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Leather Cases - Patina Proud Photos

Here’s a trick for some of you who have sanded there cases and now it feels rough. Or the leather just feels rough from use. Very carefully use a lighter to pass over the area you want to fix and it should tighten the fibers and make it feel smooth again. Now keep in mind I did this on my old case and it worked, I can’t guarantee it will work for your case you will need to experiment if you dare haha. Obviously you have to be very careful you don’t burn the leather and also have to be careful of the flame leaving black residues but it should help to smooth out the leather.

Do this at your own risk!?
 
rgarjr said:
Won’t the alcohol hurt the leather though?
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All it did was make mine look and feel better, my assumption is since this leather has a waxy paint coating it rubs that off instead of hurting the leather. Not an expert but from my experience it made the case much more enjoyable
 
It’s astounding to me the number of people attempting to remove the coating on the Apple Leather cases. Most of them don’t look great, very few do telling me that this is a very high risk move on a fairly expensive case. It is also interesting the number of new accounts that post about this repeatedly - no slam intended, just an observation (Welcome to Macrumors!). Means to me that a fair number of people are attempting this?

Maybe I’m a minority but I couldn’t imagine ever trying to do that to an Apple leather case or any case that cost more than $10 for that matter but I’m no expert on leather - I usually use leather things without ever soaping them, washing them, or scrubbing them - been using leather cases since the 6+ and really enjoy just watching them age naturally.

One thing for sure, leather case quality isn’t anywhere near what it used to be like.
 
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BigMcGuire said:
It’s astounding to me the number of people attempting to remove the coating on the Apple Leather cases. Most of them don’t look great, very few do telling me that this is a very high risk move on a fairly expensive case. It is also interesting the number of new accounts that post about this repeatedly - no slam intended, just an observation (Welcome to Macrumors!). Means to me that a fair number of people are attempting this?

Maybe I’m a minority but I couldn’t imagine ever trying to do that to an Apple leather case or any case that cost more than $10 for that matter but I’m no expert on leather - I usually use leather things without ever soaping them, washing them, or scrubbing them - been using leather cases since the 6+ and really enjoy just watching them age naturally.

One thing for sure, leather case quality isn’t anywhere near what it used to be like.
Click to expand...
I attempted to speed up the patina on an Apple Case a few years back. Never again. I could't use it. It became so sticky and horrible to hold I just thew it away.
 
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rgarjr said:
Won’t the alcohol hurt the leather though?
Click to expand...
Didn't hurt my case any. The goal is to remove the artificial coating and then enjoy the leather you paid for in the first place. In my opinion the vast majority of cases that have shown up on this forum were ruined by removing the coating in an aggressive manor and then trying to force an artificial patina. People say they want the cases to be like the ones for the 7, 8, X series. In my opinion removing the coating and then allowing it to patina naturally is the closest you'll get to the old 7,8,X cases unless you go with a non Apple brand Like Bullstrap or Andar.

For me I appreciate the fit and feel of a first part case which is why I stuck with the Apple brand. I openly admit that my first attempt at removing the coating was a huge mistake as I too tried to force patina and wound up with a mess of a case. When I made my second attempt I had learned from my past errors and the result has been much better.
 
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sonstar said:
Sandpaper and now setting fire to it lol, nuts.
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To clarify it’s the same principle as doing a fire shine polish on a nice pair of boots or shoes. I’m not saying to light your case on fire or do this to force patina. I would never force patina on any of my cases. The edges of my case became rough from sliding in and out of my pockets and this fixed it with some conditioner
 
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Jacob_116 said:
To clarify it’s the same principle as doing a fire shine polish on a nice pair of boots or shoes. I’m not saying to light your case on fire or do this to force patina. I would never force patina on any of my cases. The edges of my case became rough from sliding in and out of my pockets and this fixed it with some conditioner
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Hah cool - I didn’t even know that existed - fire shine polish. The things to learn on Macrumors. :D

Just watched a video on it:
 
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DR3MCLAREN said:
Didn't hurt my case any. The goal is to remove the artificial coating and then enjoy the leather you paid for in the first place. In my opinion the vast majority of cases that have shown up on this forum were ruined by removing the coating in an aggressive manor and then trying to force an artificial patina. People say they want the cases to be like the ones for the 7, 8, X series. In my opinion removing the coating and then allowing it to patina naturally is the closest you'll get to the old 7,8,X cases unless you go with a non Apple brand Like Bullstrap or Andar.

