“There are several mistakes people make when restoring a car, such as
leaving the leather until last. ”
Why? Well when leather is tanned, moisturizing oils are impregnated into the hide. With older thick leathers this stays within the leather for many months before heat evaporates it, but because the new leathers are thinner, the moisturizing oils dry out more quickly. Now that cars must be completely locked up for security reasons, a hot day with an outside temperature of 70 degrees will convert to over 100 degrees within a locked car, thus baking the interior.
The seat design can also determine the rate of wear. Bucket seats which grip the body crease less, however bolster cushions wear more quickly because in many cases the only way in and out is to rub this area up and down, when getting into the car. Big broad seats in Rolls-Royces and Bentleys crease more, whether the person has a big or small bum. A little bum puts more weight on a smaller area, causing creasing in the central area, whereas a big one causes creasing over the whole cushion because of the associated increase in weight.
How does one preserve the leather now that it's thinner, baked in sunlight for part of the year, frozen in winter then blasted with air-conditioning for the remaining months?
Firstly, keep it clean. If you look at a mechanic’s fingers you will note that the skin is dry and cracked. The cracks have ingrained dirt in them which is effectively holding the cracks open, and this is what happens to your leather if you neglect it. So wipe it down with a damp cloth every month, clean it thoroughly every six months but not with soapy water or a chemical smelling watery cleaner. Leather when wet expands and on drying it shrinks. Look at what happens to a chamois leather where
the more the leather shrinks the more it pulls on the stitching. So use a thick mild, gentle cleaner, neat for dirty leather, but diluted with a little water for regular
cleaning, with some glycerine added.
Next you have to replenish the oils that were originally put in at the tannery, but which brand? Never use ‘oils’, as these will rise to the surface in hot weather, transferring to your clothing. Look at the instructions on the bottles of creams or pastes and if it says ‘polish off’ or ‘buff up”’ after several minutes, hours or overnight, avoid them. Why are they telling you to polish it off? Simply because it hasn't soaked in, and if it hasn't soaked in, it hasn't done anything. These can also leave a residue on the surface that attracts dirt and dust, and they can also become sticky in hot weather. Others suggest applying in warm conditions to speed up effectiveness. That’s rubbish, they don't work. Never use equestrian leathercare products on auto leather or furniture leather.
Leather, the need to restore. When you buy an expensive used sports or luxury car you want it to look it's best, and so you restore parts of the car that have been neglected. The leather is the main area to have lost it's original finish, and cleaning and conditioning as above will greatly enhance the appearance. Small touch up leather dye kits are also available to colour in cracks, creases and scratches, and these greatly improve the appearance without the trouble and expense of total recolouring of the interior.
Leather furniture. You should now know which leather you have. Now you need advice on what to do and what not to do.
All leather suffers from the same problems, these are:
1. Human body/hair oils and grease (perspiration).
2. Dye transfer from clothing. 3. Drying out from heating and our bodies.
Sealed Leathers, often called Corrected Grain. This leather is top surface coloured then a clear protective sealant is sprayed over the colour, this leather is the most common, to test if you have this leather drip a small amount of water on a hidden area, if it sits there for 15 minutes or more, you have a sealed leather.
Antique Rubbed. These usually have a very shiny finish, in the case of Antique Rubbed a base coat of colour is applied first, dried then a dark shade is applied over the top, areas are then rubbed and the light colour underneath shows through. A protective coating is then sprayed over the top to seal in the colours, PU is as above but without the rubbing process.
CVS 22 Rouge Bouillon, St Helier, Jersey
Tel: 618878 mb: 07797 715898
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