Waterproof leather isn’t something that should be taken lightly. A water-permeable leather is a must in any leather project that involves water-based applications like sanding, gluing, or painting. The process involves soaking the leather in salt water for around an hour and a half. This is followed by soaking the leather in a solution of lye and vinegar for around 30 minutes. The soaking time is just to help set up the saltwater-vinegar solution.
The lye part is the really important point you should remember here because once you’ve got lye, you’ve got to get a bottle. The vinegar part is more of a “how to do it” guide. I recommend a bottle of kerosene or lighter fluid (like Coleman fuel) because it’s very good at setting the lye.
Once youve got lye, its time to pick your leather. The best leather is a mix of natural dyes to help it get a nice color and a nice finish. If youve got a tan you should buy it and if it doesnt look nice enough you can usually get it from a tanning salon or a good leather shop. If youve got natural coloring go with a natural dye like turquoise.
This is not a difficult task, but it can be done if you just have patience and the right tools. The best leather will need to be dyed in a special dye that can withstand the very hot sun for 10 days. So if youve got a leather shop in your area, you should probably have them make you a custom dye batch. It will cost you around $100, but you can also make your own by mixing your own dyes.
It’s a simple step that many people don’t do because they think it’s too complicated but actually it is quite easy. First you’ll need to wash your leather. This is done on a towel in the sun. Its not a big job and you can do it in about 30 minutes. Once you’ve washed your leather, you’ll need to soak it in hot water for 30 minutes.
That’s the tricky part. The hot water will destroy the natural oils in your leather, which in turn creates a hard water resistant leather. So you have to soak the leather in cold water for 30 minutes. After the water is gone, you should rinsed out the water soaked leather in hot water for 30 more minutes. The hot water will wash away most of the natural oils, leaving the water resistant leather.
I’ve had my leather soaked in hot water before, but I didn’t soak it in hot water for 30 minutes like I did the next step. I don’t know if the hot water would have done the same thing, but I was a bit confused by the directions.
I also recommend buying a leather cleaner to keep the leather smelling fresh. I bought a spray bottle with a lid for $6. I use it on my leather furniture, bed, and desk. It’s a nice way to keep the leather smelling fresh and looking its best.
Any way you cut it, the water resistant leather is very useful. I recommend doing this on your leather furniture, bed, desk, and everything else that you can take care of.
Yes, it’s true that water-proof leather is expensive. But did you know that most leather items are water-resistant? The best way to get water-resistant leather is to use a water-proof leather cleaner (or spray on a water-proof leather protector). I purchased one from Amazon for $13.50, and it has worked wonders on my leather furniture, bed, and desk.
