Hiding stitching (needle) holes in leather - can it be done?

[Monitor]

I just removed this stupid MC 'club' patch off my old motorcycle jacket and now there's an eagle shaped outline (don't ask) made of stitch marks left on it, so I was wondering if there's anything I can do to hide the stitch holes or at least make this unsightly mess a bit less visible? Has there been any breakthrough in leather repair? I'm also thinking of removing a whole bunch of patches from another jacket, but I would rather make sure I can do something about the stitch marks, before doing something stupid.

I know this has been asked already, but most recent thread about the issue dates from 2008 and I don't want to bump something so old and dusty. Also, the rest of the internet proved to be oddly useless regarding the matter.

Thanks!

 

[ProteinNerd]

I had a Ducati Heritage jacket that had a heap of old badges on it and wanted to remove a few of them, there were just too many for me....after hours of research on the web it appears that there isn't really anything you can do to "fix" or fill in stitch holes (or none that I found) and I ended up selling the jacket. The most common solution proposed was to stitch another larger patch onto the jacket to cover the holes of the one you removed!

 

[navetsea]

I dunno about jacket spot repairing Monitor, but company who do leather furniture spot repair and cleaning could do magical work in fixing damaged spot on leather upholstery.

 

[IXL]

A friend of mine owned a leather police jacket, and when he changed agencies the original patches had to be removed. He claimed that all was fixed by using some type of a "gum" cement in the holes. I never actually viewed the repair job, though.

 

[navetsea]

ow... probably like how they fix punctures on tire

 

[Monitor]

Here's a similar process to what IXL described: http://www.styleforum.net/t/214498/...needles-how-resolve-this-problem#post_5948420

Good thinking about leather furniture repair, navetsea! I'll go ask around, those guys should be in the know.

 

[Carlos840]

I do some leather work (belts) and have experimented with that. Couldn't find anything that worked.
Tried filling the holes with glue to stick the edges to each other, didn't work.
Tried burnishing (polishing) them, thinking i might get the edge fibers together, didn't work.
Tried filling the holes with glue and then burnishing, didn't work.

IMO you are screwed.

 

[Monitor]

What became of the holes after the glue treatment? The glue won't stick inside? These patch holes are really tiny, much smaller than what the seam stitching needle would leave. Aero and Vanson stitch holes are nearly as large as belt holes...

 

[Carlos840]

Using leather glue, the glue just ended up forming a ball inside the whole but would not actually stick enough to stay there.
I think this is because most leather glues are contact adhesives that stay flexible when dry.

I would not use non leather glues (ie super glue) as the aggressive solvents would probably damage the leather.

If you have acces to the inside of the leather, under the lining you might have better luck.
Pretty sure you could use something to scratch leather fibers, mix them with leather glue and force them in and over the hole.
This to me would be your best bet, but you would have to remove the lining.

You might have luck burnishing the holes. My DD J100 had some visible marks at a few spots and i managed to polish them off using the rounded edges of a bic lighter.
It really made them invisible. I would only do that on a jacket that is black with a dark undercoat though.
Use common sens, if it looks like it is making it worst, stop.

 

[Mark]

I had a similar issue with an Aero Highwayman and Holly sent me this white glue like stuff to fill in the holes. Just the job worked a treat and holes barley visible

 

[jacketjunkie]

I understand the jacket in question is a rather old one, right? Because if that is, what is to lose? Either you stop wearing it / sew over a new patch or you try to fix it with glue and leather dye and then it either works or you stop wearing it / sew over a new patch with the same result as not trying glue in the first place. I would definitely try to fill the holes and then overdye, just as with holes in a wall.

 

[Monitor]

Carlos, I see... But if the holes were wide enough for the ball to form inside, sounds like the stitch marks you were trying to fix were much larger than those on my jacket. They're barely visible and was it not for the eagle shaped form, I doubt anyone would be able to spot 'em. It's the stupid eagle that screams something's been stuck there.

