Shell Cordovan Bleeding/staining Stitching

[Chris Pass]

Purchased a few chips from Horween a while ago and am working with shell cordovan for the first time today. Noticed a big issue today while burnishing some edges. I'm burnishing with canvas heavily saturated with saddle soap and noticed my stitching was getting stained with the cordovan color (white thread). Took a dry cloth and rubbed the leather and found that it was bleeding on the cloth with very little rubbing. Am I missing something? Is there something I should have done to prepare the cordovan before working with it?

Any thoughts on salvaging this without restitching?

-Chris

Edited June 9, 2013 by Chris Pass

[thekid77]

Purchased a few chips from Horween a while ago and am working with shell cordovan for the first time today. Noticed a big issue today while burnishing some edges. I'm burnishing with canvas heavily saturated with saddle soap and noticed my stitching was getting stained with the cordovan color (white thread). Took a dry cloth and rubbed the leather and found that it was bleeding on the cloth with very little rubbing. Am I missing something? Is there something I should have done to prepare the cordovan before working with it?

Any thoughts on salvaging this without restitching?

-Chris

Chris, i'm certainly no expert, and others with more knowledge can chime in, but in the future, I would lay the project down flat so only the edge is overhanging, on say, a piece of board, cover the stitch line with a ruler, and then burnish....this way there is no way to saturate the stitch line...

On a side note, you don't need that much saddle soap to slick the edges...i just get a piece of paper towel fold it up into a square, and spritz the soap onto that, maybe two full pulls of the trigger...then apply to the edges with that...

as for salvaging the current project, I have no idea...but there is bound to be somebody here who can help good luck!!!

[azrider]

I have had this happen with cordovan from them as well. I just got some more cordovan in, so I am going to try using Wyosheen to seal it before stitching the next wallet. Bee Natural did seem to help with the bleeding, but I am not sure what the long term durability will be for the wallet, if it will keep the wallet from bleeding if someone sweats on it.