Leather Care

[ruby1]

After trying Chemical Guys leather cream and Connolly Hide Care my seat is still faded and cracked.Any recommendations on what to use.Thanks. 

Edited September 26, 2017 by ruby1

[FolkGuitar]

Nothing will un-crack it, nor bring back faded color other than dye, but 'Armorall' will bring it back to life. Spray it on very heavily, let it sit for a few minutes, then rub with a soft cloth to work it into the leather. A few minutes of rubbing, then wipe off the excess. Let it sit for a few hours, or overnight, then wash it with saddle soap and a sponge to wash off the excess on the surface.

 

DO NOT DO THIS TO 'STRAIGHT-LINE'  MOTORCYCLE SEATS!!!!!   The get real slippery!

If it IS a straight-line bike seat, then put some Amorall on a rag and wipe the seat down. Don't staturate, but repeat the process several times. Wash the surface really well before riding.

[CMKiwi]

I found a product in Rimping ages ago that works really well on leather.  It's called Mink Oil and you can find it in the footway care area.

 

I've used it on leather 'man bags', shoes, car seats in fact anything leather and it's really good stuff.

 

It's not a greasy product and really gets absorbed by the leather.

 

As Folkguitar says, if applying to a motorbike seat you need to be careful. As motorbike seats aren't normally leather but rather vinyl...they become very slippery with any polishing product.

 

I also agree...you cannot repair or undo cracks in leather. Very dry leather is also difficult to fully restore it's previous suppleness.

 

Armour All is ok but .....it does have its limitations. It works very well on 'new' equipment, furniture, car interiors etc... and I have used it a lot in the past.

 

Many years ago in NZ we used 'Dubbin' on the leather rugby balls.

 

 This was to protect the leather but more importantly to keep it dry during wet weather games. However sometimes the leather really absorbed the product and the result was a very heavy rugby ball.  Ended up weighing like a medicine ball.....not great fun to kick!

 

Good luck

[BuddyDean]

www.siamcrafttools.com.   they actually have the gold standard from US....Neatsfoot Oil.  Best for the rehydration part.

[FolkGuitar]

Long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I bought an old sheepskin barn jacket at a rural yard sale in New England. This thing must have gotten thrown into the pond and gotten saturated, then wadded up into a ball and left in a corner of the hay loft for 10 years... or more. It was a solid, hard lump of dirty jacket, but I bought it for 25 cents.  I went the local dry cleaners who of course just shook their heads and laughed. So I asked them to whom did they send their leather to. (99% of cleaners who will accept leather goods don't process them themselves. They send it out to big cleaning factories in the nearest major city.) I called, and was fortunate to talk with a foreman on a break who was titillated by the problem... a hard, almost round ball of very dirty sheepskin jacket. He explained how they clean and treat leather garments at his factory, and made some suggestions to me that went above and beyond what they normally do.  I'll spare you the details, but the final step was ArmorAll.  I wore that jacket as a motorcycle jacket for the next five years or so, then sold it for $15 at my yard sale when I moved to Asia.

Edited September 27, 2017 by FolkGuitar

[CMKiwi]

I stand corrected by your superior knowledge and experience sir!

 

It appears Armor All is good for even old leathers.  

 

But whatever you do....treat suede type leather very differently. They normally require a stiff brush to bring back their texture.

 

 

Edited September 28, 2017 by CMKiwi
Spelling error

[FolkGuitar]

2 hours ago, CMKiwi said:

I stand corrected by your superior knowledge and experience sir!

 

No... not my knowledge! I had to go to the experts to learn what to do. I didn't have a clue myself!

I never would have guessed that they use huge commercial washing machines and strong detergent on leather coats! The very idea boggled my mind. But it worked. The cautions were; handle the garment VERY carefully when wet, as it's so heavy you can tear out the seams... dry it slowly out of the sun, and laying flat rather than hanging.  I put this jacket through several wash cycles using some really powerful cleaners such as 'Simple Green' etc. Then, once it was completely dry, after applying the ArmorAll and letting it sink in, I put it in a dryer with a couple of tennis shoes to beat it soft, using the 'no heat' setting.

