r/Leatherworking • u/nonaaaaaaa • 2d ago
How can I mend this?
I bought this leather backpack from Bostanten many years ago. It has held up pretty well but wear signs have been showing more recently. Two main things I'd like to know:
- How can I fix the peeling of the leather on the top handle of my bag?
- What's the best way to deal with the black edge linings that are coming off/discolouring?
I also have a growing interest in restoring old leather products (bags and accessories mainly) so I've been thinking of purchasing items like saddle soap and brush, leather conditioner etc. Therefore, I am willing to buy items myself to do a DIY fix, provided it doesn't get too costly. Any input is much appreciated!
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u/GizatiStudio 2d ago
It’s not leather it’s plastic.
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u/nonaaaaaaa 2d ago
Thank you, I'll probably just invest in something else now that I've confirmed this :)
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u/Jaikarr 2d ago
Replace with a real leather handle, gradually replace all the parts with leather over time.
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u/sweetmovie74 2d ago
Ah yes, the “Ship of Theseus” approach
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u/Jaikarr 2d ago
Legit, if it's a good enough design that they're looking to make repairs I think it's worthwhile to make it out of nicer materials.
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u/sweetmovie74 2d ago
I appreciate that sentiment for sure! The patterns are already there, just disguised as a bag right now.
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u/nonaaaaaaa 2d ago
Maybe a daft question but is it possible that only the handle and the shoulder straps is polyurethane leather? The main body of the bag still looks good.
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u/penscrolling 2d ago
Those are the items that are handled the most and would most benefit from being real leather, so it would be a very odd design choice.
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u/Dazanoid 2d ago
Yeah, this is leather just like chipboard is wood.
Find a local leather supplier or leather crafter and see if they have big enough scraps to make a new handle.
Drill out the existing rivets, use the old handle as a template to cut out a new handle and rivet it on to the bag.
As for the peeling plastic edging the best you can probably do is pick off the loose bits and sharpie the edges.
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u/nonaaaaaaa 2d ago
Thank you for the tips!
Maybe a daft question but is it possible that only the handle is polyurethane leather? The main body of the bag is still in quite good condition.
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u/Lost-Tomatillo3465 2d ago
take several picture of your purse and commission someone to remake it with real leather
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u/Dependent-Ad-8042 1d ago
You can replace the straps if the bag is still in decent shape
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u/nonaaaaaaa 1d ago
The rest of the bag is in decent shape but I ended up deciding that I could put that cost of replacing toward another bag made from better leather quality.
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u/Dallasrawks 2d ago
Bostanten uses "genuine leather" for the body, which is the lowest quality cowhide, and the straps are probably synthetic.
You could try having straps commissioned out of real leather, but if it were me, I'd have an entire backpack commissioned, or buy a top-grain or full-grain leather bag over trying to keep old "genuine leather" from falling apart. If you really like the bag, sand it a little and leather paint the whole thing, or use Resolene to seal the damage in and maybe you get a couple more years from it.
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u/nonaaaaaaa 2d ago
Thanks for the tip, will look into Resolene. I'll definitely pay attention to the type of leather and details from now on.
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u/Dallasrawks 2d ago
There are five grades:
- Full-grain
- Top-grain
- Split-grain
- Genuine leather
- Bonded leather
Those are in order of quality. Bonded leather isn't normally used in finished products as an exterior leather, it's made of scraps bonded together and planed.
If it's not advertised as full-grain or top-grain, then expect yourself to outlast it. If it is full-grain or top-grain, it will probably outlast you.
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u/nonaaaaaaa 1d ago
Very helpful and concise, thanks! I've been researching top-grain since yesterday.
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u/FarOpportunity-1776 2d ago
Looks like polyurethane leather. Synthetic leather can't be fixed. You might be able to cover it with new material but once that layer cracks it's pretty much done.