Aurelie Report post Posted December 18, 2011 Today was a "cutting" day ..... cutting all parts of my saddle + cutting latigos.... and a day for a really bad surprise!!! I store my leather in a bedroom upstairs rolled and on the wood floor heater like in the whole house, no humidity, no sun light on the hides and i found stains on 4 hides : 2 natural skirting leather 1 chestnut skirting leather 1 yellow latigo those stains are on the outside edges (except the chestnut where it's right in the best part of the hide aka the butt) I am loosing a good 1/3 of each hide what can i say??? aside that i am mad, crazy....and i would REALLY like to know WHY and HOW this happened...... Given how much this costs to me to buy those hides, i really want to why ...so that i can fix the problem what is this? some kind of humidity ? mold? if anyone has an idea , i am interested to know about it thanks Aurelie Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aurelie Report post Posted December 20, 2011 no one has an idea of what this could be due to? :/ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Phatdaddy Report post Posted December 20, 2011 Possibly close to something oil tanned and sucked some oil out from it? I've seen some veg tanned hide do this when I had it touching a roll of oil tanned leather. Looked very similar. Just a thought. Kevin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aurelie Report post Posted December 20, 2011 good tought! might be a possibility veg tanned hides were rolled on the wood floor and latigo hides were rolled on top of veg tanned ones.... huhuh huhh is it a possibility that those stains "jump" from 1 hide to another? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stelmackr Report post Posted December 20, 2011 what is this? some kind of humidity ? mold? if anyone has an idea , i am interested to know about it First, I'd ask the dog. He looks a little to guilty to me. ;-) Really, if you say the leather received no light and the temperature was constant you could take a section to someone with a microscope to example the surface closely for mold spores, but I would guess just plain old oxygen on the air could be the catalyst to cause oxidation of relative exposed areas over long periods of time. It looks like one side protected the other side and the discoloration in the center could be where a space was formed in the rolling allows air to reach the center. This is all a guess. I have stored leather double shoulders laying flat, under a bed with a cover over them, and even then the edges start to change color. I wonder if the massive use if particle board, in a home, and its formaldehyde content could be the culprit. Was the latigo rolled in the same roll? Or was the latigo laid against the two skirting side? Maybe the extra content in the latigo caused the problem. Testing might be the only way to find out. Take some sample cuts from the three different sides and store them differently. I buy veg tanned sides and double shoulders and use right away if need a light color. Those that remain rolled and stored on cardboard shipping boxes I know I will have to dye and/or cut a little waste from them. Don't have too much problems--I live in dry side of Washington State. Bob Stelmack www.pslac.org Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aurelie Report post Posted December 20, 2011 Thanks a lot Bob! Even more things to think about!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
compound Report post Posted December 20, 2011 I guess problem is HIGH temperature on store space. I have experiences with this problem .Hides loves cold and dark storage Martin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aurelie Report post Posted December 21, 2011 Ok, regarding all your toughts about this and talking with hubby about that we came to the conclusion that somehow at a moment there has been some condensation and that air is not circulating enough in this bedroom because i had some hides stored (rolled and standing up) along the handrail of stairways and everything is ok with those ones so i moved ALL my hides here... Yup , it's a bit crowded here...working in my living room 'til my workshop is finished Not a bad thing, i have everything underfoot! water, table, food, beer, dog and baby What else?? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gringobill Report post Posted December 21, 2011 Looks like oil not mold. I'm guessing it may have come from the oil/wax finish on the latigo touching the veg tan and the light colored latigo, especially if it was pretty hot where the hides were stored? Sure is a bummer, I can't imagine how much $ you get tied up in leather that you have to have shipped from the US not to mention the waiting for it to get there. Sure sorry about that. On that yellow latigo, you may be able to use cut some parts out of the stained areas and and by themselves they may not look that bad. It's just where there is a transition from the unstained area to the stain that it's really obvious. I am assuming that it's just stained and the leather is not damaged, stiff, or deteriorating? Good luck to you I know that has to be a real bummer! Bill Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aurelie Report post Posted December 21, 2011 Looks like oil not mold. I'm guessing it may have come from the oil/wax finish on the latigo touching the veg tan and the light colored latigo, especially if it was pretty hot where the hides were stored? Sure is a bummer, I can't imagine how much $ you get tied up in leather that you have to have shipped from the US not to mention the waiting for it to get there. Sure sorry about that. On that yellow latigo, you may be able to use cut some parts out of the stained areas and and by themselves they may not look that bad. It's just where there is a transition from the unstained area to the stain that it's really obvious. I am assuming that it's just stained and the leather is not damaged, stiff, or deteriorating? Good luck to you I know that has to be a real bummer! Bill yes , it s just stain no damaged i tried oiling a scrap part stained/not stained => it does not oil the same way for the temp in the bedroom , it varies from 20 to 25°C btw seasons (68 => 77 ° F) for the latigo it's not that big deal , i can easily go take the parts i need but for the veg tanned , it's really tricky and i am loosing a lot of leather given the way i want to lay down my patterns for saddles and avoiding stains quite mad after myself, haven't seeen that one coming Hard way to learn my lesson but necessary i knew leather was "tricky" to store but it did not avoided a mistake i will know better next time Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
George B Report post Posted December 21, 2011 I stored a small roll (left overs) of latigo next to a side of skirting leather and had the same problem. The oil, tallows and wax seemed to get sucked right into the skirting leather. Started storing latigo and other like leathers in a completely different area of the shop and have not the problem since. I do have to agree with an earlier post. The dog does look pretty guilty. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aurelie Report post Posted December 21, 2011 Ok thanks for all your replies guys! i had stored latigo and veg together and from what i see on my hides and what i read in your posts i guess i did a huge mistake not ready to do it again gonna re-organise my storage! I wish you all happy christmas time! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kseidel Report post Posted December 21, 2011 This is normal discoloration when leather is exposed to elements in the atmosphere. No mater how hard you try to protect it, you will get some variations in color. Shouldn't be a problem; by the time you get the saddle finished the colors should all be about the same. It will level out with washing (oxalic acid) and oiling. When storing, be careful not to store skirting leather in direct contact with an oiled leather like latigo or harness. The oil will leach into the dry skirting. Keith Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aurelie Report post Posted December 22, 2011 Thanks a lot! i seems that i ve done a rookie mistake! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aurelie Report post Posted July 31, 2012 Hello Buddies, I am re- using that same thread since my question is still about STORAGE.... Concerning my last trouble with leather, i am now pretty sure that you all were right : there was a problem of temperature and a bit of sun involved (one way or another i had my scrap leather stored in a big basket on the patio and found suspiciously identical stains on them.... How weird! i am moving my "workshop" around the house and i am "ending" in the garage....i vaccumed it like crazy it's dark, it's cool (now in the summer) and will be unbelievable (ly) cold in winter for now in the summer it is not "wet", damp, no much humidity...but who knows how damp it will turn if big rains in autumn so my question is : what are the best conditions to store leather securely? => dark = check => no humidity (what is the best % the maximum % of humidity) I am just getting crazy looking for the right spot to store my leather.....and i have to admit...i am a bit bored to get it in the living room thx for the advices guys! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
