cercyonis Report post Posted November 1, 2011 I have worked about, oh, a MILLION hours on this clutch purse / wallet for my mother. I accidentally got a drop of green stain in the wrong area, and thought I could get it off if I quickly blotted it with solvent. Big mistake -- all I got were indelible stains on my leather! I have since tried several different things -- saddle soap, rubbing alcohol, deglazer, lemon juice, deglazer and then saddle soap again, in that order. The saddle soap worked the best, but didn't completely get rid of the blotches. (Unfortunately I'm a perfectionist.) Lemon juice, diluted 1:1, lightened every area it touched, grrrrrrr. I already put super shene on and around the main design, so staining or antiquing is out. Any ideas from the experienced folks about how to get these out? I hate to add super shene to the remainder of the work until I know that nothing else can be done. Also, I'm afraid it will emphasize the blotches. The first photo is before any "treatments," and the second (close-up) photo is after. ~Jennifer Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MADMAX22 Report post Posted November 3, 2011 Thats a toughy, looks really good so far and it sucks but think there aint much you can do about it IMHO. Let it completely dry and super shene it and hope that some of it goes away atleast that is what I would do in my limited experience. Sometimes its hard to do but you just gotta redo a portion, just really sucks when its the tooled and colored portion that your happy with. Maybe some others will have some more ideas. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
randypants Report post Posted November 3, 2011 my advice, if you only put the finish on the design(with a paintbrush, not going out of the design areas) then i'd stain the rest of it a light brown. it'll hide the blemishes, and look good. me, i'd go for a dark brown. i just LOVE that color on leather. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gringobill Report post Posted November 3, 2011 That's really a shame because you've done a wonderful job with the tooling and coloring. But like the others have said, I'm not aware of any real "magic," fixes. You've actually gotten a lot of the spot out if the pix is accurate. A lot of the time that is one of those situations where the "more you chew it, the bigger it gets!" I believe all of us have got this t-shirt, but that's little consolation. I have tried oxalic acid, denatured alcohol and Barge cement thinner with a cotton swab at various time to try to remove stains and most of the time with limited results at best. Like the other poster said probably your best bet may be to dye the background to cover it up. Or.....start over, maybe the now tht you've done it once it would go faster and easier the second time? Sorry and good luck! Bill Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cercyonis Report post Posted November 4, 2011 (edited) Thank you guys, so great to get feedback. I kind of came to the conclusion this morning that it was what it was, and I super-shened the rest. I told my mom what happened, and I think she'll forgive me. Rookie mistakes -- I'll try to be more careful next time. I also screwed up by putting super shene not just ON the painted part, but all around it, too. After saddle-soaping the rest of the piece, I noticed the leather was darker where the super shene wasn't. URG! Plus, that made staining around the flowers and initials impossible. Dumb Dumb Dumb. At any rate, here are pics of the finished design. I am now gluing the liner and tomorrow will stitch. Edited November 4, 2011 by cercyonis Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bkingery Report post Posted November 4, 2011 OK, first and foremost, AWESOME JOB, second you're way to hard on yourself, third you can still antique over super sheen I've done it lots. Last there is a lesson to be learned. Always always cover the non painted area with something the paint or stain can't go through. I use saran wrap and cut out an area the size of the design and then go to paintin. Oh yeah if your mom doesn't want it send it to me and I'll make sure my wife will throws it away in about fifty years when it's worn out. Peace and Love Bryan Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cercyonis Report post Posted November 4, 2011 Thank you so much -- it was an insane amount of work. Seran wrap -- great idea! I hadn't seen that suggestion in any of the books I've been poring over. So glad I found this forum. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
swinewerx Report post Posted November 5, 2011 Have you discovered the way of suntanning your leather,yet? The sun will darken it, as it gets darker, it will all blend in!! Or even a light set up will darken it as well. Amazing how it gets sunburnt, but does not peel! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Menolly Report post Posted November 5, 2011 Hmmm cover the spot with your logo? It really is a beautiful piece. I'll bet your mom will be ecstatic! Sometime mistakes can be opportunities for creativity. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cercyonis Report post Posted November 6, 2011 Suntanning, eh? Hadn't heard of that one, either! Does it darken thru super shene? Thank you so much for the praise. It really helps when a person has little clue what they're doing! I don't even have a logo yet. I've stirred up some interest in custom smartphone cases, so maybe I'll have to think about that. ~Jennifer Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
swinewerx Report post Posted November 6, 2011 Suntanning, eh? Hadn't heard of that one, either! Does it darken thru super shene? Thank you so much for the praise. It really helps when a person has little clue what they're doing! I don't even have a logo yet. I've stirred up some interest in custom smartphone cases, so maybe I'll have to think about that. ~Jennifer Slower, if you have super sheen on it, that is why I as well as others, put our leather out of direct sunlight as well as lighting itself Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guapo Report post Posted December 1, 2011 Beautiful work. I had to look hard to find the stain. Your Mom will love it! Don't say word about the stain. Consider it antiqued. Guapo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cercyonis Report post Posted December 1, 2011 Beautiful work. I had to look hard to find the stain. Your Mom will love it! Don't say word about the stain. Consider it antiqued. Guapo Thank you, Guapo. My mom has the wallet, and she loves it. I'm working on a bible cover for a friend now, and already got the front decoration off-center. Ahhh, learning curves. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
