How Do I Remove Wrinkles From Leather?

[Ian1783]

We have leather from a furniture maker that has been stored in rolls. There may be just the one large piece, or many smaller pieces, to a roll.

They've been stored for two or three years (some more, some less), and have developed wrinkles and fold marks that we'd like to get out before sewing (small bags, aprons, pillows, etc.).

Is there a good way to remove wrinkle and fold marks?

What is the best way to store leather? We have a very small hobby operation just beginning out of our home; we don't have a lot of room, and this leather is a space hog.

Ian

SF Bay Area

http://imcinnis.blogspot.com/

[benlilly1]

I know some furniture makers use a heat gun to get rid of wrinkles. Just be careful to keep the gun moving and not too close.

[Dwight]

In my shop, . . . "almost" all my leather is hanging, . . . and one day soon, . . . ALL of it will be.

Hanging it will often times remove many wrinkles, . . . but more important, . . . it prevents future wrinkles.

I built a special 4 foot x 8 foot x 1 foot thick "vault" that I need to finish the hangers in. When it is done, . . . all my leather will hang straight in it, . . . sorted by thickness and type.

I hit on the idea some time back, . . . hanging them from the inside of a closet door, . . . but I'm getting "pushed out" of the closet and into the shop, . . . and that will be my solution to anything longer than 24 inches and wider than 6 inches. The smaller ones go into a couple of 30 inch drawers I have in a cabinet.

May God bless,

Dwight

Edited February 10, 2014 by Dwight

[electrathon]

You would be hard pressed to find an upholstery shop without a steem generator. Works miracles on wrinkles.

[JLSleather]

Hard pressed.. wrinkles... .

[Ian1783]

Thanks for the tips!

I'm sure we won't be steaming our leather, though that, along with benlilly's suggestion of a heat gun, seems like an interesting idea. Perhaps I'll experiment with a blow dryer.

Dwight's suggestion for hanging sounds doable. I recall delivering a machine to a local crafter who had her leather draped over dowels that were stacked like ladder rungs (though about six feet wide) on one of her work-room walls. I didn't give it much thought at the time, but can see where it might prevent wrinkling.

Our leather comes to us rolled up, for the most part. But it's often been folded, due to size, before rolling. I just last night re-rolled some of what we have, just to see if that will help "iron out" some wrinkles. If not, then hanging over dowels will be the next test.

Much of what we get are hides from which a choice section has been removed. The leftover being folded, rolled, stored, then eventually recycled (which is where we come in) if found unsuitable for further projects. No great care is taken to prevent folds and wrinkles in pieces destined for recycling.

Ian

SF Bay Area

http://imcinnis.blogspot.com/

[benlilly1]

Watch how the dents are taken out of this couch.

[Ian1783]

That's Impressive! I have, at least, some confidence that a hair blower may come in handy. Thanks for posting that.

Ian

SF Bay Area

http://imcinnis.blogspot.com/

[Red Cent]

Dwight, please explain the vault and how you will hang the hides.

[Dwight]

Hey, Red, . . . this is one of my happier ideas, . . . had originally planned on laying them all flat, . . . just didn't have enough room, . . . so I designed this.

I only have the box built so far, . . . and the door (4 x 8 sheet of 1/2 inch OSB on 5 hinges), . . . but the idea is pretty simple. The box is a 2 x 12 thick, . . . 8 feet tall, . . . and about 44 inches wide.

There are going to be arms that rotate out, . . . heavy leather to the front, . . . thin stuff to the back.

I'm actually doing a smaller version of this with nails on the inside of my leather closet door now. Makes selection so, so, so, so much faster and better.

I'll put a small rack on the back side of the door for smaller pieces.

May God bless,

Dwight