Swatch Identification Info on Canabilized Couch

[AlamoJoe2002]

Hello from Philadelphia. This is my 1st Post.

Pictured is a swatch of information which was affixed to the underside of a free 20 year old cannibalized couch found on Craigslist.

1. What information is on this swatch?

2. What are my options to remove the cordovan color  and get to a light brown or other coloration?

3. What should I make 1st?

3. What type of needles and thread type/color do you recommend I start with while I learn to hand stitch?

Respectfully,

AlamoJOE

 

[chiefjason]

You are not going to remove a dark dye and re dye the leather lighter.  It does not work like that.  

You might be able to dye the leather darker, or maybe black.  But that may not work, depending on how well the finish used on it held up.  It might be hit or miss.  My attempts at re dye upholstery leather were all misses.  And that was trying to dye light green to black.  

The good news is that cordovan is a nice color.  So at least you have that going for you.  I handstitch holsters and use 00 harness needles and 346 bonded nylon thread.  You will need thinner thread than I'm using for that weight leather though.  69 to 138 range should be where you are looking.  Match the needle to the thread size.  And look at stitching chisels to punch the holes too.  

[zuludog]

1) The information  on the label is only really relevant to the maker/supplier. It will refer to the type, colour, batch number etc  of the leather, and probably the style, contract number etc of the couch. It won't mean much to anyone outside the company, so don't worry about it any more

2) You can't make dyed leather lighter, but you might be able to dye it darker, try on a scrap piece first. But the colour is reasonable enough, and would probably be improved by cleaning & renovating (see later), so just accept it

3) An obvious use is for upholstery,  to cover/re-cover smaller items like stools & chairs. Could also do wallets, garments, bags, key fobs, or for lining

4) I suggest John James saddler's harness needles size 004 and a synthetic/polyester thread, about 0,4mm diameter. Start with a lighter thread, like yellow as this will be easier to see, otherwise whatever colour you fancy. See what Rocky Mountain Leather Supply have; hough I'm sure members in USA will make their own suggestions 

I cleaned up old furniture leather not too long ago. See my post 'Ideas for upholstery leather?' in the Leatherwork Conversation section on 27th October 2019 It definitely looked better when it had been cleaned

Search YouTube for 'washing leather'; 'upholstery leather uses' and similar videos

For a stitching chisel I'd suggest a Tandy Craft tool Pro with about 3mm spacing

Search YT for 'hand stitching leather' and 'saddle stitch'. There are loads of videos; those by Ian Atkinson and Nigel Armitage are frequently recommended.

I'm guessing that you haven't done much leatherwork before, so you could Search YT for 'beginners leather tools' and for any of the items that you want to make, to see the tools & techniques used by other people. Also past Threads on Getting Started and Tools sections of this forum

Edited January 4, 2020 by zuludog

[AlamoJoe2002]

All,

Thanks for the great information. I'm thankful for the detailed input as I will not spend much time on attempting to re-color the upholstery leather. The seat cushions have significantly worn sections from years of use. I'm going to experiment on the three seat cushion covers using a few stripping chemicals for comparison. I think I will try:

1. 70% isopropal alcohol with lemon juice (1/8^th cup lemon juice to 1 quart alcohol).

2. Denatured alcohol ( methylated spirits).

3. Separately: Acetone / Lacquer Thinner / Xylene / Toluene. Which I have on hand from other shop projects. I'll tape off quadrants on one of the cushions.

Following stripping I will rehydrate with Neatsfoot Oil. Maybe I can get an interesting finish. I'm also going to put the belt sander to work and see what effects I can produce. I want to see what the wrong side looks like without having to shave down material. The cordovan dye saturated 100% of the leather...so no layer to just sand off...

Now, onto the Web and to purchase needles, thread, and beeswax. I was gifted an awl and a set of stitching chisels which have the 4, 2, 3, 1 spaced cutting teeth. They appear to be diamond shaped. The awl is round...so maybe into the vise and I'll take the grinder to it to replicate the chisel diamond shaped teeth. 

I'm going to start slow and make a small shoulder slung cross over handbag for my lady. A bit larger than a pack of cigarettes. I have no clue what this type of handbag is called. I think of this 1st project as an investment.  A new hobby requires time commitment. And who better to spend my leather creation time than on my wife. This is one of the key lessons my father taught me a long time ago. Then, when I get lost in the world of my leather creations I won't encounter resistance explaining my absence (hopefully).

Lessons Learned. Choose canalized upholstery leather with the knowledge that the color is set or recolor with a dark variation. I will use the pristine red cordovan upholstery from the back of the repurposed couch for my 1st masterpiece. I hope I can do as well as the kids work which is proudly displayed on the refrigerator door. 

For a time I worked across the street from the Neatsfoot plant in the Port Richmond Section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Maybe I should look up the Operations Manager I used to talk with.  We worked on a problem together and he gave me a tour of his facility. And here I thought Neatsfoot Oil was only used on Combat Boots and Baseball gloves.

That concludes my introduction to my new friends here at Leatherworker.net.

Very Respectfully,

AlamoJOE

 

[zuludog]

Cleaners 1 & 2 would be OK, but 3 are strong solvents and if you use too much you might damage the leather beyond recovery, so go carefully. For 1, 2, & 3 just wipe over without soaking. Remember that leather is a natural product - the skin of a cow, and your upholstery leather is probably very thin <1mm - would you really like to wash your own skin with xylene or toluene?

I only know of Tandy and Rocky Mountain Leather Supply in the USA, but I'm sure other members will advise.  Don't be afraid of suppliers; they know their products, and it is in their interest to help you. A phone call is better than email, and a visit is better still

Don't try to modify your round awl as it would be difficult to do neatly, and you might damage the blade too much. Besides, you need a round awl, it is also called a scratch awl, which gives you the clue for its use - to mark out shapes  and patterns for cutting; also to temporarily stretch stitch holes, and generally poking around.

You would want an awl with a  diamond section narrow blade, like the chisels,  around 2mm wide. RMLS  have Vergez Blanchard and Kyoshin Elle awls in small sizes, ready mounted. Or get an Osborne #42 or #43 blade. You could mount it in a plain haft yourself, which is fiddly, or use a haft with a chuck, which is more expensive. Unless you get the very expensive makes, awls will need some sharpening & polishing before use; again, Search YouTube

Search YouTube for ' how to make leather handbags' there are loads of videos. Also pouches, and 'possibles bags', which are similar; 'wallets' will show careful and accurate measuring & cutting  That's the thing about leatherwork, many of the tools & techniques are common to various items

Wives.........My wife asked me if I really wanted to do leatherwork, or was it just an excuse to buy more knives & tools.....Huh! she can see right through me!