JDTagish

Dear Far, I cannot begin to thank you for your sacrifices and express my hope that your wounds, both emotional & physical, continue to heal. If there are any questions I can answer for you directly, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me, and I’ll do the best I can to help.

Hi Clyde. Perhaps I should have clarified that veg tan is the most common choice among those trying out leather working, because the majority of tools, dyes, etc. are designed to be used with veg tanned leather, and is the “old school” way of working with leather, when people think about it. However, when referring to what type of leather is most common in the larger world & its uses for clothing, upholstery, etc. you are, of course, correct. But as I stated, I wasn’t going to describe everything or even try, but to explain how those people who were getting into leatherwork would likely see, and want to try for themselves, and to help them understand many of the common terms that are used in leatherwork that we’re tye hardest for me to understand, and then a...

Hi Clyde. Perhaps I should have clarified that veg tan is the most common choice among those trying out leather working, because the majority of tools, dyes, etc. are designed to be used with veg tanned leather, and is the “old school” way of working with leather, when people think about it. However, when referring to what type of leather is most common in the larger world & its uses for clothing, upholstery, etc. you are, of course, correct. But as I stated, I wasn’t going to describe everything or even try, but to explain how those people who were getting into leatherwork would likely see, and want to try for themselves, and to help them understand many of the common terms that are used in leatherwork that we’re tye hardest for me to understand, and then attempt to explain them in accurate detail.

Wow...sounds like a big undertaking! I think that if I were you, I'd take a couple of the most beat up & probably not reusable parts of the coat to do some tests with. I'd start by seeing if any leather conditioner would help to make the pieces more "supple" and less dry. (This would be on the back, non fur side.). There are several different ones you can try, but I've never worked with anything that had fur on it, so you may want to do more research on rehabbing older furs for reuse. As far as glue goes, with leather, you nearly always want to use a contact cement if there is a choice. A spray adhesive gets a lot of overspray, which I'm thinking would be very bad for fur! I'd think slow and careful application of contact cement with either a brush or roller would be you...

Wow...sounds like a big undertaking! I think that if I were you, I'd take a couple of the most beat up & probably not reusable parts of the coat to do some tests with. I'd start by seeing if any leather conditioner would help to make the pieces more "supple" and less dry. (This would be on the back, non fur side.). There are several different ones you can try, but I've never worked with anything that had fur on it, so you may want to do more research on rehabbing older furs for reuse. As far as glue goes, with leather, you nearly always want to use a contact cement if there is a choice. A spray adhesive gets a lot of overspray, which I'm thinking would be very bad for fur! I'd think slow and careful application of contact cement with either a brush or roller would be your best bet. Not having seen the interior of the coat, I can't say if you'd need to rough up the coat parts before glueing, but I suspect that under the lining, it's more of a "suede" feel than a smooth leather feel under the pelt. A suede side doesn't really need roughing before glueing. However, using large amounts of glue to adhere large pieces, may cause the piece to become very stiff, or worse, cause problems to the fur if the glue seeps through the back side. Removing the lining...That can be a double edged sword. If you remove the lining, and glue the suede side directly, you may find that the pelt doesn't have enough "give" to it when it's on a large back piece. But without removing the lining, you can't tell the condition of the pelt itself, to see if it needs conditioning or other repairs. As with conditioning, I'd recommend that you do some glue tests with small pieces. Try both water based and non-water based contact cement, and remember that glue is NOT a substitute for sewing. Glue is generally used to hold your pieces together while they're sewed and to keep edges bonded. Most large pieces that use a lining, are not fully glued together. If you decide to sew more than glue, I'd leave myself an extra amount of seam, and practice sewing on your test pieces before attempting the large back portion. I believe there are furriers in FL, you may want to consult with them or find one online who may have suggestions on how to care for your piece, (before and after you dismantle it, and how best to dismantle it without causing damage to it) as well as on how to repurpose it with the best results. On a personal note...I appreciate that you are reusing a family heirloom. However there are people out there who feel any fur is, uh, bad...especially seals. You may want to exercise caution when posting about (and wearing) your project, so as not to attract negative attention. I hope everything goes well with your project! Please share photos when you're done. ?

Thank you! I'm familiar with Springfield, but don't have not yet had an opportunity to purchase from you. However, your "cut to order" offer will be welcomed by leather workers across the country! Thank you for sharing this information! I featured your comment, so hopefully anyone who reads this later will see that, and know about that service.