Vintage Leather/Cowhide Portfolio

[BJBAmerica]

Just won a vintage leather/cowhide portfolio on Ebay. Looks to be 50's to me, leather inside and out.

The front has to initials embossed in gold. The auction listing indicated these could be removed. Can anyone give me any pointers on how to accomplish this without damaging or staining the light tan leather?

Thanks All

Barry-

 

[BJBAmerica]

Can anyone help with this?

Thanks!

 

[scotrace]

Can you please supply some pictures? That may help.
Acetone will damage the leather, as will just plain scraping, of course. I'm not sure if naptha would touch it, but again, a steady rubbing with anything in one spot can cause discoloration in that area.
One idea might be to throw it back in the seller's lap. "Hello - you said these coud be removed. OK. How?"

 

[Mike K.]

Carefully applied DEET insect repellant will cause the embossed gold to peel off easily. It can remove the top coat from the leather, if there is any, but this can be repaired by a leather specialist (e.g. shoe repair). If the gold lettering isn't very large, might I suggest a simple but elegant brass or leather name plate to cover them.