Heat Pressing Appliques on Leather

Back when Marlon Brando rode into Hollywood stardom in the Wild One (1953), the leather motorcycle jacket, adorned with a biker back patch, symbolized the country’s rugged iconoclastic spirit. Since the era of Brando, the popularity of real leather apparel has not diminished.  Little has also changed in how we embellish leather attire. Leather jackets and vests are still decorated with sewn-on embroidered cloth patches with club names and the complimentary adornment of skulls, eagles and dragons.

As an alternative to the embroidered patch, many shop owners have tried heat pressing appliques with varied results. After conducting heat pressing tests, I discovered that the problem is not getting a heat transfer material to adhere to the leather. Everything I have tried had bonded exceptionally well. Rather, the challenge was minimizing the effects of heat and pressure on the coloration and surface texture of the leather. Failure to control the process could get ugly. Just imagine the menacing visage of an enraged biker named Scum or Bone, after defacing his prized motorcycle jacket.

In evaluating various heat transfer materials and application processes, we noted that the discoloration of leather is much more apparent with lighter colors.  In the photo below, I heat pressed the SEF Tatoo printable polyurethane film at a temperature of 330 degrees F for 17 seconds. Note that the area not protected by the Hot Mask transfer tape has darkened. The rectangular shape of the heat mask was also permanently impressed in the surface of the leather.

On a darker brown leather, I achieved much more favorable results. I used SEF FlexCut Sticky Nylon, a heat transfer material that adheres at a lower temperature. The heat activated adhesive coated on this film is designed for nylon, other coated fabrics and difficult to adhere to surfaces. Because leather is tanned using many different types of natural materials, such as tannins, chemicals or vegetable or animal oils, any one of these treatments could affect adhesion.   Being the most aggressive adhesive, we felt that this product was a safe choice for leather. As the saying goes, better safe than sorry.

Note:  There are many different types of leathers, as well as many different textures, treatments, and chemicals used in its processing. While  a heat transfer films, such as SEF FlexCut Sticky Nylon, can work great on many leather products, on other leathers nothing works at all. When feasible, it is always best to test and evaluate a film for a particular application. As I regularly remind people, “Test, Don’t Guess”.

The gold FlexCut Sticky Nylon Levi’s applique (shown below) was heat pressed at a  temperature of 240 degrees F for 17 seconds. Make no mistake, we still experienced some darkening of the leather, but to a much lesser degree. Covering the entire leather piece with a Teflon sheet or brown kraft paper may lessen any detrimental effects.

Leather is a very soft and malleable, natural material. If you heat press an applique onto it, you can leave an impression of the carrier or Hot Mask transfer film in the leather itself. To minimize the impression of the polyester carrier in the leather, we trimmed much of the excess film around the perimeter of the graphic.  Even after trimming, you will undoubtedly leave an impression in the leather, but it will likely be less aesthetically objectionable.

For Information about FlexCut Sticky Nylon: FlexCut Sticky Nylon Application Instructions

Click Here to Access Printer Profiles

FOR TECHNICAL SUPPORT: SEF Americas provides a toll-free technical support service at 844-720-9601. NOTE:  If your call is not answered by a tech support person during normal business hours, 8am to 5pm EST (Eastern Standard Time), please leave a message and we will do our best to return your call within an hour.  Should you need to contact us after business hours, an alternate tech support number is 480-987-8028.  You can also get answers to your technical questions by emailing: techsupport@SEFamericas.com.

ABOUT SEF: For more than 35 years, SEF has provided the screen printing and garment industries with high quality flex films and flock films. Manufacturing at SEF is totally integrated. The factory formulates, casts and adhesive coats its own polyurethane (PU) films. SEF even manufactures its own flock fibers. With a corporate commitment to a greener environment, all of its film and adhesive formulations are water based. This ensures that no solvents pollute the atmosphere. Its only emission is water vapor. Today, SEF is recognized as a leading producer of heat transfer films for used in the fabrication of heat press appliqués for textile decoration. Its ultra-thin polyurethane films and super soft flock films are easy to plotter cut and digitally print.

About this blog: SEF Americas Heat Transfer Blog is dedicated to providing technical information about flex and flock films for heat pressing appliques to textiles. SEF, a leader in flock materials and polyurethane films, serves the garment, sign and screen print industries. SEF brands include Tatoo, Classicprint, Clearflex, Fiberplus, Metalflex and Reflexcut.

For More Information About SEF Americas:

14476-201 Duval Place West

Jacksonville, FL 32218

904-423-0211 - Phone

904-423-0899 - Fax

844-720-9600 - Toll Free

Ordering: sales@SEFamericas.com

Web: NEW SEF Americas Website

Click Here: SEF Americas Shared Public Folder

Click Here: SEF Product Application Guide

Click Here: SEF FlexCut Product Color Guide

Click Here: SEF Print & Cut Product Guide

Click Here: For SEF Documents

Click Here to Access Printer Profiles

© 2015 Jim Hingst