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chet
09-17-2008, 03:42 PM
Roger,
I've been looking for someone with the nowledge to help me resolve many cleaning, maintenance, and restoration issues. Hopefully I've found someone with the expertise to realy help. We've positioned ourselves in an upscale market and my clients depend on us for help with their exotic furnishings. I have always been dissapointed with the results we've achieved in aniline and nubuck leather. There are some Eel skin chairs that I will send you pictures os when I can find them, but for now I want to know what you think about this Python Ottoman.
I've worked on this Python ottoman in the past. It was extremely blotchy prior to me working on it. Extremely faded, never cleaned or conditioned for over 10 years before I worked on it.
Originally I cleaned it with Soft Cleaner, Conditioned it with Leather Conditioner and Applied Protection Cream all (Leather Master products). Most of the blotchyness went away, however it never returned to it's original color and luster. (This client has been collecting Python skins for several years to have it recoverd, she can't find many of the large skins necessary to make it work, but that's how I know how awesome the original skins should look).
Do you think their is a way to resore it to it's original look? I will sen you a picture with a follow up post.

chet
09-17-2008, 03:52 PM
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f289/Chet50/pythonottoman.jpg
As you can see the Ottoman looks dingy orange/rust colored faded,(oxidized)? The Dark areas should look much darker and more pronounced, and the background orange / rust color should be beige and tan. I believe she it's worth about $20,000 in good condition, or maybe that's what she paid for it.

Roger Koh
09-17-2008, 06:07 PM
I clean these exotic skin with fatliquor5.0™ and shine them with waxEffect95™ with high speed buffer to bring up the natural shine.

Fatliquor can be used as a cleaner too - it has natural fat, oil and water.

Fatliquor is quite similar to milk except it's without the protein that will coagulate and makes the leather stiff.

If you can separate the protein from the milk it may work like fatliquor on leather too.

Heard of ladies of old that they too bathe in goat’s milk?

So, fatliquor not only strengthen and soften the leather it cleans as well by the natural wicking process, as the anionic (-) fatliquor bonds with the cationic (+) fibers and water breaks free moves up and carrying the foreign soil particulates to the surface as well.

waxEffect95™ is wax suspended in water, an emulsion that penetrates the leather structure making it a more natural waterproofing and as the water too evaporates it leaves the inter-fibrillary space for breathing comfort.

So its composition is designed not to stuff the leather to death.

After 4 hours of natural drying a film of white wax residue will re-surface.
Heat will activate the wax residue to turn it a natural sheen.

Burnishing will bring up the natural gloss effectively.

It’s only two products I need, with lots of burnishing.

That’s all I need!

Isn’t it safe and simple?

Roger Koh
LeatherDoctor® System

Roger Koh
09-18-2008, 02:37 PM
Picture #1: After fatliquor5.0™ and waxEffect95™ - Crocodile Skin.

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn4/Rogerkoh/125.jpg

Picture #2: After burnishing - Crocodile Skin.

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn4/Rogerkoh/128.jpg




What do you think?

chet
09-19-2008, 05:36 AM
If I could make it look like that she would be thrilled. How do you buff (burnish) it? There are a lot of large brittle scales that easily flake off on this Pythom.

Roger Koh
09-19-2008, 10:03 AM
Are you thinking of redoing the ottoman?

There are a lot of large brittle scales that easily flake off on this Pythom.

These curl-up scales are sign of diminishing fatliquor.
In severe dryness relaxer3.3™ hydration is recommended to relax the skin prior to fatliquor5.0™.

I've worked on this Python ottoman in the past. It was extremely blotchy prior to me working on it. Extremely faded, never cleaned or conditioned for over 10 years before I worked on it.

Blotchiness is due to alkaline exposure as the leather chemistry is destabilized and moves away from the contamination in rings.
This blotchiness could be corrected simply with rinse3.0™ before moving to acidifier2.0™ depending on severity of blotchiness.
Working with acidic cleaners, acidifiers and anionic fatliquors improves fading to a degree.

Originally I cleaned it with Soft Cleaner, Conditioned it with Leather Conditioner and Applied Protection Cream all (Leather Master products). Most of the blotchyness went away, however it never returned to it's original color and luster

Do you know the pH value of this cleaner that you are using?

Does the pH of this cleaner works in harmony with the skin chemistry or caused a weakening of hydrogen bonding between the fiber and the chemistry put there by the tannery (Simply said, is the pH value of both the skin and cleaner are of the same pH range)?

What is the function or benefits of this conditioner?

How this conditioner works on the leather (structure or surface)?

Why you think this conditioner benefited the leather?

The same questions on “conditioner” applied to the “cream” that you have used.

Most of the blotchyness went away, however it never returned to it's original color and luster

The above pictures still show the brown unnatural blotchiness.

The luster we want to bring out is the natural beauty of this skin.

The “cream” you used is too artificial to do this job; rather it coats and dulls it.

What a waste of money and effort by not knowing what a product can achieve.

Do you think their is a way to resore it to it's original look?

If you can deliver it to me, I can do a test on it and post the result for your approval.

I like to do the impossible!

What do you think?


Roger Koh
LeatherDoctor® System

Roger Koh
09-19-2008, 03:19 PM
Well, I almost overlooked the possibility of using d’Yellow6.7™, (pH value 6.7 at ready-to-use solution is a fluorescent whitening agent for removing yellowing from oxidation on all leathers).

Roger Koh
LeatherDoctor® System