redidrum

Anyone know of a good product to use to Re-Dye my Blue Leather Seats ?

What works best for conditioning the seats ?

Thanks,

Ron

BrianG

http://www.colorplus.com/frameset_products.html

Tony

Yup. i second Brians link. They color matched a dye to Graphite grey for me.

I even ordered a small can of "Porsche Black" and redyed my flight bag black. After two years of rough and tumble care the dye is holding up fine.

Good stuff IMHO.

redidrum

Brian and Tony,

Thank You,

Ron

SteveCo

I'll toss in my vote for Leatherique's products.
http://www.leatherique.com/
I have used their full line of products to restore my interior (still a work in progress). Their Rejuvenator Oil is awesome for bring old, hardened leather back to life. I use it on my latemodel Audi interior twice a year as well.

They also have the convenience of a Canadian distributor, who I have used to procure my products.
http://www.leatheriquecanada.ca/

I have used their standard Porsche Black dye for my car...actually more of a water-based paint than a traditional dye...and it looks great. The cured dye can be buffed to any level of shine desired. I found that just a light buffing produced the OEM leather look. Definitely recommend spraying the dye rather than brushing it...if you do brush it, use a natural bristle brush, not a foam brush...too many bubbles with the foam brush. I used a simple airbrush for my work...awesome results. Oh, and practice on something before doing the real thing first.

Here's a weblink to a user's experience that I found when doing research. Very nice write-up and pictures:
http://imperialclub.com/Repair/Inter...ther/index.htm

Regards,
SteveCo in St. John's

Parnelli Joneser

I have had excellent luck in the past with SEM brand leather dye. I bought it at a local parts house that serves as a wholesaler to the body shops hereabouts. Prep is as important as the actual dying, naturally.

mspiegle

woudln't it be more preferable to have a dye than a paint? I was planning to redo my interior as well... wanted to use leatherique, but the whole water-color paint thing bugs me a bit...

spinaker

I've used Leatherique rejeuvenator oil and cleaner. My interior was in excellent condition with only a small bit of wear on the drivers' side bolster (sport seats take a beating there). However, the leather was stiff. The product is excellent but you have to apply it repeatedly until it displaces any previous products which have built up on or near the surface. My seats are now pretty much like new and very soft.

I also have the dye to redo the bolster but haven't gotten around to the job yet. It is a water based dye that comes with a chemical to pretreat the leather to allow it to receive the dye.

sharkmeister85

Wow! That is beautiful, Doug! I've got the "ugly" twin to your car, except you have the sport seats I've always wanted.
Glenn

SteveCo

Everybody has the same reaction to the "waterbased" aspect. I mentioned the "paint" item only to illustrate the fact that the colorant remains primarily on the surface of the leather and does not soak down to color the hide completely. Sort of like the difference between house stain and paint. You can remove the colorant fairly easily after it dries with solvents, but regular cleaning products just remove dirt and grime!

Don't worry about the chemical system involved. Water-based dyes have been around for a very long time. In fact, all modern factory auto leathers have been dyed this way about 20 years now...mostly due to environmental concerns in Europe. The most famous is Connolly leather used in Jaguar and Rols-Royce cars...this has long since moved from solvent to water-based dye process...even though most people probably did not notice. It works exactly the same as old-style dyes, but is easier to work with and clean up. And, no, it will not dissolve and get all over your clothes any more than solvent-based dyes would.

Actually, water-based dyes are preferrable as they allow conditioning product to soak through the colorant easily. They are also easier to repair, in case you have a small accident.

There are solvent-based auto dyes on the market, if you feel so inclined, but I could not imagine them being any better than my experience with the water-base variety. Just my opinion, of course. I'm sure others will have experience and opinions as well.

Regards,
SteveCo in St. John's

NYDolfan

After lightly sanding the existing leather does any prep need to be done to re-dye it to a different lighter color? Is there any solvent that can remove most of the original dye?

