Tried using hair conditioner to soften leather for a book cover, big mistake

I saw a tip on a crafting forum about using cheap hair conditioner to soften scrap leather for bookbinding. Figured I'd give it a shot on a 3mm piece of goatskin I got from a supplier in Portland. It soaked in alright, but after I glued it to the boards, the smell turned musty and the leather started lifting at the edges within 2 weeks. Has anyone else tried a weird shortcut that backfired on a cover?

2 comments

2 Comments

joel_butler22d ago

Hair conditioner? Man, that's a new one. I can't believe you actually tried that on goatskin of all things. Must have smelled like a wet dog at a beauty salon.

carter.laura22d ago

And imagine the smell after a few hours in the sun, @joel_butler...