Cleaning A 15 Sq Ft Piece Of Veg Tan

[reddevil76]

Cut long story short, a guy offered to sell me some veg tan, but they are stored in another place almost a 100km away.

He eventually brought 4 pieces (each about 15 sq ft) out for me to choose from.

He was very frank, and told me these has been sitting at his warehouse for 3-4 yrs. You could tell its kinda pink when new, but now greyish pink.

I felt bad to tell him after all this trouble that I won't take them, so since they cheap anyway, i picked 2 pieces.

I don't mind that it has darken with age, but now i have a feeling that it is darken with dust as well. My hands are quite allergic to dust, and they have the same feeling after handling this 2 pieces.

Would it be alright for me to hose them down under the shower? I have white saddle soap handy as well.

If I can't wash them, I'll probably dunk them in vinegroon and make them black.

[Crimson]

Hi Redevil,

I would probably wipe them with a piece of damp white cloth. Just a suggestion.

[Spinner]

Would it be alright for me to hose them down under the shower? I have white saddle soap handy as well.

Shouldn't hurt them at all as it's simply the same as casing the leather but keep in mind that the leather will likely shrink while drying so it you have the ability to tack it up to keep it from warping/curling, etc. I would think they would be fine with a light showering on the grain side. Depending on how thick the dust layer is and if it's just dust and not other particulates like metal dust, you shouldn't have any problems. Wiping could cause the larger bits to scratch or mar the grain side if you build up too much or if it's abrasive in anyway.

[King's X]

If you search Oxalic Acid on this site, you might get some more information on cleaning your hides.

good luck.

[reddevil76]

thanks guys!