| Author | Message | ||
     Chris Miller Experienced User Username: cjm51213 Post Number: 21 Registered: 5-2013 |
Hi Folks, I have a '71 which has had the front seats reupholstered with some leatherette vinyl material and I have a '66 with, as nearly as I can tell, completely original interior. I plan to transplant the '66 interior into the '71. The '66 interior leather is intact but is dry and stiff with surface cracks. I want to restore this leather. I think restoration is two projects -- suppleness and color. Suppleness is oils and such, so I need recommendations for materials and techniques. Color is like shoe polish, but on seats, it needs to be colorfast -- can't have green coming off on clothing. So, I need recommendations for materials and techniques here also. Thanks for the help, Chris. | ||
| Brian Vogel Grand Master Username: guyslp Post Number: 619 Registered: 6-2009 |
Chris, http://leatherique.com/ (for starters) Brian | ||
| Geoff Wootton Grand Master Username: dounraey Post Number: 309 Registered: 5-2012 |
Chris I renovated the front seats of a Jaguar a few years ago using Leatherique's products. I was really pleased with the result. Their products are water based and soak in to the leather and leave it with a natural look. I have seen some restored seats where an oil based dye has been painted on with a brush. In "real life" i.e. not in photographs, they can look painted and artificial and the surface prone to cracking. As with all restoration work, the secret is in the preparation. As I recall you first clean the seats using their cleaning solution and then let them soak for a couple of days in rejuvenating solution to soften the leather. You then flat off the leather with very fine sanding paper, apply prepping agent and finally apply the dye with a soft cloth. Final buffing brings the seats up like new. I can't remember the precise details, but the above gives the basic principles. It takes a few days to carry out the renovation as you need the solutions to soak in and dry off. The drivers seat on my Jaguar was in very poor condition but with a lot of work, particularly with the sanding, which took several hours, I got a really good result. The only thing that did not work for me was trying to get the filler to adhere. This is used for very deep cracks and in the event, since the seat was all one color when finished, it was not really necessary anyway. I can't remember what amount of solutions I ordered however the kit I used cost about 120 bucks and was sufficient for the two front seats. Geoff |
