The Saddle leather we use for the Original line made to order Falcon Travelers is 2,5 mm thick premium choice vegetable tanned leather, as explained here. This leather is used by saddle makers and for “tooling”. It's also called Bridle leather.
The Original line leather can feel a bit tough at first, but with use it’ll become more and more pliable and subtle.
We use first choice Full grain vegetable tanned leather. Firstly because the Full grain vegetable tanned leather is quite firm and therefore will hold it's shape better. It's also perfectly suited for the Traveler’s Notebook set-up and will provide a nice and sturdy writing surface for the Traveler's among us and writing on the go as a whole.
Secondly because the first choice full grain leather is specifically selected for less marks and scars on the leather ensuring a better dyeing result.
When un-dyed, this leather will turn darker over time by exposure to the sun and oils in your skin. It’ll turn into a beautiful warm brown and develop a lovely patina. This happens because of the tannin in the leather.
There are two main ways of dyeing leather, Aniline dyeing, which is basically dyeing the leather with soluble solvent based dyes without sealing the surface of the skin, and Semi-Aniline, using an insoluble topcoat, like with acrylic dyes or sealing in the color of some of the Eco-Flo water-soluble dyes with and insoluble coat.
Aniline
The dyes used for the Falcon Traveler’s Notebooks, Original leather line are aniline, solvent based dyes, these are permanent transparent dyes that will penetrate the leather.
There are 4 different dyes we use primarily:
- Angelus leatherdye
- Angelus suede leatherdye
- Fiebings leatherdye
- Fiebings oil based leatherdye
Each of these leather dyes has a somewhat different effect on the leather, Although these differences can be very subtle. The oil based dyes and the suede dyes tend to leave the leather softer to start with, but the alcohol based dyes have a wider range of colors available. Specifically the oil dyes have mostly brown tints.
We have a gallery for all the colors and customizations, this is a great place to start when selecting your color.
After dyeing we condition the Falcon Travelers with either oil or carnauba cream, so you don’t need to condition it further. The oils in your hands will be enough to keep it conditioned. We brush the inside with a suede brush and spray it with a suede conditioner, to make it water, dust and dirt resistant.
If you somehow haven’t used your leather cover in a while you may find it needs some conditioning. A light rubbing with either oil or any other leather conditioner will suffice.
For the ROSE and TURQUOISE colored leathers we advise Carnauba creme as a conditioner, because this has less tendency to activate the tannins in the leather and it'll stay lighter longer.
With use and handling the leather will get softer and more flexible over time, so don’t be afraid to take it with you and handle it a lot. You can also roll the leather of your cover to start the process. If you prefer to keep the smooth feeling and wrinkle free look of the leather, please keep in mind to always make sure to roll it toward the inside (the suede side) to avoid wrinkling of the leather!
What's the difference between #44 Coffee Espresso and #44 Coffee Latte
The Coffee Espresso and Coffee Latte a two variation of the same dye. The Coffee Latte has an extra step before dyeing to partly prevent the dye from entering the leather. This process will give the leather a rustic look and a smooth feel. No two will turn out exactly the same, some will be darker and some will be lighter. Some will be more rustic and some will have a more even appearance. Making this colorway completely unique.
Pink and Beige Suede Leather dye
The Pink and Beige dyed Falcon Travelers will at first feel a bit powdery. This is caused by the dye which has a powdery base, due to the light color of the dye. You don't need to worry about this because the powder wipes right off and the leather will develop it's natural patina as normal.
When you receive the Falcon Traveler the leather will be treated with Leather oil by us and most of the powder will already have been removed. A quick wipe with a soft cloth will remove any remaining powder.
Semi-Aniline
It is also possible to paint the leather with acrylic dyes. This is available in the shop as a set of customization add-on's for the Saddle Tan Falcon Traveler's Notebooks.
We use Acrylics specifically intended for leather and a sealant as a coating on top of them. After painting and sealing they will be conditioned with Carnauba creme, like with the Rose and Turquoise TN's.
There are several different kinds of add-on's available, but if you have a specific idea in mind please feel free to contact us and we can discuss your idea to let your dream Notebook come to life.
Note: Please keep in mind that colors may be different from the images representing the colors here. Every computer screen is different and every piece of leather is different. Also photography and lighting may influence colors.
We have more colors and color combinations are also possible. Please contact us if you would like a color or color combination that isn't listed.
