PSA: I ruined a leather cover with the wrong adhesive at a workshop last month

I was at a workshop in Portland and used regular PVA glue on some nice calfskin leather for a journal cover. It soaked right through and left these nasty dark stains that wouldn't come out. The instructor told me I should've used hide glue or a PH-neutral adhesive made for leather. Has anyone else had luck fixing that kind of stain or do I just need to cut my losses and buy new leather?

3 comments

3 Comments

wesleyflores10d ago

Just need to cut my losses and buy new leather" - that's the hard truth, right? My buddy tried everything from vinegar to saddle soap on his stained cover and it still looked like a coffee spill that never got cleaned up. Sometimes you just gotta chalk it up to a learning experience and start fresh, right?

baker.christopher10d ago

Man, I've been there too, it's a rough spot to be in for sure...

beth_park10d ago

Yeah, that "learning experience" part hits hard... especially when you've tried every trick in the book and the stain just won't budge. Your buddy's story sounds exactly like what happens to most people, they think vinegar or soap will magically fix it, but leather's just not that forgiving once it soaks in. I've seen guys spend more on cleaners than the cost of a new cover and still end up with that ghost stain staring back at them. Sometimes the smartest thing you can do is admit defeat and grab fresh leather before you waste any more time or money on a lost cause. It's a bummer, but at least next time you'll know better than to let a coffee cup sit on that bare leather without a coaster or something.