"unfinished" Leather

[AdrianS]

You can slick stuff like that out with a glass burnisher. Those are normal handling scuffs and not really bad marks.

also, the cleanliness of your leather from the tannery will depend on the "grade" you bought.

Thanks Cyber,

I'll have a look at glass burnishers. Does it glaze the leather, though? i.e. make is glossy?

I bought 'standard' grade from W&C, which was their most expensive on their price list so I presumed it was their highest grade despite the name. Their 'special' grade was cheaper, from memory.

If I'm not doing any tooling, would anyone advise to treat the leather before working with it? I ask because another problem that I'm having is that during cutting, gluing and stitching, the leather seems to absorb every bit of dirt that gets in contact with it, so by the time I've finished all the hard work, it's covered in specks of dirt that are hard to clean off.

[Cyberthrasher]

Thanks Cyber,

I'll have a look at glass burnishers. Does it glaze the leather, though? i.e. make is glossy?

Depends on how much you work it. But it will smooth out the grain and get rid of a lot of imperfections. You'll want to damped the leather and rub the glass slicker over those spots to work them out and then let it dry. Doing that over the entire surface will give you that smooth appearance you seem to be looking for. Those are perfectly normal tannery marks and nothing to be upset about.

As for dirty leather - first step is to ALWAYS wash your hands before handling the leather. It will suck up the oils in your skin in order to replenish its own. It's usually best to complete all color and finishing prior to assembly as well.

[Macca]

Dunhill/Hermes etc buy the best leather you can find in Europe, even then, there is huge wastage

very little ends up getting used, most is scrapped

http://manufactureandindustry.blogspot.de/2012/03/factory-visit-no-8-dunhill-walthamstow.html

[simontuntelder]

You should perhaps look into currying if you don't like natural imperfections like growth marks and such, which to me is often the most beautiful part of a hide.

Currying is the process of treating vegetable tanned leather in a certain way - like with the British bridle leather, which is a little different from the American bridle or what the Americans call English bridle.

Anyway, you can experiment with a slicker made of glass, steel or wood, which has been shaped/rounded, so it doesn't mark the leather. Then you make your own mix of oils and waxes (from the tanneries I've visited, I can recommend tallow, cod oil, neatsfoot oil and some other), then you saturate the leather and start moving the slicker across the grain, and thereby removing any marks (except for holes or scratches that penetrates the grain).

Or you could just order you English bridle from some of the English makers like Sedgewicks (which Dunhill probably buys from), Clayton or Barker. Or actually not Barker, as their leathers are quite natural still.

[johnv474]

Or, you could just buy latex gloves like mechannics wear while working with that leather. Be aware that undyed veg tan will change color over time with exposure to moisture, oils (ie from contact with hands), and sun. If you try to seal it you may be able to slow down this effect. . .but to me that's the point of using this material. I just use a little extra virgin olive oil earlyon to soften it up a little. This will darken it until the oil dries. I later apply other stuff, but it could be left raw. Since it's tanned, it will be resistant to rotting but will be very water-sensitive unless you treat it. By water-sensitive I mean it will get soggy and pliable.