Hi Roger, how are you? Would you be able to please help me with this bag that I bought from an auction? The vachetta leather has gone dark and mouldy in some areas and the inner pocket has quite a lot of black mould/growth. Is there a way to clean this? Which products should I buy? Thank you so much in advance for your help.
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>>> The vachetta leather has gone dark and mouldy in some areas and the inner pocket has quite a lot of black mould/growth.
Severity of mould growth or infestation or contamination issue will depends much on time factor in its life cycle. As it grows it sucks the moisture content (fat, oil and water) out of the leather and the leather is in a progressive phase of dry rotting and discoloration becomes more obvious.
>>>Is there a way to clean this?
The discoloration comes from the multi-cellular filaments called hyphae, which will require physical removal and in severe cases will sink pits into the leather surface resulting in pot marks. These discoloration and pot marks are beyond cleaning capabilities.
>>>Which products should I buy?
d’Mold-3.6 system found in Kit V5.MK is to kill the mold growth and its residue is effective for a period of 8 months. Thereafter another dose is recommended periodically for long-term solution against reoccurrence.
Vachetta-2.8 system found in Kit V3 is for browning treatment.
Degreaser-2.2 system from Kit V5.dr deals with darkening effect from penetrated body oil, grease and sweat.
See more information below:
Roger Koh
Leather Care Consultant
www.LeatherDoctor.com
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Leather Doctor Kit V3 – Vachetta Leather Browning Removal Kit
Leather DoctorŽ Kit V3, unfinished leather care system is design for corrective appearance of vachetta, saddlery and veg-tan leathers from browning liquid stains. These alkaline pH sensitive leathers when neglected often suffer unsightly browning stain marks from a variety of liquid sources. Even apparent clean rain and tap water often leave a lightening spot with an outer ring. The pH 7 alone of water will often cause a rippling effect on the tannin that destabilize and causes it to moves. Browning correction is performed by using Vachetta-2.8, a pH 2.8 specialty leather cleaner that is particularly effective in emulsifying oily soiling, lightening suntan and water staining effect. A holistic system includes rejuvenating the leather structure for softness with Hydrator-3.3 to relax, follows with Fatliquor-5.0 to soften when dry and protecting with the healing properties of Protector-D thereafter. The lightening effect takes place when the leather dries. When leather is wet and dry again, it will often stiff up, as the fibers becomes stick closer together. Hydrator-3.3 helps separate and open up the inter-fibrillary spaces preconditioning for effective Fatliquor-5.0 replenishing to lubricate for leather flexing smoothness from cracking. Replenishing the leather structure with fat and oil after browning corrective cleaning besides the softening effect also prevents the ingress of liquid stains as a preventive measure. When leather is full of fat and oil, it makes the leather less absorbent. Fat and oil conditioning or rejuvenating with Fatliquor-5.0 mellows and enrich the appearance of the leather while most oil conditioners will simply darkens and dulls the appearance poorly. Protector-D enhances a rub resistant draggy-feel against friction rubs and is use routinely to conceal and fill scuffmarks. Body contact areas should be clean routinely with Clean-3.8 follows with Rinse-3.0, thereafter applied with non-stick protection and commence for another cycle of use. Darken and prolong body grease and sweat contacts will require a degreasing process with Degreaser-2.2 follows with Acidifier-2.0 in most cases. Preventive cleaning and protection to shield against sticky soiling, with the abilities to heal and conceal lightening scuff and abrasion marks keeps the leather appearance level high at all times rather than relying on corrective or salvage cleaning where the cleaning appearance deteriorates and diminishes with each cycle. Note that the mentioned products suffix numbers denotes its pH value in this holistic approach to removing vegetable, plant and water stains from vachetta, saddlery and veg-tan leathers.
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Leather Doctor Kit V5.mk – Vachetta Leather Mold Killer Kit
Leather DoctorŽ Kit V5.mk, unfinished leather mold killer kit is designed for vachetta, saddlery and veg-tan leathers mold preventive and decontamination care during storage or after growth. Water damaged leathers and storing in a humid condition promotes mold growth. The presence of mold infestation is detected by its characteristic musty odor and moldy appearance. Mold is a living organism and damages are progressive that timely preventive anti-fungicidal control is preferred over corrective restoration. A progressive mold infestation will result in unsightly sinking pits that may require physical removal with refinishing. When leather is store away, a d’Mold-3.6 treatment preserves the leather for a potential period of 8 months. d’Mold-3.6 is a waterbased leather-safe non-phenol fungicide designed to kill mold growth. An effective mold decontamination process would include a restorative cleaning with Prep-4.4, sticky residue removed with Cleaner-3.8 and follows by Rinse-3.0. Mold growth draws its nutrients from the leather fat and oil and will need replenishing. Rejuvenating the leather includes hydrating to relax the stick together fibers and to eliminate surface tension with Hydrator-3.3. Fat and oil follows immediately with Fatliquor LS-5.5 to rejuvenate the leather with suppleness and diffusing a classic leather scent. This follows with d’Mold-3.6 treatment when dry and proceeds with Protector-D+ for a holistic leather care. Note that the mentioned products suffix numbers denotes its pH value in this holistic approach for both leather mold preventive and corrective care.
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Leather DoctorŽ Kit V5.dr, vachetta, saddlery and veg-tan leather degreaser kit is an innovative leather-safe degreasing system for removing grease and sweat contamination. When sweat accumulates and ages it shift alkaline, besides the apparent darkening effect it will also impart a sticky feel to the leather. Leather is composed of protein fiber with other leather constituents like the tanning agents and the fatliquor. The tanning agent preserves the leather while the fatliquor softens it. The protein fiber is amphoteric while the other component is non-amphoteric. They come together by hydrogen bonding. When the pH of the leather rises due to the sweat, the protein fiber begins to shift ionic negative and breaks bond with the ionic negative tanning agent and the fatliquor. The protein fiber loosing the ionic attraction from the tannin agent denatures and revert the leather to rawhide as experience with tackiness or stickiness in extreme cases. The stiffness of the leather is due to the loss of the fatliquor that lubricates the fibers thus the fiber becomes stick together and when flex cracks. The darkening effect is partially contributes by high pH exposure, as alkaline darkens and acidity lightens the appearance of leather. To rectify the compound problem the grease and sweat contamination is remove. The protein fiber is degreased and recharged ionic positive below its iso-electric point (pI) by using Degreaser-2.2 follows by Acidifier-2.0. This combination degreasing and rinsing process should improve the darkening effect while reversing the leather to a healthy squeaky feel. Hydrator-3.3 helps rectify alkaline overexposure areas by facilitating colloidal water movement to redistribute the leather constituents from surrounding areas, while purging foreign contamination to resurface and charging the protein fiber below its iso-electric point (pI) ionic positive to hydrogen bond with the ionic negative fatliquor more effectively. Fat and oil is replenished with Fatliquor-5.0 to return the leather for softness and suppleness when dry. Protector-D heals and conceals scuff and abrasion marks; imparts a rub resistant draggy-feel against friction rubs and shield against sticky soiling while prolonging the appearance of the leather longer. Note that the mentioned products suffix numbers denotes its pH value for a safer degreasing approach to pH sensitive leather. Leather is an amphoteric material and shifting of it pH value obliviously causes the leather to darkens, denature and reverts to rawhide.