Removing ink

[Cactus Mac]

I have to admit it, I'm a pack rat.  I was sorting through a large box of leather scraps of all sizes in my basement and found a nice piece of 9 oz. that was approx. 1 square foot.  When I started making holsters in the 90's I had made a dumb rookie mistake and traced the pattern on the finished side, and to make things worse, I must have used an ink pen to do it (another rookie mistake).  When I found it I thought I could use it to make a Slim Jim for an 1860 Army since so much of the revolver is narrower.  I discovered that a couple of inches of the old pen line crossed over into the pattern for the 1860.

I tried bleach on the lines with minimal effect.  I was wondering if sanding with fine grit sandpaper would be the best way to remove the remainder of the ink, or if there is a proper way of removing undesirable color from the finished side of veg-tanned leather?

Like I said, I'm a pack rat and a tightwad to boot, and I hate to have to cut this piece up for cartridge loops or straps. 

[Trailrider]

It depends on what kind of ink it was, and whether the marks include an actual impression on the surface of the leather. If you are going to dye the leather using alcohol-based dye, that might either remove the ink or cover it. If the pen that made the ink marks was a ballpoint and actually left a slight depression in addition to the ink itself, you may need to try to burnish the depressed area after casing (wetting) the leather.

[Cactus Mac]

I didn't think about wetting and burnishing but I'll sure give that a try.

[Camano Ridge]

If you burnish after casing then you may very well end up with a burnished line that will not be easy to hide unless you can incorporate it into a border or design. If I have an impression in a piece of leather and yes that includes lines. I have cased the leather then laid it out flat and rolled the surface several times with a rolling pin. This way you will compress the surface evenely and the impression will dissapear with out leaving any burnish marks. I have done it several times with success.

[cavsgt]

  Try oxcilic acid(sp) it is a whitner, try on a scrap first as it will sometimes bleach the leather white.

[Trailrider]

If you burnish after casing then you may very well end up with a burnished line that will not be easy to hide unless you can incorporate it into a border or design. If I have an impression in a piece of leather and yes that includes lines. I have cased the leather then laid it out flat and rolled the surface several times with a rolling pin. This way you will compress the surface evenely and the impression will dissapear with out leaving any burnish marks. I have done it several times with success.

Excellent point! Sometimes, I have done this on a hard, flat surface with the finished side face down on the surface. That tends to push the depression outward, level with the rest of the finished surface.

[Massive]

Dye it black, incorporate the line in the design, or possibly try hair spray.  It will remove ink from shirts or ties that get stained.  Bleaching I don't think will work, you will so adversely change the colour of the leather, and possibly burn it, and I doubt it will eliminate the ink.  Solvent often fix ink or they smear it around.  hair spray is the only thing I know of.  Normally a long time stain is much harder to get out.

Of course there isn't any problem trying some of these options out if you have scrap sections of the leather to work on.  Even try some identical ink on the some scraps and see whether any of these suggestions will work.

[Don Nix]

First just try the simple things first. Get a typewriter or an ink eraser and give that a try. It some times will work depending on the type of ink.

[GunClick Rick]

Sandpaper ?