Blood Stains

[eastwes]

I was hand sewing a bag, and stabbed my finger with my awl. I got a little blood on my work. How can I remove it? The leather is 6oz. veg tanned, with no finish yet.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks.

[Sylvia]

I really have no idea... but I would start with COLD water and blot, blot, blot. The trouble is that it might drive the stain further into the leather and leave a water mark. So you might have to rewet the entire thing to get a uniform look.

[rosiart]

I was hand sewing a bag, and stabbed my finger with my awl. I got a little blood on my work. How can I remove it? The leather is 6oz. veg tanned, with no finish yet.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks.

I don't know if this would work for leather but quilters use their own saliva to get blood out of their quilts. Something about your own saliva works best for your own blood. They wad up a bunch of thread with their spit on it and work at the blood stain. I have had to resort to this when handsewing the binding on a white corset, so I know it works for fabric, haven't tried it on leather.

[bruce johnson]

I've had some practice with this. I first use a pretty good dousing/rubdown of hydrogen peroxide on the whole section of something like that. Then concentrate on the spots and might take a couple of wettings and wipings. There is usually still a smear, but less noticeable. Once it is mostly dry but still slightly damp then I use oxalic acid to clean it. This is one place that I don't think lemon juice is a valid substitute for oxalic acid. Iron freckles - yes, blood - no. There are pigments in blood besides the iron and I think the oxalic does better on those in my experience. I don't like to "scrub" the spots. That tends to glaze the leather and be more obvious, just use light wipings. Once you oil the piece it will be a lot less noticeable.

[Denise]

I've had some practice with this.

:rofl:

[oldtimer]

I have used oxalic acid and it has worked on "fresh" blood stains.

/ Knut

[Northmount]

Slightly warm water softens blood stains better than cold. Think about your body temperature.

I'd moisten it with a spray mister, blot and repeat to get the worst out, then follow up with peroxide and oxalic acid. And of course, always the sooner the better. I've had a lot of practice, used to have lots of nose bleeds, and the occasional cut!

CTG

[eastwes]

okay, once the oxalic acid bleaches the leather, is there any way to get it to take dye again? I'm using a homemade gaucho recipe: water, steel wool, and yerba mate(argentine tea) and when you leave the leather in for about an hour, it becomes a nice grey...except where i spot bleached the blood stains. this dye is best for turning rawhide black.

wes

Slightly warm water softens blood stains better than cold. Think about your body temperature.

I'd moisten it with a spray mister, blot and repeat to get the worst out, then follow up with peroxide and oxalic acid. And of course, always the sooner the better. I've had a lot of practice, used to have lots of nose bleeds, and the occasional cut!

CTG

[Northmount]

1344440623[/url]' post='259773']

okay, once the oxalic acid bleaches the leather, is there any way to get it to take dye again? I'm using a homemade gaucho recipe: water, steel wool, and yerba mate(argentine tea) and when you leave the leather in for about an hour, it becomes a nice grey...except where i spot bleached the blood stains. this dye is best for turning rawhide black.

The acid probably needs to be neutralized. A baking soda solution should work for that. After treating it with baking soda, I would rinse it off a couple times. Too much bs in the leather damages the leather. There are threads about using vinegaroon here followed by bs to get rid of the smell of the vinegar. One or two of the threads made that comment.

Good to hear all the blood came out.

CTG