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Repairing stacked leather handle
- Thread starter Ironrod
- Start date
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2008
- Messages
- 3,371
You might try soaking the handle in oil, like mineral or tung oil, maybe linseed. It might swell the dents out. If they're gouges, though, that means material is missing, and replacement might be the only option.
- Joined
- Apr 27, 1999
- Messages
- 6,117
If these are dents no material has been lost, it has just been reshaped. I would take some solvent like acetone and some Q-Tip type cotton swabs and remove any wax or oil from the surface of the dent. Then over a period of several days I would drip small amounts of water in the dents and let them swell. After a couple days I would start using a toothbrush and saddle soap to clean the spot and make it more absorbent. Work some needles into the dent and pull it up. Finally fill the dent with something like epoxy and coat the handle with some kind of clear shoe polish.
Bill DeShivs
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2000
- Messages
- 12,599
Here is a gunsmith's trick-
Use a steam iron on "high" setting. Place the corner of a damp cloth on the dents. Apply the iron to the cloth briefly. It will force steam into the fibers, making them swell.
Use a steam iron on "high" setting. Place the corner of a damp cloth on the dents. Apply the iron to the cloth briefly. It will force steam into the fibers, making them swell.
I agree with Bill on this one, but would also add some of what Jeff Clark says too.
However, I'd change some of the order;
1. using acetone and a dropper, put just a couple of drops directly into the dings and wait a few minutes. This will remove oils from that part of the leather.
2.Then with some saddle soap and a toothbrush, scrub out the dings. This will clean dirt out of that part of the leather
3. Make a 25/75 solution of windshield washer solution and water, and drip that into the ding and wait an hour or two. This will soften the leather quite a lot and get moisture deep down into the area, but dry hard.
4. Then go with Bill's idea but instead of an iron, use a soldering iron held on top of the cloth, with the tip right in the ding. This will cause the leather to swell due to the moisture deep in the leather.
5. Repeat applications of the soldering iron for steam until the leather is proud to the handle. Let dry, sand down the area to be smooth with the handle. (Same as you'd do with repairing a dent in a car body.
6. Apply proper finish to the handle.
Stitchawl
However, I'd change some of the order;
1. using acetone and a dropper, put just a couple of drops directly into the dings and wait a few minutes. This will remove oils from that part of the leather.
2.Then with some saddle soap and a toothbrush, scrub out the dings. This will clean dirt out of that part of the leather
3. Make a 25/75 solution of windshield washer solution and water, and drip that into the ding and wait an hour or two. This will soften the leather quite a lot and get moisture deep down into the area, but dry hard.
4. Then go with Bill's idea but instead of an iron, use a soldering iron held on top of the cloth, with the tip right in the ding. This will cause the leather to swell due to the moisture deep in the leather.
5. Repeat applications of the soldering iron for steam until the leather is proud to the handle. Let dry, sand down the area to be smooth with the handle. (Same as you'd do with repairing a dent in a car body.
6. Apply proper finish to the handle.
Stitchawl
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