INSTANT VINTAGE

  

Hey everyone, so today I am sharing with you guys the process of staining natural leather. This process is a sort of treatment that can give leather a much darker color, providing a vintage, "used" look. The picture I have above is what I'll be using  for this procedure; the Cinch Bag to the left (untreated), and the Light Daypack to the right (already treated from previous experiment), both made by the same brand, Topo Designs. When I discovered them I fell in love with their products, but I wasn't a fan of the natural leather color. However, thanks to some research, I was able to figure out how to correct that, and I had a blast doing it!

All that is required for this some painter's tape, sticky note paper, some q-tips, and the Leather Balm. Pretty simple right? Now, I will present you guys with what I like to call, "The Process"

STEP 1: SET UP CAMP 
Find a clear workspace and use a cloth on top to prevent any major spills or messes. Start by covering the areas around the leather with painter's tape to prevent the canvas from getting stained. take a piece of the sticky note paper and put it in the leather tab to any leaks on the inside. After this, the fun can really begin...

STEP 2: START POLISHING
Dip one side of the q-tip into the Leather Balm, and begin giving the leather a light coat (*note you can also use a shoe brush or a tooth brush for this process depending what you may use it on, I just use q-tips for a cleaner job). Make sure to get all sides of the leather before applying another coat. There's no real limit to how many coats you can put on; the more you apply to the leather, the darker it becomes. Use as much as needed for your desired shade.

FINAL STEP: THE WAITING GAME
Allow your leather to air dry before using for best effects. This is because if for some reason it were to get wet, It could leave water stains that don't look too appealing. To be safe, give it 24 hours before daily usage. After that....

TADA! Now your bag is ready to go, and has a cool vintage style to it. Please leave a comment below to let me know what you think and if this works for you guys. Godspeed.