Cowhide Tiga Art Oil Painting – corner buckled out!

Roger
I have a large Tiga art painting that was given to me while doing medical/dental mission work in Ecuador. Recently we had some damage to our home in CT from the severe weather conditions this winter. The Tiga art painting is painted on cowhide. One side buckled and I would like to soften cowhide without damaging the painting. Once soften, I can then have it re-framed.

The painting I believe is painted with oils (car paints). The lower left corner buckled out, almost as if the hide wants to go back to original state. There is no damage to the hide, it just pulled away.

Any suggestions?


#1
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...TigaArt1-7.jpg

#2
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...TigaArt2-7.jpg

#3
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...TigaArt3-7.jpg

#4
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...TigaArt4-7.jpg

#5
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...TigaArt5-7.jpg

#6
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...TigaArt6-7.jpg

#7
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...TigaArt7-7.jpg

Softening Cowhide:

To restore the shrunken cowhide painting back to it to original dimension has to go through the process of hydrating and relaxing it to the original dimension and thereafter fatliquoring it to maintain the size when dry.

The sequence of process is recommended as follows:

1] Hydrating with a leather-safe waterbased pH 3.3 hydrator is done on the reverse suede side while the painting is place face down over a wax paper / non-stick treated glass table top.

2] The suede side is evenly saturated until a little moisture ooze out between the thumb and fingers is the optimum level of moisture content.

3] The painting is left to dwell covered with clear plastic sheet to prevent evaporation for a minimum of 4 hours.

4] It is then lightly scud with plastic cards to relax the painting flat minus the creases or fold lines and stretched to the desired dimension that will fit back into the frame.

5] While the moisture evaporates the pH 5.0 fatliquor is sprayed and spread evenly through out to replenish it at drying intervals of 2 to 4 hours until satisfaction.

6] The universal tannery standard for fatliquoring when dry is average 14%.


Without damaging the painting:

1] The painting is best to treat with a non-stick protector such as the odorless Buttery Feel-76 or the leather scented Leather Scent-B.

2] The wax paper is a double precaution – otherwise spray the non-stick protector over a glass table top is another option.

3] Products used are water based, so the chance of dissolving the car paint is of non-existence.

4] Decide how much extension is required preferably mark out on the wax paper or glass table top as not to over stretch to distort the painting.

5] Equal and even distribution of hydrator, fatliquor and stretching will retain the original dimension of the painting without undue distortion.


Here are the recommended products...

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...juvenator5.jpg
Leather Rejuvenating Conditioner (5)

Leather Doctor® Hydrator-3.3
This is a pH 3.3 aqueous leather-safe hydrator with active surfactantcy for lowering the interfacial tension between the protein leather fibers and its constituents.
It’s for hydrating dried, stiffed or shrunk leathers to separates the crushed, stick together fibrils and relaxes them in the inter-fibrillary leather structure for effective distribution of the Fatliquor-5.0.
It’s for charging the leather protein fibers below its iso-electric point positive to hydrogen-bond with the ionic negative charged Fatliquor-5.0.
It’s for facilitating colloidal water movement within the leather structure during the wicking process to move soiling particulates to the surface.
It’s for reactivating the dormant dyestuff to resurface thus reducing the contrast between the color coat and the leather crust.
It’s for reducing the interfacial tension to eliminate blotchiness when dry especially absorbent leathers.
It’s for facilitating better finish penetration during refinishing thus providing good surface properties, especially the uniformity of surface dyeing during aniline refinishing.

Leather Doctor® Fatliquor-5.0
This is a pH 5.0 anionic charged micro emulsion fatliquor leather rejuvenator.
It’s for replenishing original fatliquor that diminishes thru sun-bleaching, ageing, heat and alkaline exposure or cleaning.
It penetrates and lubricates the leather fibers so that after drying they will be capable of sliding over one another smoothly.
Besides softening the leather with stretchability, compressibility and flexibility, fatliquor enhances its rip tensile strength greatly.
Relaxes coarse breaks, creases and wrinkles to provide drapes, suppleness and prevents cracking.
It helps to keep leather at its optimum physical performance and prevent premature ageing.

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...onditioner.jpg
Leather Tactile-Feel Conditioner (8)

Leather Doctor® Buttery Feel-76
It’s for Pigmented, Aniline and Oil Pull-up Nubuck leather types.
This is a non-film forming, non-stick scentless protector that enhances a soft natural buttery-feel.
It’s for imparting a non-stick breathable barrier essentially to shield the detrimental effects of sticky soiling including the nasty ballpoint ink.
And for helping to release those tenacious dye-transfers stains especially on light colored leathers easily without resorting to unnecessary color refinishing.
Its natural buttery-feel protection increases the leather resistance to wet and dry rubs, thus reduce stretch, scuff and abrasion.
And it reduces friction squeaks that wear the finishes when leather is rubbed during movement.

Leather Doctor® Leather Scent-B
It’s for Pigmented, Aniline and Nubuck Oil Pull-up leather types.
This is a non-film forming, non-stick rub-resistant protector that enhances a soft natural buttery-feel with a classic leather scent.
It’s for imparting a non-stick breathable barrier essentially to shield the detrimental effects of sticky soiling including the nasty ballpoint ink.
And for helping to release those tenacious dye-transfers stains especially on light colored leathers easily without resorting to unnecessary color refinishing.
Its natural buttery-feel protection increases the leather resistance to wet and dry rubs, thus reduce stretch, scuff and abrasion.
And it reduces friction squeaks that wear the finishes when leather is rubbed against during movement.
Or friction that wears the leather finishes caused by getting in and out of auto.


Roger Koh
[email protected]

Thank you. would i need to remove the whole painting from the board it is glued too. Or just work on the part that is buckled.



The whole painting has to be removed from the board to prevent distortion to the art work as described.

Roger Koh
[email protected]

Does anyone know of anyone whom i am able to ship this Tigar Art Painting to who would be able soften the cowhide so as to reposition it. Any ideas would be appreciated. Any result is much better than what i have now,