Restoring 1930s French Leather Clubs Chairs

I brought these chairs back home from Milan and desperately want to preserve them. My chairs have been neglected over the years and are drying out.

I enjoy the worn in look, so I am not looking to restore them back to original. My goal is to glue down the loose top grain and then moisturize and finish to ensure that the leather can retain its strength and flexibility.

What products would you recommend?

Picture #1 Some top grain peeling off the "busy" parts of the chair
Attachment 9296

Picture #2 You can see the original color underneath. It's incredible how the leather has darkened so much over the years!
Attachment 9294

Picture #3 Some cracks and more dryness
Attachment 9295

>>> Picture #2 You can see the original color underneath.

Vegetable-tanned leathers behaves like our light colored skin, it will sun tan darker when exposed to UV light. Its pH neutral value is lower then chrome-tanned leather by 1 pH value averaging 2 to 4. Thus any liquid value higher then 7 will similar darkens it and cause the tanning agents to moves away from the center of alkaline over-exposure manifest as brown rings.


>>> It's incredible how the leather has darkened so much over the years!

I believe, it has been pigmented coated to even out discoloration or stains.


>>> Picture #1 Some top grain peeling off the "busy" parts of the chair

This shows the weight of the pigment coating peeling off the dry rotting and exfoliating fiber grain.


>>> desperately want to preserve them.

These pigmented coating is recommended to be removed with Stripper-2.3 (after fat and oil is replenished), which was not originally there - picture #2 is the evident.


>>> Picture #3 Some cracks and more dryness

Dryness is rejuvenated with Hydrator-3.3 > Fatliquor-5.0 > Hydrator-3.3 system.
Cracks repairs will need evaluation after the rejuvenating result.


>>> I enjoy the worn in look,

Skip the repairs to “enjoy the worn in look” - strength and suppleness is regain from sufficient fat and oil level - up to 15% by hydrogen bonding with Fatliquor-5.0


>>> so I am not looking to restore them back to original.

The pigment coating have to go “to restore them back to original.”


>>> >>> My goal is to glue down the loose top grain and then moisturize and finish to ensure that the leather can retain its strength and flexibility. What products would you recommend?


Here is the optional sequence of steps for your consideration

Step-1 - VachettaPro-1.2 > Acidifier-2.0 system.
This system cleans of general soiling and charges the leather protein fiber ionic positive (+ve) to hydrogen bond with ionic negative (-ve)
Fatliquor-5.0.

Step-2 - Hydrator-3.3 > Fatliquor-5.0 > Hydrator-3.3 system.
This system is to hydrates and plumps the leather structure prior to fatliquor replenishing.

Step-3 - Stripper-2.3
This is the pigmented coating removal and need to continue while damp with step-4.

Step-4 - Hydrator-3.3 > Fatliquor-5.0 > Hydrator-3.3 system.
To ensure that partial fat and oil removed during step-3 is replenished

Step-5 - Stain Removal (to be determined) and rejuvenating appearance with Vachetta-2.8 system.
The appearance will need evaluate and decide what stain is revealed to be removed according prior to the last treatment with Vachetta-2.8 to
rejuvenate the vegetable-tanned youthful appearance.

Step-6 - Repairs consideration (Impregnator-26 > Bond-3D > Bond-7A - Adhesor-73) test out potential of darkening effect to satisfaction. This repair is an
option that may have to compromised with appearance to personal liking.


Attachment 9297
Roger Koh
Leather, Skin & Hair Care System Formulator
Consultant / Practitioner / Instructor / Online-Life-Coaching
online store: www.leatherdoctor.com
forum: www.leathercleaningrestorationforum.com
email: [email protected]

Thanks for you response! Ill get working on steps 1-4 and then report back!

I have two chairs that are in very similar condition. How much of each of those products would you recommend I order? It seems like I may need the larger size for the hydrator and fatliquor

Recommend this basic Kit
http://www.leatherdoctor.com/kit-v3-...g-removal-kit/

and get the refills in quarts "fill" or concentrates.

These leathers are like desert sand and products disappear until the fat and oil content is build up to average 15%.

VachettaPro-1.2
http://www.leatherdoctor.com/vachettapro-1-2/

> Acidifier-2.0
http://www.leatherdoctor.com/acidifier-2-0/

will help charge up the leather protein fiber ionic positive (+ve) to effective hydrogen bond with Fatliquor-5.0

http://www.leatherdoctor.com/fatliquor-5-0/

Hydrator-3.3
http://www.leatherdoctor.com/hydrator-3-3/

Thanks Roger. Is there any way to hydrate the leather without removing the brown? What other options are available to me?

>>> Is there any way to hydrate the leather without removing the brown?

Hydrating with Hydrator-3.3 will enrich or saturate the browning intensity, one of its function is to even out appearance by deep saturation to redistribute the leather constituents like the tanning agents and fatliquor.

Vachetta-2.8 lightens or redox (reduction-oxidation) darkening appearance from UV exposure.