Styln928

Ron,
Wait until 928 Int'l comes across another white interior with dark blue piping and put it in.

docmirror

Yep, the word "dye" has been miscast in the last twenty five years or so. In the bad old days, vats of pigmented oils were heated, and then a batch of leather was dipped into it repeatedly to soak the colorant into the material. The leather was then tanned, and softened before use on what ever you have.

Modern leather coloring uses almost exlusively water based paints. The prep process is much different, because it's important to drive much of the natural oils from the leather prior to painting. That's the WHOLE reason our 'modern' leather cars are drying out, cracking, fading, etc. Because they are actually painted not dyed. About the only countries that still do dying are PRC, and some other backwter places. It's just not cost efficient anymore.

So, your seats are almost surely painted. Most likely they are painted on both sides, even though only one side shows. That's because the cost of painting the other side, is minimal, and it has the "dyed" look. Connoly has been painting their hides for years. Some finishes are actually dipped in a water based dye called Alylin solution, and that will give both sides the same color.

To refinish, it's quite similar to the refinishing of any painted surface:

1. Use Laquer thinner, take off all the old paint(dye).
2. Use a non-oil based conditioner for the leather suppleness.
3. Repair small cracks, cuts, dimples with a vinyl goo.
4. Sand out imperfectios, then really clean the surface.
5. Air brush on several thin coats of paint.
6. Buff to desired gloss.
7. Use a conditioner twice per year, more if lots of sun or dry climate.

If you really want to dip your leather in a vat(good luck color matching):

www.dyesonline.net/dyes/index.jsp

If you want to try out the painting route:

www.leatherique.com

Snip off a small segment from the back of the rolled edge of your seat and send it to them. They will color match, and make up a kit for you. Test the color carefully, I had to send mine back for a bit more red tint. Just like any other paint job, prep is 80% of the work. Dont' even try to brush it on if you are concerned about the depth of grain. If the leather is smooth, you can brush it, and sand with 1200 wet, but it'll always look richer with a air brush application.

mspiegle

Thanks all for clearing up the water-based dye misconception. Now I can happily move forward with re-dying my interior =)

SteveCo

Docmirror has this right. I know the "dye removal" process all too well. Well, actually I am dealing with real paint removal, as my tan interior had been carefully dissassembled and skillfully spray painted glossy black. Yes, with single stage car paint or at least a good quality spray can variety!

I can attest that lacquer thinner will remove spray paint and even the factory "dye" to leave you with the bare tanned leather. Doc's basic steps to refinish the surface are right on. In my case, I am in the process of removing the spray paint and then re-dyeing all the leather to black again, so color matching is not a big issue to me. I have opted to remove the paint completely to all the car's interior and condition the leather, then re-dye all of it at once. Big job, but well worth it, based on my experience.

I'm intimately familiar with how lacquer thinner works on the factory colorant and will only comment that it is general not necessary (or practical) to remove all of it. It is important to remove sufficient to allow you to gain access to the grain of the leather to condition it. If strong fumes bother you, make sure you have plenty of ventilation for the thinner.

If you picture the factory colorant as a sort of "filler" to the peaks and valleys of the leather surface, you will get the idea. As you remove the top layers, eventually you will uncover the peaks, but the valley's will still be filled. You can remove all the color with more thinner and rubbing, but you do not need to (unless you are trying to go from a darker color to a lighter one).

At this point, a light sanding to open the grain and then a good conditioning is all you need. Repair/fill any damaged areas and then refinish with the water-based "dye". It is amazing how truely good the end product looks...almost like new.

I have a test section of the door panel on the 928 that looks exactly like the bottom seating surface on my 2000 Audi S4 in terms of color, finish and feel. I'd call that more than acceptable.

If you want to see some of my project, check our the info on my website at:
http://warp142163082080.newtel.com/n...928%20main.htm

Regards,
SteveCo In St. John's