Howdy gents, FeloniousMonk here! Have you ever had a strap with stitching that was slightly too light in color? Do you wish your stitching was just a tad darker? Ever wondered what you could do to customize your band?
No? Where's your ambition?! Whatsamatta, go no balls?
A month or two ago, FeloniousMonk acquired a leather strap in anticipation of getting a Pam Bronzo. The strap, an aged leather job with green hand-stitching, looked great! A real artisan type piece with just the right amount of distressing to go with a well-patinaed bronze case. The only problem, minor as it was, was that the stitching was a hair too bright. It didn't quite match the dial.
Now any reasonable person would overlook this slight difference in tone. Normal folk would be happy with the strap the way it was. The green was, while not a perfect match, close enough for any average joe. However, never being one to leave well-enough alone, FeloniousMonk is no reasonable person. Quite the opposite of average, he is most certainly not normal folk.
So just how does one darken the stitching on a leather strap? It might seem that this would be a good occasion to use a Sharpie permanent ink marker. The trouble is, a Sharpie tends to blacken instead of merely darken a shade or two. This might completely obscure the green color and simply leave black threads. No, a Sharpie would not do for this job. Perhaps some sort of dye or stain would do the trick? Dye, while good for tinting, can be a bit difficult to control. A weak dye might work, but it would have to be applied carefully. A few drops from FeloniousMonk's extra-dark-roasted morning coffee, gently placed upon the fibers of the stitching with a toothpick, yielded less than satisfactory results. There just wasn't enough color change. What, then, could be used to darken the stitching while leaving the leather unmarked?
A quick consultation with the hive mind at Google turned up an interesting idea; shoe polish. Black shoe polish, it was reported, could darken the threads but be easily wiped away from the leather. With nothing to lose, and with the intrepid spirit of an explorer, FeloniousMonk set to the task at hand. Supplies were gathered.
Standard Kiwi brand black shoe polish would serve as the coloring agent. Bounty paper towels kept the work area (and hands) tidy and clean. Viva Soft & Strong paper towels (with a soft, fabric-like touch) could be used to apply and remove the shoe polish. A microfiber cloth towel (not shown) would come in handy for a final buffing.
It helps to have the shoe polish pre-softened via gentle heat. A hair dryer works fine for this. The shoe polish was applied liberally to one side of the strap...
No turning back now. It was then applied to the other end of the strap.
Care was taken to ensure all visible thread was coated, although the thread on the underside of the strap was left untouched.
Note that the shoe polish was really worked into the threads, to achieve maximum penetration. Afterwards, the strap was left to sit for about 5 minutes. This was to allow the polish to adequately stain the threads. When it came time to remove the polish, that's when the panic set in...
There are no pictures of this part, but imagine if you will a frantic FeloniousMonk smearing the polish all over his new strap. The polish didn't quite wisk away as easily as anticipated. This may be in part due to the sheer quantity of polish used, and also to the length of time it was allowed to 'cure.' In hindsight, it may have been prudent to use less polish, and to apply it more precisely to the threads alone using a q-tip. Nevertheless, we had a strap now virtually covered with copious amounts of hardened black shoe polish. Then an idea came to mind, perhaps if the strap/polish chimera was heated gently, the polish would soften to assist in the removal.
The strap was warmed, and indeed the polish was softened a bit. Using the Viva towels and plenty of elbow grease, the polish was gradually removed from the leather. This is a painstaking process, and not one for the faint of heart. Given enough rubbing, though, the polish will come off. A quick buffing of the strap followed via the microfiber cloth, and voila...
The change in the color of the stitching is subtly, but noticeably, darker. Now the stitching more closely approximates the color of the dial.
And thus we have FeloniousMonk's successful, albeit somewhat misguided, tale of strap stitching darkening. The obligatory wrist shot...
Gratuitous bronze-buckle shot...
The Disclaimer:
No? Where's your ambition?! Whatsamatta, go no balls?
