Leather Tarnishing Metal

[Yankee Doodle]

Hey all! First post here and I've already got a problem! I'm not new to leather work, but everyone has a first for certain problems, I suppose.

I have a little pouch I made awhile back and I left some jewelry items in it for about a year. Come back a year later and the items inside are tarnished and stained. Some are silver, some are other metals. I know the silver items would have tarnished a bit anyway, but you can clearly see that parts that were touching the leather are way more black than others. I used pigskin to line the pouch and I guess I need to use somethign different. Anyone have any ideas what leather might be safe to use in an application like this? I am considering using fabric, but I really want to stick with leather.

Thanks for reading!

[TwinOaks]

Leather will hold a bit of moisture (or it dries and cracks), so that is one aspect you need to be aware of. Also, AFAIK, pig skin / liner leather is chrome tanned. That means that there are residual chromium salts in the leather, and they WILL effect metals left in contact with them. It's one of the main reasons why holster/sheath makers tend to shy away from it for blued metal framed guns and/or knives. Veg-tan will also react to a degree, but I suspect that is more due to the acidic pH of the leather than any specific chemicals. A fabric liner sounds like it may be your best option, but even with fabric, don't forget to seal the leather on the inside of the pouch before storing things in it long term.

[Yankee Doodle]

Leather will hold a bit of moisture (or it dries and cracks), so that is one aspect you need to be aware of. Also, AFAIK, pig skin / liner leather is chrome tanned. That means that there are residual chromium salts in the leather, and they WILL effect metals left in contact with them. It's one of the main reasons why holster/sheath makers tend to shy away from it for blued metal framed guns and/or knives. Veg-tan will also react to a degree, but I suspect that is more due to the acidic pH of the leather than any specific chemicals. A fabric liner sounds like it may be your best option, but even with fabric, don't forget to seal the leather on the inside of the pouch before storing things in it long term.

Ah, that sounds like the issue. I will try another time and will use something else to line it instead of the pigskin. Unfortunately, it takes so long to make a reaction, I won't know for many months if the new liner causes the same issues. Glad to have the information you provided, though. I'll remember to seal the edges like you recommend too! Thanks for the reply.