like the effect, but what about applying some needsfoot oil to it? I know that it would darken it up but maybe it would help hide the spots.

Damon

[Menolly]

You can make it into a "distressed" leather item. I am kinda partial to the distressed look, myself.

[reddevil76]

Thanks guys, but I hate to try to cover things up when it is not the intended look. I don't know why, but such little things always seems to happen just when the wallet is completed, not during. I have threw away so many projects at the last stage due to these kind of things that I am starting to think maybe I should just throw away the hobby as well.

[Spinner]

In the immortal words of Bob Ross, it's a happy accident...give something new a try and make lemonade out of the lemons.

As other have mentioned, try distressed look or better yet, continue the technique and see if you can control the glue "masking" technique you have discovered.

No sense in tossing a perfectly functional project simply because the plan changed slightly...especially when more lessons are waiting to be learned from it.

[Tree Reaper]

You can always contact the manufacturer and ask them how to remove it.

[Johnny B]

This is the reason I always clean my leather before even thinking about dying it. There are several commercial products out there that work fine. I find that using plain ole alcohol works most times. That is one fine looking wallet so it is now time for you to get creative. Instead of just a plain wallet make a work of art out of it. Some of my best looking work came after I made a mistake and had to get creative to cover up that mistake.

[walletman]

hi great wallet

sorry don,t know how to help you

but the wallet looks great

do you have the patten for it ?

if so can you e mail

many thanks walletman

Just finished a wallet and was feeling rather pleased with myself. Then as I was applying leather balm on the exterior, I noticed 2 spots which wouldn't soak in the balm. Upon closer look, it looks like somehow, 2 drops of leather craft cement (the white very liquid type) has gotten onto it.

As I have success washing my cement brush simply by soaking it in water, I decided to wet a small cloth, apply a little white saddle soap and work that area.

Turns out, the spots not only remained, the area became burnished. I'm about to throw this wallet out of the window in frustration, it's probably a goner but just wanna try my luck and see if anything can be done to return it to its natural colour.

[BillB]

Did you try Fiebings deglazer or any of their other solvents?

Worse case solution is to fill a small pan or bucket with Fiebings USMC Black and drop the whole thing into it and let the dye soak through. Now it is a black wallet rather than a brown. Once you buff the surfaces I don't think anyone but you will know what happened in that one spot.

I stopped using the white leather cement and went back to plain old rubber cement due to some of the problems you are having.

BillB

[reddevil76]

Bill, I went from rubber cement to white because the rubber cement is tricky when trying to burnish edges. Just a little too much and it will show between the layers. I don't have the deglazer, but do intend to include it in my next order (will be some time till i finish up my current stash of veg tan).

First time I am using this and wasn't expecting it to be so liquid that it flowed over. I was trying to glue a lining on and needed the whole piece covered and thought it would be easier to just squeeze a bunch onto the piece directly and then spread. Bad move.

Anyway folks, thanks for all the reply. I've finally decided to just use it for myself

Walletman - will revert

[Johnny B]

U can also use Acetone from any hardware store to clean your leather with. Lacquer thinner works in worse cases but will dry out your leather.

For a cement I use Weldwood Gel contact cement and apply it with cheep paint brushes. The gel gives me total control and the contact cement flexes after assembly. I can use really small artist brushes on small items and never get it on anything I didn't intend to.

Edited February 14, 2011 by Johnny B

[bex DK]

I bet it would look nice if you burnished the entire outside instead of just that one spot...

[Nightwolf]

if its not too late to save your project, this is what my instructor has taught us to use.

Unfortunetly I dont know the name of this stuff, but he said he got ifrom a cobbler, its yellow and spongy (but like its made out of rubber). It seems the be the stuff that rubber soles are made out of (the real spongy cushiony material. He has shown us in class to just rub it on the spot like an eraser, and he takes the glue off, you should even be able to dye normally afterwards.

I hope this helps.

[tg lucas]

i have gotten this problem all the time whenever i used rubber cement but i was able to remove it with a high grit sandpaper and then resmoothed the whole piece, doesnt work with tooled leather, end up using other means for it. the sand paper does seem to remove the burnish for me

[reddevil76]

Thanks y'all for your tips. I think I will stick with this white cement as I like how clean it is at the edges. I've put the wallet to own use. There's no damage really, just not commercially pretty.

I've found a product on springfield's site that removes stains and glue and i'd be sure to include that in my next order.

[bkingery]

Just finished a wallet and was feeling rather pleased with myself. Then as I was applying leather balm on the exterior, I noticed 2 spots which wouldn't soak in the balm. Upon closer look, it looks like somehow, 2 drops of leather craft cement (the white very liquid type) has gotten onto it.

As I have success washing my cement brush simply by soaking it in water, I decided to wet a small cloth, apply a little white saddle soap and work that area.

Turns out, the spots not only remained, the area became burnished. I'm about to throw this wallet out of the window in frustration, it's probably a goner but just wanna try my luck and see if anything can be done to return it to its natural colour.

Ohh Red don't get so down on yourself and NEVER throw your stuff away, everything that you make is a part of you good or bad and you should be proud of the fact that it is something that you made, besides that it is a really cool wallet, why not take a tooth brush and splatter cement all over it and then do the same thing you did trying to get out the other two spots and you would have the first polka dot burnished wallet around. i think it would look cool. Keep your head up and hang in there.

Peace and Love

Bryan

[reddevil76]

Thanks Bryan. I guess i do need to see things from a different perspective sometimes. As a kid, I used to draw alot, do my pencil drawings without an eraser. Any mistakes, I throw away the piece and start anew. But leather is so much more expensive that paper!

I've thrown away alot of projects since. This one, I am keeping for my own use. Right now, I am in the midst of making THREE more just to spite the first one! Hehe..

[JJLeatherworks]

Springfield Leather sells it as an all purpose eraser, item number 153-1. Cost is a few dollars, works great on contact cement, rubber cement and claims it works on white glue too. For fingerprints, oils, metal stains and other debris Fred also recommends oxalic acid (wood bleach), works great in preparing leather for dying.

If you can't fix it, USMC black covers EVERYTHING. (Doctors bury their mistakes, leather workers use USMC black).

if its not too late to save your project, this is what my instructor has taught us to use.

Unfortunetly I dont know the name of this stuff, but he said he got ifrom a cobbler, its yellow and spongy (but like its made out of rubber). It seems the be the stuff that rubber soles are made out of (the real spongy cushiony material. He has shown us in class to just rub it on the spot like an eraser, and he takes the glue off, you should even be able to dye normally afterwards.

I hope this helps.

[Razz]

if its not too late to save your project, this is what my instructor has taught us to use.

Unfortunetly I dont know the name of this stuff, but he said he got ifrom a cobbler, its yellow and spongy (but like its made out of rubber). It seems the be the stuff that rubber soles are made out of (the real spongy cushiony material. He has shown us in class to just rub it on the spot like an eraser, and he takes the glue off, you should even be able to dye normally afterwards.

I hope this helps.

It''s called crepe rubber.......I think.

Edited February 17, 2011 by Razz

[MedusaOblongata]

There are no mistakes, only last minute design changes.

Have you tried sandpaper?

[steve hansl]

A piece of natural crepe,like Nightwolf was speaking about,makes a great glue eraser.Most cobblers I think would be able to help someone out with a piece,I've always got some kicking around.

[megganpowell]

Next time, while the dye is still wet, use a plain old eraser to erase the cement! I've never tried it after the dye has already dried, but I've heard it works while the dye is still wet.