Leather Care & FAQs
Leather Care and Repair
Q. I’ve got something that I think is leather. Can it be mended?
A. Please send me some clear pictures and a description of the problem with the item and I will advise you. If it is leather and still in reasonable condition then it can probably be mended. However sometimes leather has been left untreated for too long, has become dry and dusty and may tear when put under strain. At this point it can become costly to repair due to time involved and materials. But sometimes it may just need a restitch.
Q. I have something made of leather, what should I treat it with?
A. That depends on the type of leather. Send me some photos and a description and I will try to help.
Q. I love the way the leather looks, I’m just going to leave it to age gracefully and never do anything to it
A. You could do that, but like most things it needs regular love and attention. With good care your leather accessory may well outlive you, providing a fabulous heirloom to pass onto someone else.
Q. How should I treat the leather products that I have bought from you?
A. We recommend using Fiebings 4 Way or Sedgewick’s & Co leather care on many of our leather products. See product description for more details or contact us.
When cleaning your leather, protect the flesh, (furry side) of the leather with a cloth or piece of card. Remember to shake Fiebings 4 Way very well! Apply a small amount to the grain, (smooth side) of the leather with a lint-free, soft and colour fast cloth. Allow it to soak in, then buff off with a clean cloth.
Sedgewick’s & Co leather care comes in a tin or pot. Apply with a soft lint free colour fast cloth. Allow it to soak in, then buff off with a clean cloth. This will maintain a semi matt lustre to the leather. If you’d like advice on using any other products on your leather, please get in touch. See contact details at the bottom of the page.
To purchase the above mentioned products try these links:
https://www.homecareessentials.co.uk/categories/homecare-products/leather-care/leather-treatments/product/fiebings-4-way-care-leather-conditioner-liquid-473ml https://www.jimbarrettbespokeleather.co.uk/ourshop/prod_4623117-Sedgwick-Leathercare-65ml.html
Q. Can’t I just use Shoe Polish?
A. Please don’t use shoe polish on your leather accessories, it has a tendency to darken the leather considerably even when it is supposed to be neutral in colour.
Q. Does leather look different with age?
A. Some darkening will occur on light coloured leathers over the years as leather does darken when exposed to sunlight. So some change in appearance is inevitable over time. However with regular care and attention leather should age well and develop an attractive patina.
Orders
Q. How long will it take to make my leather accessory?
A. All items are Made To Order. Unless otherwise stated our lead time is one to two weeks.
Q. Can’t it be made more quickly; I’m in a bit of a rush?
A. The lead time is long as there are often many steps in the process and just one person making your accessory. I don’t want to over-promise and then under-deliver. However please contact me if you are in need of something sooner and I will see if your order can be expedited.
Q. Is it really necessary to leave a phone number, I don’t want unwanted calls from people trying to sell me things?
A. An accurate contact phone number is necessary as If there is a problem with your order, we will need to contact you to discuss your options. This may be easier to discuss over the phone. When checking out as a guest, please make sure all contact details are accurate. Your details will not be passed on to a third party and I will not contact you in order to make further sales.
Q. I live outside the UK and can’t seem to order via the website or Etsy. What can I do?
A. I currently only sell and ship to addresses within the United Kingdom. However If you live outside of the United Kingdom, and wish to make a purchase, then please contact me directly and if possible we will work out a price which includes any shipping and applicable taxes for you.
Q. Where are your products made?
A. These products are made entirely in the United Kingdom. I work from a small workshop located in Walthamstow, London, UK. The materials used to construct them come from a variety of sources. I use English, German and French Linen thread. Our leather is predominantly veg tan. Some comes from the UK and some from other countries, e.g. Italy. Our goatskin wallets are made from Tusting and Burnett (1938) Ltd’s trademarked ‘Mad Dog’ which is a made from farm reared African goatskin.
While I get some hardware from UK sources such as Abbey England, I also use high quality imported hardware from elsewhere, and some of our lovely brass buckles come from India. This list of places of origin is not exhaustive and will be subject to changes made by our suppliers. I will try and update this information where possible. Please feel free to ask for more information.
Belt Measuring
Q. I’m pretty sure I know my partner’s waist size can’t I just go ahead and order something?
A. All items are made to order, so when ordering belts please make sure to read the instructions carefully regarding taking an accurate measurement. There should be a link in the product description with helpful instructions on how to do this. Please DON’T just take the measurement from someone’s trouser size. If you are still unsure about how to measure accurately, then please contact us for help, before placing your order. We’re really quite friendly. Inaccurate measurements result in a waste of materials and unsatisfied customers, and I really want to avoid that!
Q. How do I take an accurate measurement for a belt?
A. There should be a link in the product description text, however here it is again:
https://gallowayleather.co.uk/belt-measuring/
Leather appearance variations
Q. The appearance of the leather varies slightly. Is this a problem?
A. Leather is a natural product and as such has slight variations across a hide or skin in both appearance and thickness. These variations do not represent flaws in the leather but are naturally occurring and will not detract from the integrity of the leather.
Q. What is Veg Tan Leather?
A. I use high quality leather in our products, and apart from our products which are made with repurposed skins e.g. our laminated earrings and necklaces, the leather used is veg tanned. Veg tan is also known as veg tanned leather and means the leather has been tanned in a solution made from tree bark. This is the traditional way to tan leather, and has been used for centuries. Many types of tree bark are used around the world including Oak or Mimosa. It is a much longer process, but less harmful to the environment than the process used to make Chrome Tanned leather. Chrome tanning is much quicker and therefore much cheaper. These days Chrome tanning is widely used. Those products of egallowayleather that do make use of Chrome tanned leather, e.g our Laminated Leather Earrings are part of our drive to re purpose small amounts of leather which might otherwise have been thrown away.
Shipping/Postage
Q What sort of Postage is included in the Price?
A. Unless otherwise stated, the price of all our orders includes the cost of Royal Mail First Class Signed for Delivery. Therefore there should be no additional calculation of shipping during Checkout.
Q. I’m in a bit of a rush, can you post it using guaranteed next day delivery.
A. Should you wish to have an item delivered sooner then please contact me directly to discuss this before placing your order. See contacts page for details.
‘Available on back order’
Q. have selected my options from both drop downs and the website displays a message saying ‘Available on backorder’. Is there an issue with my order? Or does it mean I will have to wait a long time for my order?
A. All items are Made to Order, and our lead times are between one and two weeks. This message doesn’t indicate an issue with your order and doesn’t mean that you will will experience an exceptional delay. The website is currently displaying a default stock status message which we have so far been unable to hide/modify. However we are working on it, and hope to resolve this shortly. Thereafter no message will display.
Q. I’m confused. Is it egallowayleatherdesign, egallowayleather or gallowayleather? Who are you exactly?
A. egallowayleatherdesign is the name the business started out with for the E17Designer fairs in Walthamstow. It is special to me, but also quite long. For the Etsy shop it had to be shorter, so it became egallowayleather. I currently use egallowayleather on the website, Facebook and Instagram. Using ‘www.’ or ‘co.uk’ or ‘info@’ with egallowayleatherdesign, is too long, so I chose www.gallowayleather.co.uk. Please note that the packaging still currently features stickers with ‘egallowayleatherdesign’. As I since I dislike waste, this will continue for a short time in the future.
Finally, please let us know…
The website is constantly evolving and I would like our customers to be part this process. If you have any ideas then do please let us know. I am keen to create a good user experience for my customers. If you feel unhappy about any part of your experience when dealing with egallowayleather, then please let me know directly by email or phone. Most things can be sorted out in this way.
Equally, if you want to tell me something positive then please drop us a line, I would love to hear from you.