Why would you want to reduce leather? And what it exactly does it mean? Do you want to make leather thinner, smaller, or shrink it? Or are you just looking for a way to clean leather? In this post I will walk you through the various methods of reducing leather.
You can reduce leather in the following ways:
- You can make leather thinner by reducing its thickness.
- You can reduce the number of creases or wrinkles in leather by ironing them.
- You can reduce the size of your leather hide by cutting it smaller.
- You could also shrink leather shoes, pants etc. if they are too big.
- You can reduce leather dirt by cleaning it and conditioning it.
So, let’s break this down further and see what needs to be done in order for you to get your desired results.
Reducing leather by making it thinner.
So firstly, you can reduce leather by thinning it. Another term for making leather thinner is called skiving. You can buy a skiving tool which allows you to thin, thicker leather. There are different types of skiving tools on the market, and you should choose one that best suits your needs.
A skiving tool is commonly used when making belts, bags or wallets and when you need to join more than 2 pieces of leather together. By reducing the thickness of the ends of the leather you get a much slimmer connection or join. Basically, it involves scraping some of the leather hide away in order to reduce its thickness. If you would like to know more then check out this post: What is a skiving tool used for
Reducing the number of leather creases and Wrinkles.
So, the second method involves removing wrinkles and creases in leather. So, how would you achieve this? My number one favourite tool to use is a leather iron to remove creases and wrinkles. Have a look at my post on using an iron to remove wrinkles. It’s an in-depth guide for all you need to know about leather irons.
So how does it work? By gently applying low heat with the iron to the leather surface you will remove the creases and wrinkles. The iron has a very low heat that will not burn or scorch the leather. As you run the iron over the creases it will heat the leather and remove the creases.
Reduce leather by cutting it smaller.
This method is fairly straight forward. Cut your leather you are working with into smaller more manageable pieces. This also helps to eliminate waste. You can use a variety of cutting tools to reduce the size of the hide. You can use a rotary cutter, these work best on thinner leather. Or you can use a utility knife, round or head knife etc. Check out this post i wrote on the Round knife to see the different ways leather can be cut.
Reduce leather by shrinking it.
There are different ways to shrink leather but the most common is to use warm water and a hair dryer. The method you use depends largely on the item you are trying to shrink eg. boots, shoes, gloves etc.
Shrinking can also be done with an alcohol based spray. The spray contains about 25% alcohol and 75% water and is sprayed onto the item you want to shrink. Then leave the item to dry. The evaporation will cause the leather to shrink. Be cautious when using this method as a special kind of alcohol has to be used. Alcohol can damage leather, so first check on a test piece that it doesn’t leave any marks or discolouration. Here is a link to an article on how to shrink leather with alcohol.
Reduce Leather by cleaning it.
This method is also fairly simple. You can reduce the dirt and build up on leather by cleaning and conditioning it regularly. This will not only increase the lifespan of your leather but will also keep it clean and dirt free. If you would like to purchase a good leather conditioner, I can recommend leather honey as its one of the best conditioners out there. Just gently rub it onto your dirty leather surface and watch it replenish and you rejuvenate your sofa, wallet etc.
Conclusion
Reducing leather can be done in different ways and hopefully the above article has helped you choose the best method for reducing leather. Whether it’s shrinking, cutting, skiving, removing creases or just cleaning it can be done easily and inexpensively.