Need Help With Fuzzies....

[reuben cogburn]

I'm in the process of making two large bandoliers for a very large gentleman. I'm in Alaska and small timers like me can have trouble getting good hides...

Anyhow... The bandoliers I'm making both have a fuzzy spot on the back of them. I just couldn't get a clean hide... The fuzzy area is about 5 inches long on a 2.5" wide bandolier that is over 6 feel long...

While the leather is dense I definetly need to take care of this issue so I thought I'd get some additional advice here.. I did put a coat of dye on one so far, and thought I'd trim off the worst, then use either atom wax or tragacanth, to smooth the rest of the fibers...

Then I'd make a determination on how to best handle the other one.

Or should I dye the back again first?...

I just wish I could get decent sides up here is what I really wish..but I just don't do the volumn yet justify the big expense..

Here is a pic after a coat of dye. Sorry it is out of focus.. my little digital camera is quite lacing in the macro area.. but it gives you the idea...

thanks y'all...

[bison]

I wonder if you might try treating it like you were burnishing an edge...sort of. After dying, try rubbing Fiebings Liquid Glycerine Saddle soap on it...put it on a clean cloth, then rub vigorously into the leather. This should smooth it down pretty nicely and give it a nice surface. Then coat with Neat Lac/Clear lac. Give it a shot on a scrap piece and see what you get. Good luck up there in the Last Frontier!

Dave

[reuben cogburn]

I wonder if you might try treating it like you were burnishing an edge...sort of. After dying, try rubbing Fiebings Liquid Glycerine Saddle soap on it...put it on a clean cloth, then rub vigorously into the leather. This should smooth it down pretty nicely and give it a nice surface. Then coat with Neat Lac/Clear lac. Give it a shot on a scrap piece and see what you get. Good luck up there in the Last Frontier!

Dave

Thanks for the advice Dave... I wouldn't have comsidered saddlesoap. Maybe I was just overthinking things as usual. But giving it a try doesn't hurt!

I'll post pics (better than the last one) and let you know how it turns out.

thanks again!

[dirtclod]

Take a piece of scrap and try sanding it.

[Vaquero45]

I just sand it. I've made some holsters and some of the back was like that. I just sanded it until it was smooth and nice looking. Worked fine for me. I came out looking like a good back should.

[Mongo]

+1 on sanding it. Once you knock it down with sandpaper, you can try to burnish it.

[reuben cogburn]

I tried both sanding, and just burnishing.. I had no saddle soap along (was on the road... yeah I my shop goes with!)... so I used the last of my Tragacanth. After trimming away the worst I burnished. The worst chunk got sanded after trimming... Both came out acceptable.

As a side note, I don't know if you guys have any issues with Tandy leather down in the lower 48, but up here in Alaska it seems like we get the bottom of the barrel.... I' not big enough a shop to order any leather from down south... The shipping would kill me for the volumn I do..

Thanks y'all