I Need a little Advice..........HELP!!!!

[TradisH~*~QueeniE]

ok all you buckskin dancers.....I need your advice....or I need your help is more like it......I know everyone has been to them dusty powwow......the kind that puts grit in your teeth when you dance *LOL*....ANYWAYZ....my fringes have gotten really dull and dirty .....so what Im asking is what is the best way to clean then....can I take them to a dry cleaner?? chalk?? or sandpaper??.....what do you think is the best way to clean then without spending billions of dollars on buying new hide???

[Beaded_mocs]

id help ya out but I dont dance that style. :)

[KC Quapaw]

hey,
I dance in primarily in OK and MO, so my buckskin fringe has gotten REALLY dirty! I purchased a buckskin cleaner. It looks like a big ball of chalk. You can get one at Crazy Crow, or online at crazycrow.com I have been told you can throw it in the washer, but I have never been brave enough to try that route!! For the really dirty pieces of fringe, I just had to trim off the ends.

Hope that helps:)

[Dat1NdnGuy]

advice

I was told that the chalk works pretty well, but my great grandma used to us blades or she would open up a can of soup (doesnt really matter what kind) take the lid wash it off and scape the buckskin...hope that helps a lil'.

[_RoBbY_]

For my daughter, Nikki's dress we use the chalk balls [buckskin cleaner] from Crazy Crow Trading Post, we used to use soup cans, or a really dull razor blade.

- Robby

[webscouter]

This is taken from Goliger Leather Co. http://www.goligerleather.com/

I haven't tried it but it may work for you. If you get brave and try it let us know how it works.

HOW TO WASK AND DYE CHAPS

How to wash leather chaps.

Providing that you are washing splits or the rough out (suede) side of top grain leather, it's easy to wash them, and safe too. As long as the chaps are made of good quality leather. Washing can be done to keep chaps clean or as a necessary step to dyeing them.

Fill the washer with hot sudsy water using any kind of detergent. (Hot water is best to get them clean.) Throw in the chaps and let them agitate for a minute or two. Pull them out and apply Spray N' Wash or Zout to the insides of the legs where dirt and sweat from the horse accumulate. Using a fingernail brush or a soft suede brush, lightly scrub those areas. Put the chaps back in the washer and let them go through the entire cycle. Use the "regular" or "normal" wash cycle. (Wash time should be set for 8 to 10 minutes.)

When the chaps are in the final rinse, some people add a quart of PINK fabric softener (blue fabric softener turn light colors green) to make the chaps soft. Some people feel that the fabric softener leaves a slight residue that attracts dirt. Take your pick.

DO NOT put the chaps in an automativ dryer. The intense heat will shrink them badly. Instead, hang them outside in the shade. Hanging them in the sun will cause them to fade and possibly shrink as bit as well

When the chaps are bone dry, put them in the dryer and let them tumble in the fluff cycle (with no heat) for about 10 minutes. This will make the chaps even softer.

After tumbling, take hold of the chaps and pull in all directions. If they did shrink a little, this stretches them. If chaps do shrink a bit it is usually in the width of the thigh area and not leg length, so really pull to stretch the thighs., A blow dryer with no heat is good to help raise the nap.

Some people let their chaps get about half dry and then wear them until the finish drying.

NOTE:

The information included in these articles on washing and dyeing chaps has been gathered from some of our cusomers as well as magazine articles which have been published. Goliger Leather Co. cannot guarantee any results of using these methods due to various conditions in municipal water systems and machine quality.

Hope this helps. Like I said I haven't tried it.

[TradisH~*~QueeniE]

thanks everyone for your help...I will be sure and try a few of these....hehe.....or should I say when I get brave enuff I'll try them out........thanks again for your help

[superndngyrl]

hey if anyone tries the washing thing be sure and post it!

[lsijohn]

Something else that cleans really well is corn meal. :)

[superndngyrl]

oh yeah!! We use white gasoline. u can get it at a hardware store... it soaks up the dirt and evaporates out and the dress stays soft.

U just pour it into a tub
Dip the dress and rub it in the spots where its really dirty
Hang to dry

Make sure you're not barbecuing that day or smoking near it. Could lose your dress, house, and everythign else nearby...

It works!

[luvstraightdancrs]

Superndngyrl--Heard about this before but never knew anyone that tried it. Doesn't it affect the beadwork? We have a very old dance bag that was in a flood, full of dirt and dried mud. Hubby would like to use it but only if clean and pliable. Was told to use the white gas but have been too afraid to try it.

Do you think it would work on this old bag? It also has quill work on the fringes - would it be hurt if I did this?

[MoonCrow]

Bursh it out with a regular bristle brush. It has always worked for me.

MoonCrow

[superndngyrl]

i have noticed that my front medallions have started coming off so I don't know if its a result of the gas or being an old dress... I have had it for almost 13 years now but it still looks good... the rest of beadwork seems unaffected... Its a southern buckskin.

[*Kwe_Zee*]

What type of hide?

What type of hide is best in your opinion? elk? Deer? Moose? Rabbit.:p jk.

[Kakeeya]

I take the fringe off my dress and take them to the dry cleaners. My fringe comes back pretty and white then I sew them back on again. However, I wouldn't recommend taking beadwork to the cleaners as the chemicals could harm the threads and the beadwork will start coming off. Taking fringe to the cleaners isn't so bad, they need to be replaced every once in a while anyway, beadwork is a lot harder to replace than fringe. :)