Poprivet Report post Posted January 7, 2015 I've got a 7-8oz veg tan shoulder that I'd stored in a roll (no room to store flat alas.) Having finally gotten my other projects complete, I pulled it out to start the project I bought it for which will require the entire shoulder, uncut. Unfortunately, though I thought I'd had it out of the sun, the outside of the roll (approximately half) is distinctly darkened. This picture more or less gives a crappy idea of how much darker the exposed portion is: While it's not as bad as some leather 'tan lines' I've dealt with, this particular project will suffer if I can't even out the tone. By the time I'm done, most of the piece will be stained or antiqued, but I'd really like to start from an even base. I'm fantasizing about masking the dark part and taking the shoulder out into direct sunlight for short stretches (or for that matter, I have a silk screen UV lamp and timer, but it's pretty potent.) It will be difficult, given the requirements of this project, to cut pieces off for testing. Maybe I can trim a few slivers.... In any event, does anyone have anything like a rule of thumb for direct sunlight exposure and darkening? Or a 'enlightening' anecdote about handling a similar issue? Thanks in advance! --tim Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
papaw Report post Posted January 7, 2015 What do you think about putting some oil on it. I am sure others will pipe in. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
papaw Report post Posted January 7, 2015 Try this site maybe it will help http://leathermilk.com/2014/08/21/fix-darkened-faded-leather/ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
papaw Report post Posted January 7, 2015 Tim I should have said this in the beginning always roll your leather flesh side out keep the sun off it Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Northmount Report post Posted January 7, 2015 Try bleaching with oxalic acid. Has worked for me. Test on a scrap piece first. Tom Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Poprivet Report post Posted January 8, 2015 Try this site maybe it will help http://leathermilk.com/2014/08/21/fix-darkened-faded-leather/ That's an interesting site. Their notes are about sunlight 'lightening' leather. Which seems really odd to me since I've got a bunch of examples where the opposite has happened. Maybe it's not the sunlight, but exposure to something else in the air that's darkening my pieces. Thanks for the link! Try bleaching with oxalic acid. Has worked for me. Test on a scrap piece first. Tom Hmmm, cool idea! I've got a bag of oxalic stashed from my last trip pulling quartz crystals out of a hill in Arkansas (good cleaner.) I'll try a little test corner. Thanks! Tim I should have said this in the beginning always roll your leather flesh side out keep the sun off it That's absolutely what I should have been doing. I got this tied in a roll at Tandy and left it that way until I could get around to the project. Big mistake. I'm going to go reverse all my other pieces now. Great advice, thanks! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
papaw Report post Posted January 8, 2015 I think what is happening is the color is coming from the oil in the leather kind of like putting neatsfoot oil on it and setting in the sun light. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Troy Burch Report post Posted January 8, 2015 That's an interesting site. Their notes are about sunlight 'lightening' leather. Which seems really odd to me since I've got a bunch of examples where the opposite has happened. Maybe it's not the sunlight, but exposure to something else in the air that's darkening my pieces. Thanks for the link! I don't think they are talking about veg tanned leather, more like upholstery leather. Veg tanned leather will tan in light and it doesn't have to be in sunlight to happen. I ask to have my leather boxed or wrapped in brown shipping paper even when I buy it in person. If you come up with a solution please post it. Troy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Northmount Report post Posted January 8, 2015 The type of light seems to make a difference as to what happens. I have seen a veg tanned binder that sits in a bright mostly south facing (hot) window. The portion that is exposed to the light has bleached substantially. So that would say that infrared light seems to bleach, since UV is mostly blocked by the glass. But that doesn't adequately explain why leather darkens inside your workshop, since it is most likely protected from UV unless you have lots of fluorescent lamps that produce UV. Maybe it's just the heat that bleached the exposed parts of the binder. More questions than answers! Tom Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Minerva Report post Posted May 3, 2017 Poprivet, did you successfully even out the color on that leather and if so what helped? I have a similar issue. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
