Guest pehernan Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 Hello everybody, once again I need your knowledgeable advice. What you recommend to protect or prevent further deterioration of old leather? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen_Dyneto Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 There are a lot of new synthetic wonder products around but I have no experience with them. I still use the old classic one, Connolly Hide Food, long considered the gold standard of such products though I don't know just where it would place today among the newer products. . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C Carl Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Liberal and frequent application of LEXOL . - Carl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 I was researching ingredients in Lexol, and it seems that one of the things used to make it is animal brains. I sort of wish I hadn't read that. But, of course, I wanted to share so we can all be miserable! http://bestleather.org/lexol-leather-conditioner-review/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Animal brains was a common ingredient in tanning solutions back in the day. May still be as far as I know. You've never enjoyed a good old PA Dutch brain sandwich? Me neither but they say it tastes like scrambled eggs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinneyhill Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 We had a talk by a leather restorer at our car club a few years ago. 1. Remove leather. 2. Remove lacquer colour from leather surface. The lacquer generally makes it hard to do anything to the oils in the leather that you need to reinstate. 3. I can't remember how he cleaned the leather, if he did. 4. Re-oil the leather. Just the right amount, so it doesn't come out through the lacquer or prevent the lacquer colour holding. 5. Re-apply lacquer colour. 6. Re-upholster (assuming a seat, etc.). It is not a cheap thing to do properly. Sorry I can't remember the specifics, but that is roughly the process he talked of. There are any number of leather care packages around. Suggest you talk to people claiming they can "dry clean" leather, which they won't do but that is the colloquial term. NEVER dry clean leather. Yes, you can tan an animals hide by soaking it in its mashed brains for a while. Then pin it out to dry, then work it to make it supple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pehernan Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 Thank you for all your input. It's always great to count on your expertise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 I often wonder what prompted the very first guy to try some things. Like the cave man that said to himself "I think I will try soaking this buffalo hide in his own mashed brains". He probably needed to carve out some sort of device to soak it in as well. I guess back then there were very few distractions so a guy could do a lot of thinking for himself. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 2 minutes ago, JACK M said: I often wonder what prompted the very first guy to try some things. Like the cave man that said to himself "I think I will try soaking this buffalo hide in his own mashed brains". He probably needed to carve out some sort of device to soak it in as well. I guess back then there were very few distractions so a guy could do a lot of thinking for himself. Yeah, who the heck was the first guy to pull an oyster out of the water and say, "I'm eatin' this!" On topic, I had a restorer in my shop the other day who specializes in leather restoration--not replacement, restoration. He's able to soften the hides, strip off the dyes, buff them, and actually return them to like-new condition. His book of work was rather extraordinary, erasing signs of time and use without actually changing the hides themselves. I was flat-out astounded by what he could do. I don't know his techniques, but you can look him up at https://www.facebook.com/GRK-Rolls-Royce-Interiors-Ltd-158808364223409/?fref=ts (if that link doesn't work, do a search for GRK Rolls Royce Interiors). His website is www.grkrollsroyce.com, but that just has his contact information on it. His name is George Kozak and his work is downright amazing. Hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linus Tremaine Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 I have thought about having a side business doing this as well. There are many older cars with interiors that are dry and cracking that just need some repair work, not replacement. There is a system from http://www.leatherique.com/ that is made for restoring leather. They have a cleaner, a rejuvinator, a crack filler, stripper and dyes that you can probably buy as a kit. I really want to try it on my current car but I am so afraid of making it worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 Note that one important part of this process is to remove the finish from the surface of the leather. This allows the leather to be rehydrated. Otherwise, neither oils nor moisture will get into the fibers of the leather itself and soften. When I worked at White Post Restorations, there was a Sunbeam touring being restored, and the owner was adamant about keeping the original, dried up, leather. A fellow came in and did exactly what you described, basically taking all finish off, rehydrating, and refinishing. The leather was beautiful when he got done. A leather interior is fairly expensive, so rejuvenation is a good alternative, if you have someone who can do it correctly....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 21 hours ago, Matt Harwood said: Yeah, who the heck was the first guy to pull an oyster out of the water and say, "I'm eatin' this!" Good question, but I for one am glad he did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plymouthcranbrook Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 22 hours ago, JACK M said: I often wonder what prompted the very first guy to try some things. Like the cave man that said to himself "I think I will try soaking this buffalo hide in his own mashed brains". He probably needed to carve out some sort of device to soak it in as well. I guess back then there were very few distractions so a guy could do a lot of thinking for himself. And how many died from their experiments so that the neighbors and relatives could tell one another, don't eat that , look what happened to Clyde. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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