Members Rbarleatherworks Posted May 2, 2019 Members Report Posted May 2, 2019 Hi all I have unrolled a Latigo hide I bought about 4 years ago and it is covered in a White material. My first thought was mold but I have used diluted bleach with no results then I tried Isopropyl Alcohol with a little improvement but now I am wondering if it is just waxes coming from the leather itself. I can scrape it with my thumb in some spots. Any thoughts ? I have attached a pic to give you an idea. Quote
Members jimi Posted May 2, 2019 Members Report Posted May 2, 2019 HI There, no idea what that white could be, but i reckon if you give the hide some saddle soap all over then it would most likely disappear. Quote
bikermutt07 Posted May 2, 2019 Report Posted May 2, 2019 I'm betting waxes.... Give it a rub. And maybe a little heat. Quote
Members arashikage Posted May 3, 2019 Members Report Posted May 3, 2019 Like you & bikermutt said, it's most likely the wax coming up with age and lack of use. If you take a soft rag or some buffing material, you can just rub it back in. I have some pieces of horse leather that do this if I let them sit too long. Quote
Members JC2019 Posted May 3, 2019 Members Report Posted May 3, 2019 How common is mold for you guys that have been working with leather for a long time and might store stuff away for a while? Are there any good solutions if it does happen and ways to prevent it? Do I have to worry about buying old leather and it "contaminating" other leather ? I was recently reminded I could buy old thrift store items to play with while I learn. Quote
mikesc Posted May 3, 2019 Report Posted May 3, 2019 (edited) If you allow air to circulate ( don't need fans or forced air ) around your leather, you'll have no worries.. Don't wrap it in airproof things unless you are "casing" it.. Mould is a problem of humidity and relatively static air allowing fungi / mould to grow.. Edited May 3, 2019 by mikesc Quote
Members arashikage Posted May 3, 2019 Members Report Posted May 3, 2019 For the most part mold shouldn't be a problem. It depends on where you setup shop. Currently I'm working in an unfinished basement that has a dehumidifier running. I have to keep an eye on things because it still gets damp in some parts of the basement though. I've only had a few spots show up. I think it was just on a couple half hides of patent leather. It's been wet for months in Ohio so the dehumidifier couldn't keep up. But if you're working in a normal part of your house, i.e. an office or bedroom, you won't have to worry about. Quote
Members JC2019 Posted May 5, 2019 Members Report Posted May 5, 2019 (edited) On 5/3/2019 at 1:28 PM, arashikage said: For the most part mold shouldn't be a problem. It depends on where you setup shop. Currently I'm working in an unfinished basement that has a dehumidifier running. I have to keep an eye on things because it still gets damp in some parts of the basement though. I've only had a few spots show up. I think it was just on a couple half hides of patent leather. It's been wet for months in Ohio so the dehumidifier couldn't keep up. But if you're working in a normal part of your house, i.e. an office or bedroom, you won't have to worry about. I see okay thanks. If you do get mold is it hard to get rid of or is it mostly localized? Since I will be shopping at thrift stores for scrap leather I'm wondering about this since it's possible I might miss this. I've also been offered free leather goods but they mentioned they had started to form mold so I didn't take them. Edited May 5, 2019 by JC2019 Quote
Members billybopp Posted May 5, 2019 Members Report Posted May 5, 2019 I've never had mold on my leather, but my understanding is that it is a pain to get rid of, so something to be avoided. - Bill Quote
Members Rbarleatherworks Posted May 5, 2019 Author Members Report Posted May 5, 2019 On 5/2/2019 at 4:06 PM, bikermutt07 said: And maybe a little heat. I was thinking I would try this next ... thanks Bikermutt07 And thank you all for your responses ... I am pretty sure it is just the waxes coming out, have to say it was a bit startling when I rolled it out. My shop has been in a storage bin for 2 and a half years so wasn't sure what shape everything would be in. I have to say almost everything lasted just fine (other than a few bottles of dyes and finishes. Quote
bikermutt07 Posted May 5, 2019 Report Posted May 5, 2019 I'm pretty sure that is just waxes. What is known as bloom, I believe. Quote
Members Rbarleatherworks Posted May 13, 2019 Author Members Report Posted May 13, 2019 Just wanted to share my results ... It was just the waxes coming out of the hide and a little heat with a hair dryer worked like a charm. Thank you all for your comments and bikermutt07 for the heat idea :-) Quote
Members GDH Posted June 2, 2019 Members Report Posted June 2, 2019 On 5/2/2019 at 9:27 PM, Rbarleatherworks said: Hi all I have unrolled a Latigo hide I bought about 4 years ago and it is covered in a White material. My first thought was mold but I have used diluted bleach with no results then I tried Isopropyl Alcohol with a little improvement but now I am wondering if it is just waxes coming from the leather itself. I can scrape it with my thumb in some spots. Any thoughts ? I have attached a pic to give you an idea. Looks like it might be wax. Maybe try buffing it with a soft brush Quote
Members Rbarleatherworks Posted June 3, 2019 Author Members Report Posted June 3, 2019 21 hours ago, GDH said: Looks like it might be wax. Maybe try buffing it with a soft brush Yes ... Thanks GDH ... You are right, that is exactly what it was and a hair dryer with medium heat fixed it right up Quote
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