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Softening leather
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baconsdozen



Joined: 03 Dec 2007
Posts: 1119
Location: Under the car.

PostPosted: Sun Nov 04, 2012 12:40 pm    Post subject: Softening leather Reply with quote

Probably in the wrong section but...............The seats in my car have been dyed or painted. I've tried softening them with saddle soap but I dont think it penetrates because they have in effect been sealed.
Has anyone any products they could recommend for this?.
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Doz



Joined: 12 Dec 2011
Posts: 44
Location: Surrey/Sussex border

PostPosted: Mon Nov 05, 2012 12:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm not sure how it would behave if the surface is effectively sealed, but I used this stuff to great effect on the Austin 10 seats which had badly stiffened up. Perhaps worth a try as it's relatively cheap?
http://www.carrdaymartin.co.uk/product_details.html?cid=MQ==&pid=NA==
It's for saddlery but does seem to do the business. Curious stuff, like red grease. Just remember to give it a good polish off before you sit on it!
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baconsdozen



Joined: 03 Dec 2007
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Location: Under the car.

PostPosted: Mon Nov 05, 2012 12:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've used Carr Day and Martin stuff before,I'll give it a try,thanks.
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peter scott



Joined: 18 Dec 2007
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Location: Edinburgh

PostPosted: Mon Nov 05, 2012 1:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hide Food worked with mine that had been recoloured and were crispy.

Peter
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Kelsham



Joined: 18 Jan 2009
Posts: 349
Location: Llandrindod Wells Powys

PostPosted: Mon Nov 05, 2012 5:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I recently bought some replacement seats for my XJS, they were great condition but light grey in colour. I need black to match the interior.

I asked for recommendations for a recolouring kit and one suggestion was for an impermeable colouring product.

I have put the job on the back burner for the moment, but will probably try to source a different product as I feel that it is desirable to use hide food and expect it to penetrate.

I wonder whether if you keep applying hide food it will eventually penetrate? If not it looks as if you will need to remove the coating with a suitable product and apply a different permeable coating.

Regards Kels.
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ajlelectronics



Joined: 04 Oct 2010
Posts: 168
Location: Gloucester

PostPosted: Mon Nov 05, 2012 6:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have been looking into this too. I want to recolour a steering wheel from black to yellow for 'indoors' MG TF to make it look like a Trophy. Much of the information is confusing and I have come across products that are only suitable to renovate the same colour.

I think the one I like the look of is called Fenwicks or something like that.

To do the job, it seems you need to clean it, strip off the protective coating, recolour and finally add the protective coating back.

Nobody can tell me if I can do this to a high standard, so like you, it' on the back burner. It isn't helped by the fact that she wants the colour to match the exterior, so the dye would need mixing to spec, another large cost!
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traction39



Joined: 19 May 2009
Posts: 399
Location: South Wales

PostPosted: Mon Nov 05, 2012 7:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

There was an interesting article in a recent Automobile mag regarding leather preservation/care etc.
These guys at http://www.leatherconservation.org/transportation.php seem to know what they are talking about and may offer advice over the phone??
They seem to suggest that all the creams we use do very little....!!
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Castellated nut



Joined: 08 Dec 2007
Posts: 91
Location: Shropshire, UK

PostPosted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 9:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Leather Conservation Centre do seem to recommend doing nothing. I emailed them for advice about three years ago and the following is from their reply:

"Generally we do not recommend using leather dressings because we find that, apart from being irreversible, they can cause damage to the leather. This is particularly the case if too much is used or used too often. The long term effects of over-oiling leather are that oils and fats can encourage bio-deterioration, spue (white residue on the leather), oxidise and stiffen the leather, discolour (ie darken) and stain, leave a sticky surface and wick onto nearby material, soften the original finishes and decoration, attract dust and impede future conservation treatments. It can also lead to splits in the leather where the fibres slide apart. The solvents in dressings can also affect surface finishes. So, dressings have lots of potentially disastrous side effects."

and:

"It is better to leave well alone rather than risking damage to the leather by applying anything. We treat more leather that has been damaged by application of various substances, than leather which is damaged through neglect (unless it has been in poor environmental conditions)."

Personally, I've never found that leather balms had a great deal of softening effect, but I still feel that stiff cracking leather needs something. I'm inclined to go for Connolly Hide Food (though it seems to be called "Hide Care" now) applied rarely. Another possibility might be "British Museum leather dressing" - you can get it ready-made (expensive) or mix your own - but I haven't tried it.

Steve.
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colwyn500



Joined: 21 Oct 2012
Posts: 1745
Location: Nairn, Scotland

PostPosted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 12:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It sounds like this "feeding" leather mullarkey might be a bit like the contradictory stories you hear about human skin care creams. There are the scientific facts and then there is the subjective impression that you get from personal experience.

I have been using "Lord Sheraton Leather Balm" (on my car seats, not my face); just over £2 from Tesco. It works so well at softening the leather without appearing to change the colour that I am beginning to wonder if it might also help my face.

Now if I cause problems for future restorers of my Austin Ten, so be it; previous generations caused enough trouble for me and that was through neglect not through care.

Incidentally, when we bought a new sofa a couple of years ago, DFS conned me into buying a leather care kit for £25. The kit consists of a lovely packaged box of what I would describe as individually wrapped baby-wipes; no special smell, no oiliness, no good. I might as well just use a damp cloth, which is what I do and the sofa is still looking shiny, soft and new. It is only two years old mind you.
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clan chieftain



Joined: 05 Apr 2008
Posts: 2041
Location: Motherwell

PostPosted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 4:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I could do with some for my face Colwyn500. Does Tesco sell it in gallon cans. Laughing Laughing Laughing
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Rich5ltr



Joined: 28 Mar 2008
Posts: 678
Location: Hampshire, UK

PostPosted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 10:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Anyone tried Neatsfoot oil? Talking to my upholsterer yesterday and he suggested it for softening areas of hardened leather seats.
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Doz



Joined: 12 Dec 2011
Posts: 44
Location: Surrey/Sussex border

PostPosted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 10:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Apparently whilst it's great for softening the leather, neatsfoot can also rot stitching. Incidentally the chap that told me this is a leatherworker that makes shooting equipment etc. so quite different from car leather but I'm sure it must have similar requirements. It was him that put me on to the strange red Carr Day and Martin stuff.
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Penman



Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 4751
Location: Swindon, Wilts.

PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 12:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi
Haven't used this for cars myself, not had one with leather interior for years, but it certainly works nicely on shoes, belts, wallets, and tobacco pouches.

http://www.renapur.com/content/car-interiors/
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Kelsham



Joined: 18 Jan 2009
Posts: 349
Location: Llandrindod Wells Powys

PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 4:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well there is no doubt that leather goes hard over time. It may be that many product are not as good as their advertising.

However I don't believe it is an excuse for neglecting the leather. I intend to carry on using the Gliptone I bought some time ago.

As to broken stitching, who is to prove it is not caused by shrinking leather tightening against the?

I must admit, on very dry leather seats I have been disappointed by the results obtained so far.

I am sure they use treatment on saddles and bridles in the horse riding world.

Regards Kels
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Doz



Joined: 12 Dec 2011
Posts: 44
Location: Surrey/Sussex border

PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 4:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Kelsham wrote:
I am sure they use treatment on saddles and bridles in the horse riding world.
They certainly do, the stuff I used (see the link in the second post in this thread) is intended for that very purpose.
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