Edge Discoloration

CarpScot

CarpScot

Joined
Jan 28, 2008
Messages
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I went ahead and picked up a utility skirting side from Wickett and Craig at the advice of Paul. It is a pleasure to work with compared to the cheap leather that I was using, but I noticed something weird when I went to wet form my first sheath tonight. The edges have started to turn a greyish/green color. You can see it in the picture below. It happened within five minutes of lightly dampening the whole sheath and is present only on the edges. The water I used was filtered, bottled, and applied with a clean white cloth. My hands were clean as well. What I find really strange is that it is pretty much contained to the main sheath piece and is barely visible on the welt.

I'm hoping that I'll be able to remove it before burnishing and applying a protective coating. :( Any help with what might be causing this will be very much appreciated.

EdgeDiscoloration.jpg


Edited to add:
The leather thickness looks really uneven in the picture but that is because I haven't yet cut off the fuzz created by sanding the edge.
 
Okay, I'm not a chemist, nor a tanner (although I have played both on TV and have also stayed at Holiday Inn Express).

A quick call to Glen Proud ext. 222 at W/C could shed some light on it, but my guess would be some tanning chemical residue which failed to rinse completely in the tanning process affecting only a portion of the side. If this is the case it is probably isolated to just a few sides or at most one day's production and not likely to be a continuing problem which would affect your future purchases. If it is a defect, they are generally pretty good about making things right. I don't think the integrity of the leather in this sheath is compromised and a quick and sure fix would be to go ahead and finish the edges to your satisfaction and if the off color still remains after the final high grit sanding, then do the final burnish and apply Feibings Professional Oil Dye (Dark brown or black depending on sheath body color) to the edges only. I dye the edges on all my sheaths routinely, any way, but some don't..

Paul
 
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One more guess is that the discolored edges may have been cut with a rusty blade. If that were the case, the oxidation would be deposited on the leather and you probably wouldn't be able to see it until you wet it, at which time it would turn that color.

To test it, I just went to my garage with a leather scrap and lightly rubbed the edge on a rusty machete blade, then wet the edge and it turned that same color in spots. I couldn't see it on the leather before the water hit it.

Just a thought.
 
I'm on board with Greg45'.. I've cut damp leather with a old carbon steel-bladed shop knife and had that exact same thing happen.... at least it looks exactly the same.

But then again, I'd be very inclined to listen to Mr. Long's thoughts.
 
If you sand the edges with a belt that was used before for grinding or sanding steel this will often happen.

Bill
 
Several posts after mine concerning inadvertent contact with steel or steel residue certainly make a lot of sense, and is probably much more likely than my theory of a possible tanning sequence problem. You can stain russet or chestnut very easily with steels, particularly if dampened.

You can use Oxalic Acid (wood bleach) solution on top grain with considerable success. It might be marginal to ineffective on the edge.

Paul
 
It's not rocket surgery...dye your edge dark brown, burnish, and call it a day!:D
 
I agree with the use of a carbon knife - I also agree with dying the edge and burnishing it. Black edging would look very cool.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. All edges were cut with a brand new x-acto blade and then sanded with a fresh 120 grit Norton Blaze Ceramic belt. I sanded fairly equal amounts off of the welt and main sheath edges.

The discoloration is now also visible on the rough side of the leather that is exposed on the belt loop and throat. The discoloration goes at least 1/8 of an inch deep into the edges. I haven't checked any deeper for fear of drastically altering the outline of the sheath.

I did cut the welt and sheath body from opposite ends of the side I received. I'll call Glen tomorrow.

rayban said:
It's not rocket surgery...dye your edge dark brown, burnish, and call it a day!:D
Click to expand...

I know that would be an easy fix but I still need to figure out what is going on so I can avoid it in the future. :)
 
Talfuchre said:
What was on your bench - do you have a high iron content in your water?

TF
Click to expand...

The water was bottled Dasani and it is what I use when mixing aniline dyes for wood staining because it doesn't have a high iron content.

The bench I did the work on has a very clean solid maple top and was sealed with boiled linseed oil years ago.

Maybe I did contaminate the leather somehow though, as the offcuts I have laying around didn't show the same discoloration after I dampened their edges just now.
 
It is some component of the Norton Blaze belts that is causing the discoloration. I tested the same leather with three different belt types and only the leather sanded with the Nortons showed the greenish color. I'll know better for next time. Thank you all for your help.
 
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