Consent Form Info >> Consent Forms >> Leather Tips >> Termonology
1. The color may vary after the cleaning process.
Due to skin differences, dye penetration varies. Some dyes are solvent soluble and in extreme cases, there can be excessive dye loss. During the accepted cleaning procedure some skins will vary in color after the cleaning process. The skins that mainly vary in color are Pigskin suede and Lambskin suede. We do our best to restore the color to the best of our ability, but may not always be able to.
2. Shrinkage of leather and suede apparel.
UnfortunatUnfortunately, if a suede or leather item is over stretched during the tanning of the skins, there can be excessive shrinkage, and even in an acceptable cleaning procedure the skins cannot always be stretched back to the original size. We do our best to reform the apparel back to the desired size, but depending on the excessive stretching of the skins, prior to the construction of the garment, we can not always restore the size. Shrinkage can occur in an acceptable cleaning method, and shrinkage can occur just over time due to skins relaxing. It is often recommended to buy suede and leather apparel slightly large due to relaxation of the skins.
3. Skin defects in leather and suede apparel.
Most animal skins have imperfection and/or defects and are considered the natural characteristics of the animal. In acceptable cleaning procedures these skin defects may become more apparent. We do our best to disguise these marks or defects; however, we do not have the same ability available to us, as the manufacture has in disguising these defects. These skin imperfections are out of our control, and are the natural characteristics of the animal that the animal endured during its lifetime. For example: skin scars, tic marks, vein marks, blemishes, and even diseased skins.
4. Glue problems in leather and suede apparel.
When leather and suede apparel is constructed, some manufactures will use a double adhesive in the cuffs, collar, zipper facing, buttonholes, and even sometimes the edges of the garment. Some of these adhesives that are used by the manufacture are not solvent soluble and may come through to the outer part of the garment leaving dark areas. We do our best to observe these garments before the garment is cleaned, however, you can not always tell if the apparel may have a glue problem. More and more manufacture are becoming aware of this type of adhesive and are trying to use the bonding agents that are not affected by the leather cleaning process.
5. The feel of the garment may change slightly.
In acceptable cleaning procedure some of the oils used in the tanning process may be lost in the cleaning process. We do have special additives to restore this suppleness back in to the suede and leather apparel. However, the customer should keep in mind that the hand feel of some leather and suede apparel will change slightly. After the cleaning process, some skins are not as supple as the skins may have been prior to the cleaning. We do our best to restore these oils, but the customer should be aware that in some leather and suede items the feel of the garment might change slightly.
6. Dye Transfer of Multi-Colored Leather/Suede Apparel
Due to dyes that are solvent soluble, there is the chance that some suede and leather apparel that have multi-colored panels are at the risk of the darker colors transferring into the lighter colors. We do test these garments prior to the cleaning process and if the test shows that the dyes will transfer we will call for a second consent form. However, even in testing these garments, the apparel does not always show the signs of dye transfer until after the cleaning process.