A month or two ago, FeloniousMonk acquired a leather strap in anticipation of getting a Pam Bronzo. The strap, an aged leather job with green hand-stitching, looked great! A real artisan type piece with just the right amount of distressing to go with a well-patinaed bronze case. The only problem, minor as it was, was that the stitching was a hair too bright. It didn't quite match the dial.
Now any reasonable person would overlook this slight difference in tone. Normal folk would be happy with the strap the way it was. The green was, while not a perfect match, close enough for any average joe. However, never being one to leave well-enough alone, FeloniousMonk is no reasonable person. Quite the opposite of average, he is most certainly not normal folk.
So just how does one darken the stitching on a leather strap? It might seem that this would be a good occasion to use a Sharpie permanent ink marker. The trouble is, a Sharpie tends to blacken instead of merely darken a shade or two. This might completely obscure the green color and simply leave black threads. No, a Sharpie would not do for this job. Perhaps some sort of dye or stain would do the trick? Dye, while good for tinting, can be a bit difficult to control. A weak dye might work, but it would have to be applied carefully. A few drops from FeloniousMonk's extra-dark-roasted morning coffee, gently placed upon the fibers of the stitching with a toothpick, yielded less than satisfactory results. There just wasn't enough color change. What, then, could be used to darken the stitching while leaving the leather unmarked?
A quick consultation with the hive mind at Google turned up an interesting idea; shoe polish. Black shoe polish, it was reported, could darken the threads but be easily wiped away from the leather. With nothing to lose, and with the intrepid spirit of an explorer, FeloniousMonk set to the task at hand. Supplies were gathered.
Standard Kiwi brand black shoe polish would serve as the coloring agent. Bounty paper towels kept the work area (and hands) tidy and clean. Viva Soft & Strong paper towels (with a soft, fabric-like touch) could be used to apply and remove the shoe polish. A microfiber cloth towel (not shown) would come in handy for a final buffing.
It helps to have the shoe polish pre-softened via gentle heat. A hair dryer works fine for this. The shoe polish was applied liberally to one side of the strap...
No turning back now. It was then applied to the other end of the strap.
Care was taken to ensure all visible thread was coated, although the thread on the underside of the strap was left untouched.
Note that the shoe polish was really worked into the threads, to achieve maximum penetration. Afterwards, the strap was left to sit for about 5 minutes. This was to allow the polish to adequately stain the threads. When it came time to remove the polish, that's when the panic set in...
There are no pictures of this part, but imagine if you will a frantic FeloniousMonk smearing the polish all over his new strap. The polish didn't quite wisk away as easily as anticipated. This may be in part due to the sheer quantity of polish used, and also to the length of time it was allowed to 'cure.' In hindsight, it may have been prudent to use less polish, and to apply it more precisely to the threads alone using a q-tip. Nevertheless, we had a strap now virtually covered with copious amounts of hardened black shoe polish. Then an idea came to mind, perhaps if the strap/polish chimera was heated gently, the polish would soften to assist in the removal.
The strap was warmed, and indeed the polish was softened a bit. Using the Viva towels and plenty of elbow grease, the polish was gradually removed from the leather. This is a painstaking process, and not one for the faint of heart. Given enough rubbing, though, the polish will come off. A quick buffing of the strap followed via the microfiber cloth, and voila...
The change in the color of the stitching is subtly, but noticeably, darker. Now the stitching more closely approximates the color of the dial.
And thus we have FeloniousMonk's successful, albeit somewhat misguided, tale of strap stitching darkening. The obligatory wrist shot...
Gratuitous bronze-buckle shot...
The Disclaimer:
- Some leathers (suede, nubuck, etc.) may not take kindly to having shoe polish smeared on them.
- If your strap stitching doesn't exactly match your dial color enough to your liking, you may have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Consult your healthcare provider.
- If you try this tutorial on your $250 Italian leather strap, and it is ruined, don't come crying to FeloniousMonk. Call your momma.
