In modern designer fashion, artificially aged leather is relevant. Shabby and covered with a network of small wrinkles, the material comes out from under the hand of the master textured and unique. Bags, shoes and outerwear are made of it; specially crafted upholstery overshadows retro furniture. These items cost more than shiny and sleek items. You can also age the skin with your own hands, using some mechanical and chemical methods of processing this material.
It is necessary
- - a piece of genuine leather;
- - sketch of the future product;
- - plywood brace, small nails and a hammer;
- - razor blade, press, hard brush and emery;
- - spray bottle and water;
- - medical and ammonia;
- - glycerin;
- - Castor oil;
- - cotton wool and rags;
- - varnish-crackle or paint for leather;
- - sponge and brush;
- - salt.
- - shoe polish;
- - old iron;
- - roasting cabinet;
- - wooden form;
- - marble powder.
Instructions
Step 1
Examine a piece of genuine leather. Some natural defects in the material can even play into your hands. Small scars, traces of bites from horseflies and other insects, uneven color - try to play it all in an interesting way and create a truly unique thing.
Step 2
Think carefully about the appearance of the future product. Sometimes it is enough to just stretch the skin, stretch it well diagonally in different directions. Using sandpaper, you can make the finished product more or less frayed in certain places (for example, on the elbows or knees). For clarity, draw a network of decorative creases and cracks on paper, in some places you can even outline cuts.
Step 3
To create an enhanced effect of the antiquity of the skin, you will have to pre-prepare it, make it softer and more pliable. Dampen the cut with water from a spray bottle, pull it over the plywood with nails and dry in the sun.
Step 4
Rub castor oil or glycerin into the surface of the leather. After the material dries, wipe it with alcohol and begin kneading and making a thoughtful wrinkle pattern. Scratches can be made with a stiff brush and creases with a press. Work carefully and slowly, because the process of creating artificially aged leather is irreversible!
Step 5
Wipe the aged material with clean water, dry rags and stretch dry again. While the pores of the canvas are slightly moistened, saturate them with castor oil and a little ammonia. After fatliquoring, the material should dry and can be removed from the plywood. Knead the skin again so that the fat penetrates well between the collagen fibers.
Step 6
For an antique look, you can use a leather patina from a designer and artist store. Read the information on the packaging carefully and follow the instructions exactly. The composition of the crackle varnishes makes the new product cracked, as if from time to time.
Step 7
Try out leather dye, making it patchy, darkened, and discolored. This can be achieved by rubbing the surface with a sponge, brush and sandpaper, or by combining different shades of paint.
Step 8
Finally, use the leather aging method from a shoe maker. Take a piece of brown color and soak it in salted water (50 g per liter) for a day. After that, remove it from the container with the solution, let the liquid drain and wrap it with a soft cloth to dry. The surface of the linen should become slightly wet.
Step 9
Lubricate the leather with shoe polish and iron at a temperature of 120 degrees, being careful not to burn the material. For these purposes, craftsmen specially keep an old iron on hand. When shoe polish stops sticking to your hands, remove the rest of the product with glycerin alcohol. You can make it yourself: mix glycerin and alcohol 2: 1 and heat the mixture a little in a water bath. As a result of your manipulations, the brown skin should turn black.
Step 10
Stretch the dyed material onto the desired shape (for example, a piece of wood) and place it in the oven (120 degrees). When a strong unpleasant odor develops, remove the material and quickly dip it in a container of cold water. After two or three repeated procedures, the skin will be covered with a network of intricate cracks, and a brown color will appear in the seams between them. For a scuffed effect, additionally treat the canvas with marble powder.
