Why Leather Cracks And How to Repair It – Do you have a favorite leather bag, belt, or jacket, and have you noticed that small cracks have appeared? We know you’re desperate and don’t want to give up your favorite leather accessory, so we’re going to take a look at some ways to fix it.
But first, let’s look for reasons for leather crack.
Why Does Leather Crack?
Leather is a natural material and just as our skin has pores, so does animal skin. Thousands of these pores are invisible to the naked eye, but they absorb or release moisture. If the environment is humid, the leather will absorb moisture through the pores, and vice versa; if the environment is dry it will release moisture and become dry. Leather cracks as a result of it becoming too dry.
Our advice is to prevent the cracking in time, which brings us to the next topic…
Why Leather Cracks And How to Repair It – How to Prevent Leather Cracking
Whether you own a leather jacket, leather bag, leather wallet, or any other garment made of 100% genuine leather, you should take certain precautions to protect your garments from this phenomenon.
The most important thing is to store them carefully. Many of us know what the room temperature is, but we don’t know what the humidity level is. The right humidity for storing leather is to keep it somewhere between 40 and 50%.
Choose high-quality leather. Buying a cheaper bag may save you money now, but in the long term, cheap things cost more. This is why it is preferable to spend a little more on high-quality leather goods.
Even when properly cared for, leather can get dry. Regular leather care is a condition for prolonging their use.
Vintage cracked leather
Why Leather Cracks – How To Repair Cracked Leather
If your leather bag has light surface cracks from the fibers rubbing together, you simply need a good leather conditioning agent in order to hide the cracks in the material.
The first step is to clean it with a cleaning solution suitable for leather. You can use a toothbrush to get into the cracks with the solution. Next, take your conditioner and test it to see if it’s working, and rub it into the crack until its visibility decreases. Wipe the conditioner off and let the cracks dry. It might take a few times to repeat this process in order to get rid of the cracks in the leather.
Deeper cracks need to be filled in and/or treated with a dye to blend them into the leather’s coloring.
Leather fillers are paste-like products that come in small tubs. Apply a small amount of paste to the crack with a palette knife then brush it onto the cracks to fill them with a thin layer of paste. Add more paste until all the cracks appear filled. Let the leather dry for 6 hours in the open air, avoiding direct sunlight.
If you don’t use filler first, you can apply the dye or paint directly to the leather. For this, you’ll need 600-grit sandpaper to smooth out the cracks and prepare them for the dye. Clear out any dust that falls into the cracks because dust prevents the leather from absorbing the coloring evenly. Choose a color that matches your item and pour a little bit of the dye on a sponge or applicator pad. Rub the cracks to spread the dye into them. Dry the dye with a hairdryer. At the end treat the cracks with a leather sealer to protect the dye.