For me I appreciate the fit and feel of a first part case which is why I stuck with the Apple brand. I openly admit that my first attempt at removing the coating was a huge mistake as I too tried to force patina and wound up with a mess of a case. When I made my second attempt I had learned from my past errors and the result has been much better.
Click to expand...
The fit of those Apple Cases are amazing, agreed. I do miss the old 8/x cases. :(
 
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Been using my old deep violet (was a gift few months back, as some mentioned there’s no way I’d spend $60 on an experiment ?). I decided to remove the coating with alcohol wipes, and I’m actually enjoying how its starting to darken. Love the apple fitment since this one fits snug, so I think I’ll be alternating between this and my andar from here on.
P.S. those who’ve experimented with removing the coating, should I give it a few more passes with alcohol wipes? Or just let it keep doing it’s thang now
 
Squanchy said:
View attachment 1933569View attachment 1933570View attachment 1933571
Been using my old deep violet (was a gift few months back, as some mentioned there’s no way I’d spend $60 on an experiment ?). I decided to remove the coating with alcohol wipes, and I’m actually enjoying how its starting to darken. Love the apple fitment since this one fits snug, so I think I’ll be alternating between this and my andar from here on.
P.S. those who’ve experimented with removing the coating, should I give it a few more passes with alcohol wipes? Or just let it keep doing it’s thang now
Click to expand...
It looks like it’s darkening as you’d expect leather to do naturally now so I’d leave it and just enjoy using it see what develops from here.
 
Does using alcohol wipes remove the stickiness of the Apple leather case? That's really my main concern with the cases, I think it's something in the outer coating.
 
sonstar said:
Sandpaper and now setting fire to it lol, nuts.
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lmao

posts like that made me actually become a caseless iPhone user now. When you're spending time and money and effort into a protective case for a phone, is where I personally draw the line

My iPhone has some wear and tear now from using it naked and I love it! No stupid leather obsession anymore, although I still do like leather products.
 
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Squanchy said:
View attachment 1933569View attachment 1933570View attachment 1933571
Been using my old deep violet (was a gift few months back, as some mentioned there’s no way I’d spend $60 on an experiment ). I decided to remove the coating with alcohol wipes, and I’m actually enjoying how its starting to darken. Love the apple fitment since this one fits snug, so I think I’ll be alternating between this and my andar from here on.
P.S. those who’ve experimented with removing the coating, should I give it a few more passes with alcohol wipes? Or just let it keep doing it’s thang now
Click to expand...

I have secretly been wanting this color for my pacific blue 12PM and your post made me order. I’ll probably wipe the coating too. I did it with my SB leather case.
 
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Motionblurrr said:
lmao

posts like that made me actually become a caseless iPhone user now. When you're spending time and money and effort into a protective case for a phone, is where I personally draw the line

My iPhone has some wear and tear now from using it naked and I love it! No stupid leather obsession anymore, although I still do like leather products.
Click to expand...
I’m not big in butchering a case either, but perhaps there’s a group called “naked and proud” that you can join? For naked iPhones ?
 
Motionblurrr said:
lmao

posts like that made me actually become a caseless iPhone user now. When you're spending time and money and effort into a protective case for a phone, is where I personally draw the line

My iPhone has some wear and tear now from using it naked and I love it! No stupid leather obsession anymore, although I still do like leather products.
Click to expand...
hmmm.. for resale purposes in the near future, I wouldn't do that. A minty iPhone will be able to fetch a reasonable high price, plus if for some carelessness or unforeseen accidents, a repair will cost a bomb.
 
iNotion said:
hmmm.. for resale purposes in the near future, I wouldn't do that. A minty iPhone will be able to fetch a reasonable high price, plus if for some carelessness or unforeseen accidents, a repair will cost a bomb.
Click to expand...

Don’t people insure their $1000+ devices?
 
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