Sheepskin Sheet – after washing and drying, the skin becomes dry and hard.

>>> Which product can help to recover the skin to soften?

Hydrator-3.3 helps to restore the shrinkage.
Fatliquor-5.0 helps to soften in when dry.

Hydrator-3.3 > Fatliquor-5.0 system works in combination once the leather is relaxed and stretch back to dimension before drying with Hydrator-3.3, the lost fatliquor is replenished with Fatliquor-5.0.

Products mentioned are found in this Kit-H4 or as individual bottles.
Attachment 5659

Leather Doctor® Kit-H4 is an innovative leather-safe (pH 3 - 5) system formulated for keeping hair-on hide at their highest level of appearance, enhancing their softness and strength and prevents premature ageing that leads to stiffness, curls, rips and tears. The tell tale sign of hide/skin starving from fatliquor (fat and oil) is the creases, wrinkles and fold lines during shipping or storage that fail to make the rug lay flat. As the hides/skin are almost returning to rawhide with lack of fatliquor it becomes noisy as the fiber becomes stick together. The reverse suede side, which we do not see, is vital in producing a pleasing appearance and need to be relaxed and soften up. Rejuvenating the suede side is accomplished by Hydrator-3.3 first to relax and separate the stick together fiber prior to fatliquor replenishing. Fatliquor-5.0 with its fat plumps the suede and the oil lubricate for softness without darkening effect. A well-rejuvenated hide/skin will lie, as flat without curls to the edges is a job well done. Cleaning to the suede side is performed with Clean-3.8 follows with Rinse-3.0 using a suede Brush-3 / Eraser-5 and towel extract. The hair side is clean with CleanHair-5.5 follows with RinseHair-4.0 towel extracts and groom with suede Brush-3. Protector-S+ imparts is silky-feel rub-resistant to lubricates the hair from abrasion wear when the hair is rubbed and a non-stick properties to shield the hair from silky soiling as a preventive care. Moreover, it diffuses a classic leather scent to charm. Note that the mentioned product suffix number denotes its pH value in this leather-safe holistic care system for hair-on-hide.

Instruction:

Suede/Hide/Skin Side Cleaning and Rejuvenating:

Sequence-1: A) Dry Soil Removal: Instruction: A1) Vacuum off foreign soiling with help of suede Brush-3. A2) Exfoliate to renew fresh nap with help of suede Eraser-5 follows with vacuum cleaner. Proceed to Sequence-2.

Sequence-2: B) Wet Soil Removal: Instruction: B1) Apply Clean-3.8 and agitate with Brush-3/Eraser-5 and towel extract until it shows clean. B2) Spray Rinse-3.0 and towel extract to a squeaky clean. B3) Let natural drying and wick-up soiling is erased with Eraser-5 prior to hydrating. Proceed to Sequence-3.

Sequence-3: C) Hydrating:Hydrating is to relax the hide/skin of stiffness from diminishing original fatliquor. Fatliquor diminishes as the hide/skin ages, accelerated when expose to direct heat and evaporate as VOC (volatile organic compound). Stiffness is common from a water damage situation too, when fatliquor leaches out, and when it becomes dry again the fibrils becomes stick together. Hydrating is to precondition the hide/skin for fatliquoring; it helps to relax and separate the stick together fibrils and opens up the inter-fibrillary spaces for effective colloidal water movement within the hide/skin structure. It facilitates to wick-up foreign contamination to be towel extracted when damp and erased when crispy dry. It plumps the hide/ skin to ease away the unnatural creases and wrinkles. It stabilizes the pH integrity of the hide/skin and charges the protein fiber ionic positive below its iso-electric point (pI) to hydrogen bond with the ionic negative fatliquor more effectively. It is recommended therefore to hydrate the hide/skin to an optimum level, with moistures oozing out when gently pressed between thumb and fingers. Prolong dwell time will maximize the effects with the help of covering with clear plastic to prevent evaporation. Instruction: C1) Spray Hydrator-3.3 with foam brush control to hydrate the entire thickness of the hide/skin; extract with dry absorbent white terry towel to inspect for an even appearance without blotchiness and it is ready for immediate fatliquor replenishing. C2) Severe dryness or stiffness will require a longer dwell time of up to 72hours with evaporation control, covering with a clear plastic sheet. When the hide/skin is plump, limp and lay flat extract until towel shows dry or about 25% reading from a moisture meter and immediately proceed to Sequence-4.

Sequence-4: D) Fatliquoring: Fatliquor-5.0 an emulsion of fat and oil originally introduces to the hide/skin to impart its desirous suppleness continues to diminish through evaporation as it ages, accelerated when exposed to heat. It diminishes through leaching as well in a non leather-safe solution, manifest as stiffness when the skin becomes dry again. Replenishing is done with “fatliquor-in-a-bottle” as a spray-on instead of the original immersion method. Fatliquor, the lifeblood of leathers derived from fats, oils and water. Looks like fresh milk, when applies penetrates the leather and hydrogen bond with the hide/skin protein fiber. The fat plumps the skin with fullness, the oil lubricates the individual fibrils and the encasing water breaks free leaving the inter-fibrillary spaces void for natural transpiration. Effective fatliquoring will leave a non-greasy or non-oily surface when dry. Besides softening the skin with flatness, fatliquor enhances its rip tensile strength greatly. It relaxes coarse breaks, creases and wrinkles and prevents cracking. It helps to keep the skin at its optimum physical performance and prevent premature ageing.

Hide/Skin Approximate Quantity or Percentage of Fatliquor:The quantities of fatliquor (fat and oil) contents retained in the hide/skin after an universal modern tannery fatliquoring process may varies up to 14% depending on the leather types and it usage. This percentage drops as the fat and oil content diminishes or leaches through ageing, water, heat or chemical overexposure.Leather rejuvenating or fatliquor replenishing is base on weight of the hide/skin in relation to the percentage of remaining fatliquor. A simple calculation of percentage of fatliquor topping up requirement would be as follows:If the weight of the hide/skin in question is 100gm and fatliquor (fat and oil) content meter reading is less than 1%.By applying 80gm of Fatliquor-5.0 to it will deliver an end result incremental of 13.3% fatliquor when dry as the 66.6% water contents evaporates.In the hide/skin rejuvenating Hydrator-3.3 > Fatliquor-5.0 > Hydrator-3.3 system, Hydrator-3.3 plays an important role by relaxing, opening up the inter-fibrillary spaces, facilitating and redistributing colloidal water movement, protonating and doing all the pre-conditioning work prior to fatliquoring including cleaning up any excess surface remnants to have a sticky-free surface. In practice with severe dryness the ratio for Hydrator-3.3 are 2 to 1 of Fatliquor-5.0.It works out to be approximately 160gm of Hydrator-3.3 plus 80gm of Fatliquor-5.0 to replenish a 100gm dry leather from less than 1% back to the original tannery up to 14% fatliquor content.

Instruction:
D1) Spray Fatliquor-5.0, with foam brush control for an even appearance.
D2) Repeat application in between drying as the water contents evaporates until it’s saturated.
D3) The fully saturated hide/skin is left for slow natural drying for extra softness.
D4) Use Eraser-4 to remove wicks up residue and inspect for visual satisfaction.

Roger Koh
Leather Care System Formulator / Practitioner / Consultant / Instructor / Coach
[email protected]