I Goofed, Finger Nail Prints In My Holster

[Abram]

Well I started a new holster and while sewing it I was pulling my awl back out by pressing my thumb against the leather thus leaving some finger nail marks. Question, can I take some fine sand paper and buff these marks out or will affect the staining and final finish or should I just chalk it up to another lesson learned?

Cheers

[Denster]

Well I started a new holster and while sewing it I was pulling my awl back out by pressing my thumb against the leather thus leaving some finger nail marks. Question, can I take some fine sand paper and buff these marks out or will affect the staining and final finish or should I just chalk it up to another lesson learned?

Cheers

Why not just lightly caase the leather and rub or tap them out? Sandpaper will really mess up the grain side.

[Sixer]

Been there, HATE when that happens! ... always remember to trim those nails before handling leather

[Abram]

Why not just lightly caase the leather and rub or tap them out? Sandpaper will really mess up the grain side.

I had thought about that but figured it wouldn't work. I will try a test tonight.

[particle]

Definitely don't take sandpaper to it... Like Denster said - rub a damp sponge over the leather and liberally dampen the grain (don't get it soaking wet, but use more than just a little). Then, immediately rub over the area with a smooth tool, like your bone folder. If you wait too long, or if you don't use enough water, you're likely to burnish the surface, causing it to slightly darken in the areas you're rubbing. Also, if you haven't actually formed your holster yet (so it's still relatively flat), you can hammer along the seam with a smooth faced hammer to help flatten it out. I usually do this on the back of my holsters to close up the stitches and flatten out the puckering I get with machine sewing.

[Nooj]

If you haven't wet formed it (if you're going to wet form it), then that might be a good time to smooth them out.

I tend to do that too :-/ I also make a few fingernail marks when using my fingers to form. I haven't had any problems smoothing them out though.

Good luck,

Nooj

[Abram]

Well the holster is not formed so there may be my salvation. I will go ahead and finish my stitching and then work with smoothing them out. I also use a smooth face hammer to lightly tap my stitches, the key word is light.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Cheers