Do Leather dyes work?
10-19-2005, 02:35 PM
#17
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Changing color is no issue is you strip the old dye off first. Then you essentially have raw leather and you can color just as the factory did...
Three rules to great leather dyeing: Preparation, preparation & preparation. Oh, and one other thing: use an air brush to apply the dye. You will still need some small brushes to get into out-of-the-way places, but the air brush gives factory-type results.
Regards,
SteveCo in St. John's
Three rules to great leather dyeing: Preparation, preparation & preparation. Oh, and one other thing: use an air brush to apply the dye. You will still need some small brushes to get into out-of-the-way places, but the air brush gives factory-type results.
Regards,
SteveCo in St. John's
10-19-2005, 08:02 PM
#18
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If your sig is right you are near DFW. Locate a company called Hi Tech Vinyl in Hurst or Bedford. It's right off the 183 near Zims. Take him your car, and 'splain what you want. He did my front seats in leather, and new carpet everywhere, fixed a bunch of tears, new vinyl on the console, and I was out the door for $1600-ish. Other quotes were much more.
Tell Brian EXACTLY what you expect, and monitor the work. If somethng isn't just right, he'll redo it. He had to redo my back deck carpet, and one door panel wrinke, and they look very nice. All seat motors function, and he was careful about all the electrics on the car. Even replaced two fuses I didn't know were dead!
If you want to DIY for some of the job, Leatherique works great. It takes time to get it prepped right, just like body repair and prep. Use plain ole Laquer thinner to take off the old paint. It's cheap and effective. Sand where needed, there's some filler goo for minor crackes and holes. Use an airbrush for the application or you will be dissatisfied with the end product. Sand if you want it burnished, and then you can even buff with a saddle soap if you want it shiny.
I don't work there, just a sat customer. so is Jim(I think) and Roger.
Doc
Tell Brian EXACTLY what you expect, and monitor the work. If somethng isn't just right, he'll redo it. He had to redo my back deck carpet, and one door panel wrinke, and they look very nice. All seat motors function, and he was careful about all the electrics on the car. Even replaced two fuses I didn't know were dead!
If you want to DIY for some of the job, Leatherique works great. It takes time to get it prepped right, just like body repair and prep. Use plain ole Laquer thinner to take off the old paint. It's cheap and effective. Sand where needed, there's some filler goo for minor crackes and holes. Use an airbrush for the application or you will be dissatisfied with the end product. Sand if you want it burnished, and then you can even buff with a saddle soap if you want it shiny.
I don't work there, just a sat customer. so is Jim(I think) and Roger.
Doc
10-21-2005, 02:51 AM
#21
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Thanks for the tips!
A fine white interior (with some wood veneer work for console and door inserts) on a white S4 could look really sharp (and rare in a 928). However a white carpet would be a real challenge. So would the burgandy leather. That is a color that is just no "us" - personal choice.
I gather going from white to black would be no challenge, nor burgandy to black (or anything to black) via dying. Anyway, thanks for the tips on dying leather!
Mark
DFWX
A fine white interior (with some wood veneer work for console and door inserts) on a white S4 could look really sharp (and rare in a 928). However a white carpet would be a real challenge. So would the burgandy leather. That is a color that is just no "us" - personal choice.
I gather going from white to black would be no challenge, nor burgandy to black (or anything to black) via dying. Anyway, thanks for the tips on dying leather!
Mark
DFWX
10-31-2005, 01:00 PM
#23
Nordschleife Master
I just re-dyed a black front console and tan back seat sides to brown. Looks good and the pieces match each other. Used Leatherique.
The stitching looks like it was done with brown thread. No build-up on it. I sprayed it on and the dye was very thin and runny.
The stitching looks like it was done with brown thread. No build-up on it. I sprayed it on and the dye was very thin and runny.
10-31-2005, 02:49 PM
#24
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It is possible to end up with poor looking stitching if you are not careful with the dyeing process. As previously posted by others, spraying works well, with very fine coats and well thinned dye.
My experience is that the whiteish stitching does soak up some dye and turns black in the process (in my case my seats are beige and have a light color thread in the stitching). I suspect the same would happen with any color. You can buff the dye off the stitchingif you want...tedious, but doable. I kinda like the look of my stuff with the black stitching. Looks OEM to me, but I think the factory stuff is probably black thread.
Regards,
SteveCo in St. John's
My experience is that the whiteish stitching does soak up some dye and turns black in the process (in my case my seats are beige and have a light color thread in the stitching). I suspect the same would happen with any color. You can buff the dye off the stitchingif you want...tedious, but doable. I kinda like the look of my stuff with the black stitching. Looks OEM to me, but I think the factory stuff is probably black thread.
Regards,
SteveCo in St. John's
