Club Obi Wan

Hello there fellow gear heads!! I've got a bit of a problem here with my leather bag strap I got from Todd's... It's been fine for a while and today I went out hiking for a little bit with my bag on... I guess I sweated a bit more than usual... My back side was soaked in sweat... Thought nothing of it at the time and came back home... took my shirts off... To my surprise, this is what I saw...


My shirt


My leather strap.

I don't know why this happened or how to prevent it from happening again... I'd really appreciate it, if anyone could give me a little advice about this particular problem... Thank you.

I sanded mine down. Indy had the same problem. That's why he now wears his bag outside of his jacket!

Tron

yep..this happend to me too..well not on a shirt but I tested it with a little bit of water on it,and the strap began to bleed.

Holt

Haha... that's funny... Sanding the strap, eh? Hmm....

I think the color bled through the leather itself cause it looks like the dye on the outer side somehow traveled through the leather and got rubbed onto my shirts... Weird... There's no dye job on the inside part of the strap though... Have you had the same experience before?

Yeah, one of the straps I have pretty much does this every time I go on sweaty hike. No worries, just rub some "Shout" or similar stain cleaner on the shirt, let it set awhile, then wash it as usual. The bleed on mine comes right out in the wash. I've Pecards that strap several times, and it just seems to still bleed when hot and sweaty. But it always washes out fine.

(yes, it's a Todds) ;-)

TR

Thank you Texas Raider!! I just put it in the washer now.... hope it comes out... If it comes out easy then I guess I don't have to worry about not wearing the bag during hikes... I love the bag so much, I don't leave home without it... It'd be a shame, if I had to leave my bag at home whenever I went out for a hike... What a relief!!

Get yourself some leather sealer. Spray bottle is about $5.00. Spray the leather back and front and that will make it water resistant. Also you could get regular clear/neutral shoe polish and wax the leather front and back. I wouldn't recommend that though because shoe wax is not good for the suede side of the leather.

Hope that helps!!! But the shirt now has character!!!!!!

gi_canuck wrote:

Thank you Texas Raider!! I just put it in the washer now.... hope it comes out... If it comes out easy then I guess I don't have to worry about not wearing the bag during hikes... I love the bag so much, I don't leave home without it... It'd be a shame, if I had to leave my bag at home whenever I went out for a hike... What a relief!![/

quote]


No problem. Just be sure it's completely washed out before you dry it. (you probably knew that, thought I'd still mention it )



TR

I had the same thing happen to me with my original bag strap from Todd's. I just bought a new longer one a few weeks ago but I haven't had a chance to wear it. I certainly don't want this happening to my new AB shirt.

So does sanding the back of the strap really work? What grit of sandpaper would you use?

Or if I were to buy the leather sealer where's the best place to buy it?

You could try painting the suede side of the strap with PVA glue, that will dry clear and waterproof it. Try it on an off cut first to see if you like the result.

You can use any of the silicone based producst such as made by Kiwi.

Kiwi Camp Dry Silicone Water Repellent is one.

They can be found at most stores like Target, WalMart, etc.

Test the spray first on the backside of the strap before you start spraying the entire piece. Some silicone based sprays (depends upon company) may darken the leather slightly.

The Kiwi Camp Dry is what I use on my hiking boots, leather tricorn, and my Captain Jack Sparrow suede boots! It prevents water from soaking into the leather and it actually repels the water.

I had the same problem - I just washed it out

Pitfall Harry wrote:I had the same thing happen to me with my original bag strap from Todd's. I just bought a new longer one a few weeks ago but I haven't had a chance to wear it. I certainly don't want this happening to my new AB shirt.

So does sanding the back of the strap really work? What grit of sandpaper would you use?

Or if I were to buy the leather sealer where's the best place to buy it?

Sanding? Probably not. I was being a smart ### sorry!

I did however put my bag and strap through the washing machine when I first got it to help distress it. Have not had the bleeding issue yet. Interesting to hear the "real" solutions.

Tron

Hey Whipwarrior, tell 'em about the one you aged with water.

You can buy leather sealer from Tandy leather. If you have a store in your area take the strap there and they will show you just what you need.
I made my own strap. Dyed it, sealed it, punched the holes and put in the Chicago screws; all purchased from the Tandy store in South St. Louis.
I’ve never had a “bleeding” problem.
Just FYI
Regards,
Forrestal

Lee's solution is to brush some liquid floor wax like Mop n' Glow on the underside. It seals the leather. I'm glad to hear the color washes out.

Running the strap thru the washer sounds like a good idea. From my experience, if the strap is a 'bleeder', none of the 'sealers' work well. If he is like me,after a hike the strap is completely soaked through,completely wet. This makes it bleed no matter what 'sealer' is put on. That hot wash and maybe even a run thru the dryer may be a good idea. Pecards it after the dryer to keep it supple, pro bably good to go. But even then,it may still be a 'bleeder'. I've worn the dickens out of mine, soaked every time in sweat, had it for almost 5 years now, and it STILL bleeds. But I just wash it out. ;-)

TR

I had that problem too, but that was way back in 2003 when I was in the Czech Republic. But it did not stain as hard as it did to your shirt and looking at my strap, nothing was really wrong with it. I have a bag and strap from Noel Howard.

First of all you should NEVER dye the underside of the strap.
Tandy leather sealer works well for me. After the sealer dried, I coated the strap with Pecards. I have worn that thing in the heat of Nevada; the heat and humidly of Hawaii; day-in-and-day-out (almost) for 4 years with out a problem.

Perhaps varying leather quality makes a difference, but mine has never bled.
Just FYI
Regards,
Forrestal

If I buy a bag strap, I don't want to have to treat it with something. I'd rather abuse it and hope it handles it. Magnoli's strap is a bit more expensive than Todd's. Does anyone here prefer his straps?

So... anybody? 8-[

I've had a Todd's strap for a couple years and so far no problems. I also just ordered a dark brown Magnoli strap. I'll let you know which I prefer when it arrives.

Thanks. I'd appreciate it.

Got my dark brown grooveless strap from Magnoli last night. Compared to my 2 year old Todd's Costumes strap, Magnoli's is a little thicker and a bit softer. I really like the darker brown and think the non-groove look is a bit more screen accurate--regardless if the actual bag had them or not. The flat slider buckle is also a bit tighter than my old one. All in all either strap is nice. I've gone through a Noel Howard strap, Todd's Costumes, and now am on a Magnoli one. In a few years when it wears out, I'll probably try another brand, but thus far my favorite one is Magnoli's.

I haven't had any issues with the NH strap. I've only treated that with Peccards.

Okay... Now I am seriously thinking about ordering a magnoli strap. Has anyone had any problems with his strap bleeding? I am talking you are soaked in sweat while wearing your strap kind of situation. Todd's never really bleed on me till I get drenched in sweat, so day in, day out usage doesn't really matter... If magnoli's doesn't bleed after a long hike trip soaked in sweat... I'll buy one.

P.S. I washed my Todd's strap and it seems to be doing the trick... It didn't bleed as much this time (on my brand new Wested shirt, but I don't care, the shirt is supposed to be abused!! haha). Maybe I'll throw the strap in the washer again to see if it'll get better!! Fingers crossed!!