Ashland Leather's Chromexcel scratch maintenance guide

Chromexcel leather will scratch, scuff, and dent easily, which leads to a beautiful refined ruggedness. It's all part of the life of leather. These scratches quickly develop a wallet into one that might be a lot like your grandfather's-- loved and used for many years. Scuffs will eventually smooth out through normal use, but we can definitely speed up the process with this method.

To make our point, we took a used Natural Chromexcel Tony the Ant, and gouged it with a fingernail. The result is a pretty obvious surface scratch.

To expedite the scratch removal manually, the first thing to do is quickly brush the wallet with a fine horsehair brush to remove dirt.

 

After brushing, you can see the scratch has already been visibly reduced. This happens because brushing heats up the waxes and natural oils in the leather and causes them to melt slightly. Brushing also moves these fatty materials around while they're warmer to fill in the scratched area. (This is what would slowly happen over time if you didn't brush your wallet but continued to use it daily). Chromexcel is a very waxy leather to start with, which is why it's perfect for products that get scratched easily (like wallets and boots-- they really need to be able to withstand a good beating).

On the scratched area apply a small amount of Venetian Cream or paste wax – just enough to fill the scratch (use sparingly!). Rub it into the scratched area.

 

You will be able to smooth out the scratch by rubbing repeatedly with your finger, a soft cloth, or the back-side of a spoon.

 

Remember to support the back of the wallet with your hand, or place it on a soft cloth so you don't end up putting scratches on the opposite side from a rough table.

If the scratch is still there, repeat with a small layer of product and smooth out again. Keep in mind that we cannot get rid of the scratch fully in Chromexcel but we can minimize the visibility of the scratch.

 

In this case we were able to remove the scratch almost completely! Your mileage may vary depending on the severity of the scratch, but this is a pretty reliable method for general surface scratches and scuffs.

You may also want to apply Venetain Cream over the entire wallet to give a uniform appearance. Follow Ashland Leather's simple Chromexcel wallet polishing method.