How your leather feels (its Patina – literally ‘hand’) tells you more about its condition than anything; it should feel like something between velvet and satin. Supple, inviting and luxurious. Leather care starts with maintaining factory fresh feeling leather from the beginning. Keeping it clean is important, and hydration is the key; preserving the life, flexibility, appearance and longevity of your leather. 1. Dry leather - it is the moisture level that has altered and re-hydration is needed to restore balance. Keeping leather clean and hydrated is the key to maintaining leather and although commercial 'conditioners' may 'feel good it's not the leather itself that feels softer, but merely the product sitting on the surface. 2. Stiff leather surface – Soft Touch (ex Vital) will revitalise leather that has become dried out, stiff or is squeaking. It is also excellent for improving the tactile feel of leathers. Soft Life is a water-based cream for polyurethane coated leather 3. Shiny leather - is caused by using an inappropriate care product (cream or oil-based) which leaves an oily residue on the surface, or by dirt build up plus friction leaving a shiny surface. Proper cleaning with a water-based cleaner (Leather Master Leather Soft or Leather Strong Effects) and the use of a protection product should return the leather to its original matte finish. 4. Sticky leather surface - body oils (or sun-tan oil) mixed with road dirt from the a/c could be the cause or an oil-based product as used; use Leather Master Leather Degreaser (check for colour fastness) this aerosol product is ideal for cleaning oily stains; it dissolves and removes oil and grease from leather surface. This cleaner can be applied for cleaning all types of leather. 5. Deformed leather surface – leather upholstery fibre structure will stretch in all directions with no particular grain or stress pattern. The urethane surface coating will not withstand multi directional stress, however, and when it’s flexed or stretched continuously in the same place the surface coating develops an indentation, car seats will often leave a ‘dent’ in the upholstery surface, however it is the foam that is deformed, more than the seats covering. The application of low pressure / dry vapour steam will help restore the shape, used in conjunction with hand pressure. Steaming is what the factory does to mould the leather around all the curves of seats and interior panels, and upholsters use to stretch or reshape leather. 6. Cracked leather- upholstery fibre structure will stretch in all directions with no particular grain or stress pattern. The urethane surface coating will not withstand multi directional stress, however, and when it’s flexed or stretched continuously in the same place the surface coating develops minute cracks. Repeated flexing and stretching eventually causes the pigmented urethane surface coating to wear away in certain areas. By using this kit from Leather Magic; wipe the leather down with the solution, using the 220 grit sand paper; this will remove most of the minor creases. Apply 3-4 thin coats of dye (allow to dry between coats) you have the option to spray the final coat with a sprayer (all included in kit) – Leather Magic Repair 7. Wrinkled leather - Dampen the surface (do not soak) with distilled water and then position the end of a hair dryer eight to 10 inches away from the wrinkled leather surface. Move the end back and forth so that the hot air is not concentrated on one section of the leather for too long. This prevents the dryer from burning the leather. The heat from the hot air in the dryer will gradually shrink the leather, tightening its surface (this is the way leather is fitted in upholstery shops, i.e. shrink to fit) and effectively removing the wrinkles. Hair dryers operate at a lower temperature than professional heat guns that are typically used to shrink fit leather. As a result, it might be several minutes before the wrinkles are completely gone. 8. Scratched leather - Scratch Away (A-Aniline / Non-Coated) is a professional formula designed to erase these light surface scratches and scuffs. It performs this by moving the surrounding dye to cover the area where the colour is missing – Detailer's Domain 9. Scuffed leather - use a hair drier (not a heat gun) at a 300 angle to heat the area while massaging it, this will lift the scuff out. Then apply LM Leather Protection. If it is still noticeable then treat it like a leather repair. 10. Polyurethane surface scratches - for light slightly scuffed urethane covered upholstery; using a 2000 grit finishing paper, with light pressure sand the area until the marks have faded. Then use a very thin application of Leather Master’s Leather Filler, water- based acrylic paste that fills out scratches in leather or any part of that grain that is missing. 11. Polyurethane covered hides - the oils secreted from your skin are slightly acidic and may compromise the polyurethane covering. Removing these oils is paramount to leather care, but limiting the amount of bare skin you expose to your seats and interior is a great way to prevent discoloration. Once damage to the extent of cracking is apparent on polyurethane covered upholstery, there is no way to restore them to original factory condition without dying them. 12. Clear-Cote was originally developed to protect vinyl tops from oxidation and embedded dirt build-up. Clear-Cote is also a protective coating for newly refinished leather or vinyl. It provides a durable, washable surface for any leather or vinyl upholstery; available in original gloss or matte finish. Use a fast-drying lacquer thinner to remove the old colour coating. Apply colour, allow drying thoroughly and then applying Color-Plus 13. Squeaky leather – see Leather Vital 14. Burns or torn leather – scrape away any burned edges and cut off any rough /frayed particles. Install a sub-patch under the leather (wait until he adhesive is tacky before placing the patch) and if necessary use a filler to level the surface. Use several light coats of filler dried between coats. You can use a hair dryer to assist in drying. Remember to hold hair dry at a 300 angle. After the leather repair is level, apply a colour dye to match. An extract from one of a series of unbiased Detailing Technical Papers, a library of educational materials that has become the #1 reference for car care on the Internet Chances are you'll learn something about detailing if you read any of these; although these articles will not improve your detailing skills, lead to a successful business or change your life. Applying what you learn from it, however, will. That's where your commitment comes in - you need to make a commitment to yourself right now that you will take action on what you learn. © TOGWT ™ Ltd Copyright 2002-2010, all rights reserved
