zarbat007 said:
Thanks for reply.
However, I think the leather in my BMW should be a bit softer. Driver's seat is softer than passengers, and some sections on rear seat (not the whole seats- sections) are harder than others.
Sounds like LM Protectant is a winner. But what about the leather vital? Does it really make the leather softer the same way leatherique supposedly does?
Leather fibrous structure averaging 1mm in thickness is originally tannery softened by fatliquoring (fat, oil and water); without this “lifeblood of leather” the leather will remain stiff; as the leather age it becomes less soft as you have notice on the passenger's seat.
“Driver's seat is softer than passengers” may be true because of over stretching, compressing and flexing.
Thus the driver softer seat is the result of breaking of the interlocking fibrils (without the lubricating effect of the fat, oil and water); that weakens the leather strength thus makes the leather surface looser with ripples of creases.
Resulting in the thinning and weakening of the leather structure, where the usage depends.
The solution is to rejuvenate it with the original fatliquor to plump up the thickness and fullness of the fibrous leather structure.
A healthy leather would average 15% of fatliquor.
Unless rejuvenating oils or fatliquors can penetrate the fibrous leather structure; it cannot soften the leather for suppleness.
All products that lie on the surface will all go to waste.
If a product says…”except suede/nubuck”; than it is outright useless as the leather structure that need to be soften is mainly compose of the “corium” fibrous protein fiber; from the reverse suede side to the nubuck leather crust below the finishes.
We should separate the surface conditioning from the leather structure conditioning; and only discuss those products that can offer us some hope.
The effectiveness of softening “plastiky” leather poses more problems in softening them.
It had to depends on product dependant on heat or surfactantcy; physical condition of the leather like surfce micro-cracks, worn areas, needleholes, perforation; techniques like a sauna conditioning, controlled evaporation by cling wrapper, dwelling time, applying oil first and cleaning off excess, or using hydrator as the preconditioner prior to fatliquoring.
Then we are left with rejuvenating with oil versus fatliquoring to soften the leather fibrous structure.
Roger Koh
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