This guide will show you how to fix a burn in leather such as a cigarette burn. This guide can be used to show you how to fix a hole in leather.
A Leather Repair kit is all you need to fix the hole and restore colour.
STEP 1. CUT OUT THE BURNED LEATHER
A burn causes the leather to shrink inwards creating a wrinkled effect and turning the leather hard.
First, cut off the burned area. The first step is to cut a cross in the burn approximately half the depth of leather. Next, use a scalpel to trim the edges of the burn. You should only go to about half the depth of the leather.
This technique can be used to cut leather that has not been fully pierced. This will create an area that can be repaired.
If your burn did not penetrate the leather all the way, you can go to step 4.
STEP 2. INSERT THE SUB-PATCH UNDER THE LEATHER
Using tweezers insert the canvas cloth flat behind the leather, ensuring at least a 1cm overlap surrounding all edges of the hole. Next, apply the glue as in step 3.
STEP 3. APPLY GLUE TO FIX SUB-PATCH IN PLACE
The glue is applied with a thin object like the scalpel or paint stirrer. To raise one side of the hole, push the other down. Next, wipe glue onto the underside edges of hole and stick it down. Continue this process until all edges are covered. Make sure enough glue is used to attach the patch to the hole’s underside.
Let the glue set for 20 minutes.
Once we have secured a strong backing for the repair, you can use heavy filler to fill the hole.
STEP 4. FILL THE HOLE USING HEAVY FILLER
If you are filling a hole, you need to apply about 4 thin layers of heavy filler, drying each layer off with a hair drier and pressing it down as you do so. This prevents shrinkage.
You can apply two thin layers if you have not cut out a large area.
Use a palette knife to apply a little filler to the hole. Then, wipe off any excess.
After drying the filler thoroughly, dry it with a hair dryer for three minutes. Leave it to dry for another 3 minutes. Press the filler gently with your finger until it touches the leather.
When you are ready for the final layer of filler to be applied, rub it on the hole until the filler is level with the leather.
STEP 5 (OPTIONAL). RECREATE GRAIN PATTERN
This step is not 100% crucial as it involves embossing a textured grain pattern into the filler. It is not necessary for most repairs. However, we recommend this step if you are looking for a professional finish or if you need to create a textured grain pattern into the filler.
To get the grain pad for this step, either purchase a ready-made grain pad or get our kit where you can take a custom grain pattern from your leather – Grain Copier Set
Alternatively, you could use our Grain Repair product to replace the grain by hand.
The grain pad should be placed on the filler at a level with the leather. After pressing the grain pad down, remove it and dry the filler with a hair dryer.
Allow the leather to dry for five minutes, then sand it lightly to smoothen. This photo shows the close-up of the affected area and the filler texture.
STEP 6. APPLY THE COLOURANT TO DISGUISE REPAIR
Using the Leather Touch Up Kit, match the colour of the leather or, send a piece of leather to us for colour matching. Check our colour charts to see if your colour has been matched before.
Apply the colour to your hair using a cotton wool bud. Leave it for 1 minute, then apply more color until it blends in.
SUCCESS!
Apply the colour to the filler and let it dry completely.
To blend the colour in with the leather, apply some colour to the filler.
Apply the finish to the area.
Zooming in on the area we have repaired the burn has allowed us to show you how it can be done invisible.
