dying leather?

[dknight3]

Hi i am going to dye the leather seats in my car and ive read a lot of stuff that confused the hell outa me. lol



What i was going do is, wetsand with 600 grit and paint thinner, then use some type of leather conditioner and let that sit for a couple days, then rub it down with rubbing alcohol, and use a leather dye.



Has anyone done this before? what products did you use?

this is probably not the right way to do it that's why i am here, seaching for help.

 

[judyb]

As long as the leather is in good condition this is perfectly possible.

You need to use pigments rather than dyes though. A pigment is a paint that coats the surface a dye soaks into the leather. As most car interiors are pigment coated dyes would not work as they will not soak through the costing.



With modern restoration products we have found no need to remove the old finish and this process is now rather old fashioned and labour intensive. Adding 'conditioners' that contain oils or waxes could affect the adhesion of the pigments and finishes so should be avoided. Make sure the alcohol wash contains no oils as some contain perfume oils and this could affect adhesion.



The process:

Deep clean the leather with a water based cleaner

Alcohol wash the leather

Apply pigment with a roller method to get the best adhesion

Sand lightly between coats but only if necessary

Finish with clear coat finish

Protect with leather protect



Drying and curing times are crucial and leather should be free from body oils

before starting the process.



Make sure you use professional restoration products rather than DIY products as the results will be longer lasting.



Hope this helps

 

[dknight3]

thank you for the response, where can i get the pigment at?

looking for black. and what i have is like 91% isopropyl alcohol and 9% water nothing else.

so ill just clean it with that and put the new pigment on and im good? sweet that sounds alot easier!

 

[togwt]

Pigmentation suppliers



Refinish Coating - a two part system of premium coatings delivers OEM standards, using the highest-grade water-based coatings to give lasting durability, flexibility and versatility



Leather Magic! ™ - colorants are water-based pigment restoration products used for re-colouring large areas or changing the colour of your leather completely



Leatherworld Technologies – water-based auto leather dye for most marques





Surface Preparation



A few days before commencing the actual leather renovation, clean the finished leather surfaces. As a cleaning solution, I use a formula that is used by one of the major tanneries to clean their leather. Mix a solution of 3% detergents that contains a surfactant (P21S Total Auto Wash) 10% isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and the balance distilled water. And then apply Leather Master Soft Touch (formally Vital) this is not a conditioner per se; it softens the finished leather and make it easier to remove the seat covers.



Like all detailing task’s the correct surface preparation prior to the application of the pigmentation (colour) will ensure that it adheres correctly, and has both durability and aesthetics. Use a safe degreaser to ensure any oil and grease free surface (Leather Masters™ Leather Degreaser) this aerosol product is ideal for cleaning as it dissolves the oils and transforms them into a powder that is more absorbent than the leather. This powder is what is wiped off, cleaning and degreasing the leather. Allow the white powder to dry fully. If the powder is drying to a yellow colour, it means that there are still a lot of oils in the leather.

 

[judyb]

Generally speaking on auto leather there is no need to use a degreaser as body oils are not usually present deep in the leather - usually only the case on furniture. Degreasing products are not really cleaners and a good cleaning solution will remove any grease etc from the surface. The only thing a degreaser may be needed on is a steering wheel which will have been affected by oils from the hands.



Better to clean with a detergent cleaner first and then an alcohol wash rather than a mixed product. Tanneries are cleaning and washing new leather rather than dirty and worn leather.



I would not risk adding LM Vital at this stage as it could impede the adhesion of pigment. It is also usually best to use prep products/pigments/finishes etc all from the same source as they should have been tested as a system. if anything goes wrong it would be difficult to tell what was at fault if a mixture of brands has been used.



Hope this helps