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

[Will Zach]

If someone has that problem stateside the best person to ask would be Dena at Great Leather. She has seen it all and fixed it all...

 

[OneEyeMan]

I wonder if this would work.
Melt some pure parafin or bees wax over the entire area and rub it into the holes.
Wait for it to harden then rub off the excess.
Might be worth a try.

 

[Monitor]

Holes soak everything up and end up visible again. There's just nothing that can be done.

 

[navetsea]

leather putty filler

 

[bn1966]

Thank you in advance, I'm starting to forget about them slowly but I'm curious what they say.

6 hour round trip drive wise yesterday & Byson really seem to know their stuff, having alterations on 3 jackets. I asked about stitch holes & this is what was said:

“Not easy. It is SOMETIMES possible to fill the holes with a specialist heat cured filler & then carefully re-colour but if the leather is well conditioned the fills can pop back out again. It only works sometimes.”

 

[Riu]

6 hour round trip drive wise yesterday & Byson really seem to know their stuff, having alterations on 3 jackets. I asked about stitch holes & this is what was said:

“Not easy. It is SOMETIMES possible to fill the holes with a specialist heat cured filler & then carefully re-colour but if the leather is well conditioned the fills can pop back out again. It only works sometimes.”

Thank you for asking first of all. I might try the putty @navetsea suggested but not in a rush to do it as it doesn't bother me much.

 

[Monitor]

6 hour round trip drive wise yesterday & Byson really seem to know their stuff, having alterations on 3 jackets. I asked about stitch holes & this is what was said:

“Not easy. It is SOMETIMES possible to fill the holes with a specialist heat cured filler & then carefully re-colour but if the leather is well conditioned the fills can pop back out again. It only works sometimes.”

Exactly that. I've tried a lot of things but the indentations always remained, especially once putty or whatever I used dried up and the area with the holes ended up looking just as prominent as if nothing had been done to hide it. I don't suppose stuffing needle holes with glues, fillers and chemicals can be very good for the leather in the long run, either.

That's one leather jacket issue I've completely given up on having a remedy. Other than some cool patch, that is.

 

[Monitor]

Thank you for asking first of all. I might try the putty @navetsea suggested but not in a rush to do it as it doesn't bother me much.

Don't. Really. It's a waste of time, money, material, etc.

 

[Riu]

Don't. Really. It's a waste of time, money, material, etc.

That's why I didn't rush into buying anything.

 

[navetsea]

yeah it's the back of the forearm, if you check your jackets, that panel is the most pristine of any creases, almost looking new, it may get scratched from table surface but it almost never get wrinkled or creased, so while this is only theoretical it might work on that part, if it would be elsewhere with lots of movements then maybe it will fail. just in theory though I never apply it on jacket as none of mine requires it.

 

[Riu]

yeah it's the back of the forearm, if you check your jackets, that panel is the most pristine of any creases, almost looking new, it may get scratched from table surface but it almost never get wrinkled or creased, so while this is only theoretical it might work on that part, if it would be elsewhere with lots of movements then maybe it will fail. just in theory though I never apply it on jacket as none of mine requires it.

I got used to it after a while and if I'm getting really bored I might get to it, otherwise, I'll leave it. speaking of bored...I just opened my CR with the bi-swing back that I didn't like - got tired of looking at that crappy work. Thinking of using it as a pattern instead.

 

[GHT]

Holes soak everything up and end up visible again. There's just nothing that can be done.

The reason for that is the shape of the needle used to sew the garment/patch. Leather needles, (needles for sewing leather,) are spear shaped to help cut the leather as the stitch is being formed. If you try to sew leather and faux leather with for example an ordinary size 110 needle the machine will struggle. So by using a leather needle the machine will be able to sew more easily.

Under a microscope the tip of a needle for sewing any hide isn't a sharp point, it's like a very small spear. Pointed needles go through woven fabric very easily, but not so hides, that is why the needles for leather are so made. The downside is that the hole that's made cannot be repaired in the same way as the hole that a pointed needle makes.

 

[TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead]

I don't think you can ever "fix" it. Like Monitor said, it's a hole, and things fall into holes. I think best you can hope for is to reduce it's appearance. The steam trick in theory works, but I don't know for how long. Obviously if the holes are on a high stress area like a seam, it's leather, so it's going to move and reshape. A filler might give you some temp relief as well, but same issue, you're moving around, the leather is moving around.

My 141 was a $800 lesson (between jacket price and tailor fees) to buy the right measurements and style next time, instead of trying to transform it. I've gotten over the stitch holes and with time will add character LOL. But was a total unnecessary experiment. There's plenty of jackets out there, no need to force the issue. Of course, repairing a zipper or loose threads, etc.... sure go for it. But I'm not going to try and reinvent a jacket again.

 

[Flying Monkey]

In my experience, Moniter is right. A hole is a hole is a hole. Try to learn to live with it. Or sell it. Or sometimes you can have a panel replaced by an accomplished leather tailor, although you can usually still tell that its a replacement. If the stitch holes are next to a zipper or a seam, have your tailor carefully follow the same holes with new stiches. Of course it looks like extra stitching, but it might look less crummy than the holes. Very much a personal opinion. There's no perfect answer.

 

[Cyber Lip]

Did they remove your club tattoo with a blowtorch?