928 Leather Seat Refinishing- Slippery Slope Chapter MDCXXVI
08-19-2010, 10:35 PM
#31
the filler is a bondo resin . tanneries use it all the time to fill flaws and even holes .
the next generation is a foam which is incredible it gives the leather a incredible softess and on bare leather looks like great stuff foam.
watch out with creams, lanilin oils and such it is extremely short fix to a real problem .
the best anyone can do is guard against the sun that is the biggest problem for leather .
putting saddle soaps and such on worn dry leather is like putting butter on burnt toast. the toast is still burnt .
new leathers (3 years ago) have uv guards that can actually lower the temp by 8 degree's and is used in steering wheels alot .
the next generation is a foam which is incredible it gives the leather a incredible softess and on bare leather looks like great stuff foam.
watch out with creams, lanilin oils and such it is extremely short fix to a real problem .
the best anyone can do is guard against the sun that is the biggest problem for leather .
putting saddle soaps and such on worn dry leather is like putting butter on burnt toast. the toast is still burnt .
new leathers (3 years ago) have uv guards that can actually lower the temp by 8 degree's and is used in steering wheels alot .
08-19-2010, 11:20 PM
#32
Three Wheelin'
Understanding leather and caring for it...
Rob--
What was he using to strip those panels? Inquiring minds and all that...
Mine are coming up on deserving a touch-up soon. In fact another 'lister asked the other day about how the now three year old repair is holding up. It needs some attention again, and anything we can learn from your pro is a plus.
When I did mine last, I used denatured alcohol for the basic finish removal, but that didn't take a whole lot of the original finish off. More "cleaning" than "stripping". The Leatherique repair/refininsh method includes some sanding as prep, and I did some lightly around the areas that needed repair. But that was only the two bottom bolsters and the upper-outer on the driver's seat where there were serious cracks and splitting. Sanding was needed to smooth down the edges of the splits, and it got another smooth sanding after each thin filler layer.
What was he using to strip those panels? Inquiring minds and all that...
Mine are coming up on deserving a touch-up soon. In fact another 'lister asked the other day about how the now three year old repair is holding up. It needs some attention again, and anything we can learn from your pro is a plus.
When I did mine last, I used denatured alcohol for the basic finish removal, but that didn't take a whole lot of the original finish off. More "cleaning" than "stripping". The Leatherique repair/refininsh method includes some sanding as prep, and I did some lightly around the areas that needed repair. But that was only the two bottom bolsters and the upper-outer on the driver's seat where there were serious cracks and splitting. Sanding was needed to smooth down the edges of the splits, and it got another smooth sanding after each thin filler layer.
08-20-2010, 07:57 AM
#34
Race Car
the filler is a bondo resin . tanneries use it all the time to fill flaws and even holes .
the next generation is a foam which is incredible it gives the leather a incredible softess and on bare leather looks like great stuff foam.
watch out with creams, lanilin oils and such it is extremely short fix to a real problem .
the best anyone can do is guard against the sun that is the biggest problem for leather .
putting saddle soaps and such on worn dry leather is like putting butter on burnt toast. the toast is still burnt .
new leathers (3 years ago) have uv guards that can actually lower the temp by 8 degree's and is used in steering wheels alot .
the next generation is a foam which is incredible it gives the leather a incredible softess and on bare leather looks like great stuff foam.
watch out with creams, lanilin oils and such it is extremely short fix to a real problem .
the best anyone can do is guard against the sun that is the biggest problem for leather .
putting saddle soaps and such on worn dry leather is like putting butter on burnt toast. the toast is still burnt .
new leathers (3 years ago) have uv guards that can actually lower the temp by 8 degree's and is used in steering wheels alot .
08-20-2010, 08:23 AM
#35
Rennlist Member
Funny you mention that. Someone on this board about 10 years ago said they put sun screen (i.e., Copper Tone, Hawaiian Tropics, etc.) on their dash and it worked great. They assumed if it was good enough for our skin, it's good enough for a dead cow's skin too. I thinnk it was spf 15, but I can't remember.
08-20-2010, 10:28 AM
#36
the foam filler is used in the industiral process to hide flaws ( nicks , scratches, tick bites and such)
then the leather is embossed to give a uniform grain even on top of the foam.
any cleaning products that have a trace of silicone is a problem . it destroys the factory polyurothane top coat which really seals the top coat that acts like a sealent preventing the moisture from leaving the hide.on the coppertone and such neat idea but the human skin is still alive a leather hide has been tanned to stop the decaying process . coppertone would have no effect on a dead body .
please note by 1989-90 ish european tanneries had to switch to water base finishes and really in the first 5 years of that process they had alot of issues , water is the solvent and just getting leather wet breaks down the color.leathers made today used for repairs are actually much more durable then the original water based finishes from the early 90's..
then the leather is embossed to give a uniform grain even on top of the foam.
any cleaning products that have a trace of silicone is a problem . it destroys the factory polyurothane top coat which really seals the top coat that acts like a sealent preventing the moisture from leaving the hide.on the coppertone and such neat idea but the human skin is still alive a leather hide has been tanned to stop the decaying process . coppertone would have no effect on a dead body .
please note by 1989-90 ish european tanneries had to switch to water base finishes and really in the first 5 years of that process they had alot of issues , water is the solvent and just getting leather wet breaks down the color.leathers made today used for repairs are actually much more durable then the original water based finishes from the early 90's..
08-21-2010, 12:37 AM
#37
Three Wheelin'
OK, so what do you do about leather that has had silicone containing products used on it?
08-21-2010, 02:23 AM
#38
the bad news is nothing . that part will simply dry out and crack and evetually tear. i do not mean to be so blunt but it is the truth . i have worked for 26 years with austrian and italian tanneries . the problem for all auto leather is the sun coming thru the windshield and on a 928 the tailgate is really tough not to mention the dash area. when we make leather for cars oem spec by the time we are done there really is no naturalness left and it has to be that way .
on the other side leather is considered very expensive it is really not at tannery levels .pricing has dropped 40% in the last 15 years thank to using brazilian hides and covering flaws much better.
leather does have one huge advantage over any fabric and that is it's tear resistence.
on the other side leather is considered very expensive it is really not at tannery levels .pricing has dropped 40% in the last 15 years thank to using brazilian hides and covering flaws much better.
leather does have one huge advantage over any fabric and that is it's tear resistence.
08-21-2010, 04:03 PM
#40
Burning Brakes
Looks great 
I wonder if this process would repair dashboard cracks...?
I wonder if this process would repair dashboard cracks...?