 

But whatever you do....treat suede type leather very differently. They normally require a stiff brush to bring back their texture.

 

Very true! As you can see from the photo, this jacket has a sueded finish, and did require a lot of brushing to bring back the nap. This shot was taken about a year after I bought the jacket.

[ruby1]

Thanks for the info guys

[Dellboy218]

As someone mentioned leather dye.  Anyone know of a shop that will paint/dye leather car seats?  My cream Toyota seats are in need of some colour,

[ruby1]

3 hours ago, Dellboy218 said:

As someone mentioned leather dye.  Anyone know of a shop that will paint/dye leather car seats?  My cream Toyota seats are in need of some colour,

Following

[ruby1]

where to buy the leather dye

[chingmai331]

Say, Kiwi, which Rimping carries the Mink Oil?  And i've never seen a 'footway care area' in a grocery store, so what is that?

[FolkGuitar]

On 9/27/2017 at 10:40 PM, CMKiwi said:

I found a product in Rimping ages ago that works really well on leather.  It's called Mink Oil and you can find it in the footway care area...................   SNIP.......................

Many years ago in NZ we used 'Dubbin' on the leather rugby balls.

 

 

Both Mink Oil and Dubbin are sold by Rimping.  I saw them both today at Rimping Nim City

Lower shelves, right hand side of the isle with shoe polish (shelf below shoe polish)

These days, 'most' Mink Oil sold has no 'mink oil' in it. Instead, it's a blend of bees wax, lanolin and silicone. Still works well.  Dubbin is bees wax, oil and tallow, and tends to penetrate leather more than mink oil. Both act as a water-proofer and conditioner, and both will soften leather.

[CMKiwi]

Yes auto correct has a lot to answer for. Footway was suppose to be footware! I saw my supply at Rimping near the iron bridge.  Ive heard that Neatsfoot oil is pretty good stuff, many years ago some guy was swearing by it properties for keeping his hiking boots soft and waterproof.

 

As for leather dye...sorry Ii cant help.  Havent seen any on my travels but Id probably ask the guys at the leather shops down the same road as Helmet to Home.  That is the road that goes from Pantip Plaza to the North East corner of the moat...maybe if I look at a map it would be easier!

[Trujillo]

Re-upholstering is not very expensive.

[Dante99]

9 hours ago, Trujillo said:

Re-upholstering is not very expensive.

Where is a good place to get leather re-upholstering?

[Trujillo]

Oh, I'd have to look that up on that internet thing, if it's still around....

 

If you drive around much in CM, you will pass places that do car seats. Best bet is to ask some car dealership for tips; someone in there will know. 

[FolkGuitar]

2 hours ago, Dante99 said:

Where is a good place to get leather re-upholstering?

 

 

'Leather' re-upholstering is going to be expensive, no matter where you go.

Naugahyde (now that the Nauga has been taken off the endangered specie list   ) will be MUCH cheaper, and there actually is some high quality Naugahyde being made these days.

Here's a place that did some work for me about 10 years ago. No idea what I paid back then.

 

18°48'03.7"N 98°58'57.9"E

[chingmai331]

I used jars of neatsfoot oil when a boy tending to my first baseman's mitt.  The stiff leather of a new mitt caused many errors but once the old glove was soft and flexxy the ball was nabbed every time.  Me a 'Golden Glover' (in my boyhood dreams).

[Dante99]

Thanks, I will look into free range Naugahide.

[ruby1]

where to buy the leather dye...Found it..

https://www.fiebing.com/catalogue/dyes/?product=176

 

[rebo]

4 hours ago, Trujillo said:

Oh, I'd have to look that up on that internet thing, if it's still around....

 

If you drive around much in CM, you will pass places that do car seats. Best bet is to ask some car dealership for tips; someone in there will know. 

At least two shops on the old Chiang Mai <> Lamphun road (the road with the big orange gurded rubber trees) going from Nong Hoi intersection direction Lamphun right hand after about 1 km.
Don't know if they process leather, but why not ...