BESON Report post Posted March 23, 2018 Someone who purchased a leather tote from me had their bag stolen. Fortunately, they were able to recover the tote bag. I'd made the tote from a tumbled apache tan Horween leather and I've not been able to get more of it. So, the person was quite relieved to at least get the bag back (they say they were more concerned about getting the bag back than its contents...). Unfortunately, the person who stole it was less than caring and somehow managed to put a really deep scratch/cut into the side that is close to going all the way through the leather. I was thinking I might try to sew on some sort of patch that'd reinforce the weakened area. I'd probably make it some sort of animal design (e.g., a bird outline is something they're interested in) to make the patch look more "on purpose." I'm a bit stuck, though, on how I might do it. Could I glue on the patch first to make stitching it easier? Would it be a good idea to punch very small holes at either end of the cut to prevent it from tearing beyond that point? Also, as I'd want to use a different leather to make for a stronger contrast and to look more "on purpose," would I need to worry about one expanding/contracting more than the other? Any wisdom about patching a tear would be welcome ... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
battlemunky Report post Posted March 23, 2018 Pics would be helpful so we could see where the scratch is. I'd say yes to gluing down the patch first and no to making holes at the end of the scratch snce the patch with be sewn on and remove most of the stress from the scratch and carry the load. I certainly would be concerned about stretching and shrinking with dissimilar leathers but as long as the stiffer of the two is the patch I think you'd be ok. Also, unless there is a traumatic memory of the event, it may be kinda cool just to do like a baseball stich across the scratch and leave it visible. Call it "character mark no.1"? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nuttish Report post Posted March 23, 2018 For some assembly we use an adhesive similar to double sided tape but without the film. A similar product is called something like Tanner's Bond. It's painless to use compared to any rubber cement where all you're doing is sticking things together well enough to sew. Don't try sewing through it or you'll gunk up your needle and thread. I've never seen any Horween leathers expand or contract enough to notice. Maybe the dry unfinished horse butt strips but honestly I doubt it. What you're describing is a traditional repair strategy. Go for it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
