Spots on Hide?

[Pablo27]

Please can anyone identify what these spots are and what causes them?  They are all over a hide of 3/4 oz Veg tan.  Any suggestions on how to get rid of them or at least use the hide?  Thanks

Paul

[MADMAX22]

Doesnt look like the typical bug bite type scars but they could have attempted to correct the hide a little so they may look different from that. I would assume its either something from the tanning process or it had something  sprayed on it inadvertantly. Are they just coloring or is it actually a defect that you can feel?

Have you tried to clean up a small spot with denatured alcohol or something similar? 

Only thing I can suggest if you want to try and cover it up is to tool everything on the piece and or use dark dyes and a good top coat wax. They will probably still be decernable but may work for your projects. 

[NVLeatherWorx]

That looks like a piece of Tandy leather from their Craftsman Oak line.  Their leathers are the only place I have ever run across this and that is why you find that very few, if any, serious leather workers use their leathers for quality products.  These marks were in fact skin blemishes that were not corrected but were enhanced during the tanning process in Mexico (which is where the bulk of their leather is tanned).  The formula that they use can sometimes bring out some of the imperfections and make them look worse than they really are.  It does not impact the durability of the leather but it definitely impacts the visual of the leather.  There isn't anything that can be done about it (aside from never purchasing it again) so you may need to find another use for it.  If you use darker dyes you might be able to mask it but that is a 50/50 at best.

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

It looks similar to what happened when I left a green hide in lime too long.

[JLSleather]

A mark here and there is expected.  But that -- I would simply return, with a comment about trying to make their problem become my problem will cost them ALL my business.

 

[Pablo27]

2 hours ago, NVLeatherWorx said:

That looks like a piece of Tandy leather from their Craftsman Oak line.  Their leathers are the only place I have ever run across this and that is why you find that very few, if any, serious leather workers use their leathers for quality products.  These marks were in fact skin blemishes that were not corrected but were enhanced during the tanning process in Mexico (which is where the bulk of their leather is tanned).  The formula that they use can sometimes bring out some of the imperfections and make them look worse than they really are.  It does not impact the durability of the leather but it definitely impacts the visual of the leather.  There isn't anything that can be done about it (aside from never purchasing it again) so you may need to find another use for it.  If you use darker dyes you might be able to mask it but that is a 50/50 at best.

Richard, you hit the nail on the head!!  That is exactly what it is.  It is Craftsman oak and was in fact from Mexico.  Obviously they weren't showing when I purchased it, they just started showing up as of late.  Thank you for your reply and being so knowledgeable and the info.

[NVLeatherWorx]

I find these blemishes to be very similar to the spots that remain after you have treated leather for mold and I can tell you, from hands on experience, that all veg-tan leather from Tandy that IS NOT from Europe tends to mold very easily if you tend to store it away between sessions after you have cased it.  If you dampen the leather that you have shown here I would bet you tend to get a little musty smell from it.  If you do then it has had some mold try to set in that was not properly addressed prior to tanning.  I don't use veg-tan from Tandy for anything anymore since they dropped their only remaining quality category a few years ago (that was the Live Oak line which was very high-end and still tanned here in the U.S.), I only use the best leathers and Tandy has long since not been in that category.  Hopefully you will be able to get some sort of use out of this leather but you will always have the musty aroma no matter what you do to it going forward. If you haven't done anything with it yet I would take the suggestion of JLSleather and return it for a full refund and then start looking for a more reliable source for your leather.  There are plenty of options out there and all of them carry the finer quality as well so leaving Tandy behind on their leather products won't hurt you.  Good luck with you endeavors and hopefully some good will come of this.