Painting The Flesh Side?

[DavidL]

How would I get the flesh side to:

1. Level out the fleshy bits on the back for a velvet suede feel? Sanding belt/ sanding disk? How would they do it in factory? Is this just a regular split piece?

2. Airbrushing/ screen print the backside with acrylic to get the back to that consistent colour?

3. Was this a process that only dyed the flesh through some way of tanning? It looks like it is dyed all the way through the flesh looking from the side edge of the leather.

[Macca]

Haven't you already asked this ?

You won't be able to replicate that finish at home. It requires hugely expensive industrial equipment & chemicals you wont be able to buy to get that level of finish.

There is a whole industry supplying equipment for finishing leather.

The picture you have posted is just leather that has had the roll coat process applied to the flesh side

[DavidL]

On smaller pieces like 15 inch by 15 inch using a screen printing screen, airbrush w/ fan tip or a spray gun could get an even coverage.

Only thing that is an issue is with some veg tan and even high end leathers the flesh has some very small flaws that aren't even. With the picture above the flesh is suede looking almost like it was sanded and went through a heat roller. It could maybe be done with a heat press on 15 by 15 inch piece and then rolled with a tube and compressed again by the heat press.

[Macca]

you really need to roll-coat it, under pressure & using heat/ UV to cure it. You are trying to put a new finish on it, a completely new surface layer. You won't get the chemicals needed as a home user or the equipment to do it.

A bit of paint on the flesh side will look terrible.

Edited August 30, 2014 by Macca

[DavidL]

I understand that to make 2000 square foot of this type of leather a week, that expensive machinery is used and is unattainable for the small amount I'm doing.

Im almost positive that theres a way to produce similar effect at a slower rate with screen printing or heat presses on smaller pieces, but just don't know it yet.

If heat, pressure and plastisol type paints are the things necessary. Then a t shirt heat press set to low to compact the fibers, plus the plastisol/ angelus acrylic ink spread from a screen print + the heat press one more time to create that new finish. It would give a reasonable finish if the fibers from the piece was already finished properly.

Making the flesh side smooth is my concern as Horweens are the only leather that I found to have consistent flesh - they put some paste and finish it, which is the bit I'm trying to figure out how to do.

[Macca]

yet more ill informed guess work I see...

A t shirt heat press would do almost nothing to smooth out the flesh side

It requires substantial pressure & resins to smooth & seal the flesh side, you won't be able to buy them.

Then surface treatment to smooth/sand & create a surface for the topcoat to adhere to, yet more processes & chemicals you don't have access to as a home user.

[DavidL]

ok..? thanks for being open minded I guess.

[Hi Im Joe]

I think he's trying to tell you that you may be wasting your time. It also sounds like he has some knowledge of the process. So just because he isn't saying what you want to hear I wouldn't disregard his comments.

[Kustom]

Grab some edge kote and a hot press and try it out. You might not get what you're trying for,but who knows maybe you'll come up with something different that's just as cool.

[DavidL]

i agree, he has a lot of knowledge and it very well could be a waste of time. Im just trying to figure out if its possible to create a similar result, with the all the different types of paints, dyes and countless other products on the market. I may just play around with it for a while because I would be getting an airbrush and screen printing screen anyways and it is worth a try.