Jacketjunkie, yeah, it's an old jacket, one that I don't mind experimenting on but I have another one on the way that's got a few patches sewn in that I don't care for, so I was just wondering if it's safe to go ahead and have them removed. But if a fix is possible - and Mark's post is giving me hope! - I'll give it a go.

Mark, I've just asked Aero about the glue stuff, we'll see.

 

[Carlos840]

Carlos, I see... But if the holes were wide enough for the ball to form inside, sounds like the stitch marks you were trying to fix were much larger than those on my jacket. They're barely visible and was it not for the eagle shaped form, I doubt anyone would be able to spot 'em. It's the stupid eagle that screams something's been stuck there.

Jacketjunkie, yeah, it's an old jacket, one that I don't mind experimenting on but I have another one on the way that's got a few patches sewn in that I don't care for, so I was just wondering if it's safe to go ahead and have them removed. But if a fix is possible - and Mark's post is giving me hope! - I'll give it a go.

Mark, I've just asked Aero about the glue stuff, we'll see.

Make sure you test things on an hidden area first.
Your glue might remove the leather finish coat, or worst, the dye you apply on the glued holes might react with the coat on the leather and remove it.
I have had both happen before.

 

[Dickie Teenie]

A search at Leatherworker.net might yield results. A great site for all things leather which is a good thing no one here will deny.

 

[Doctor Damage]

Carlos, I see... But if the holes were wide enough for the ball to form inside, sounds like the stitch marks you were trying to fix were much larger than those on my jacket. They're barely visible and was it not for the eagle shaped form, I doubt anyone would be able to spot 'em. It's the stupid eagle that screams something's been stuck there.

I'd say that on an old leather jacket some holes and scrapes and whatehaveyou would add character. Also, if the holes are barely visible, then it's pretty likely that you're the only person who will notice them. Just wear it and ignore the holes. Life is short.

 

[Edward]

I agree with the Doctor. I can't imagnie it's possible to hide them completely - best just left alone. I did that on a cafe racer I had years ago, which some galoot had added a 'Harley Owners Group' patch to. That was gone almost before I tried the jacket on... Just left it alone, it wasn't a big deal.

 

[nick123]

When I had a freakout over a little dent/cigarette ash burn in my Johnson flight jacket, I took it in and Alan put what looked like a type pf adhesive in the affected area. Not sure what it was. It didn't eliminate the dent entirely but I think it worked to a degree. He laughed because I was so paranoid over it.

 

[l0fielectronic]

The few posts above suggesting a filling substance sound the way to go, looked up leather filler and found this straight away... http://www.furnitureclinic.co.uk/Heavy_Filler.php?gclid=CNyvoI232McCFcESwwodT4cHBQ If its a black jacket I imagine It would be a lot more effect, imagine on lighter colours hiding the holes would be more challenging. Good luck and do post if you try something.

 

[Monitor]

Thanks for the input, everyone.

Dr. Damage, Edward, I don't really mind the holes and don't care if they're visible or not, but I'm merely curious if it can be done, so that in the future I wouldn't be so worried about removing patches from jackets I actually do care for.

Aero suggested I use a mild adhesive called Copydex. Should anyone be interested in masking stitch holes, here's one very sound method that Aero suggested (I hope it's not a problem if I share it here?): Carefully apply a small amount of glue into the hole using either the eye of a needle or something similarly tiny, so not to make the hole any wider. Then using the hammer gently hammer down on the holes to bring the sides of the holes together and thus close them. Gently wipe any excees glue away from around holes before leaving to cure for approx. 30min.

l0fielectronic, that filler certainly seems useful! Thank you for the link! I don't know why nothing of a sort popped up when I was looking for a leather filling substance, but Google works in an odd ways in different countries. There are some other interesting products there that seem as if they could do the job! I'll email these guys just in case, to ask what's best for the job. I'll keep everyone updated.

 

[l0fielectronic]

Copydex is also sometimes called 'Masking Fluid' as a generic term from art shops if that's a help to anyone. I guess they recommend this as it does dry to a rubbery finish and doesn't react to things it touches - though equally it normally dries to an off white colour. Interesting though, its something I would never have thought of using.