Chanel - Black Lambskin Bag

Picture #2
This picture shows the overstretching and weakening of the leather structure with worn out finishes.

Pictures #3 & #4.
These close-up pictures reveal some color repairs done with peeling perhaps without taking care of the leather structure or solvent based products that further dries up the leather making it weaker.

A holistic leather restoration includes both the leather structure and the finishes. Restoring the chemistry integrity of the leather rejuvenates the leather suppleness with softness and strength is the base in which appearance is built on.

I believe the failure of non-comparable finishes as shown in picture #4 has to be stripped off using Stripper-2.3. And as seen in picture #3 the leather structure is too dry to cause the peeling off of the finishes. Such failure is in fact the weakness of the leather grain due to the diminishing of the original fatliquor (when new the fat and oil percentage reading may be up to 14% from a modern tannery but commonly when meter read in this sad situation may be less than 3%). Fatliquor diminishes from three areas, natural evaporation as VOC into thin air, alkaline exposure thru non-leather-safe cleaning leach out the fatliquor and when solvent cleaner or finishes is used will further dry up the leather structure. In such situation, the percentage of fatliquor need to be top-up prior to stripping with a solvent based product, otherwise further loss of fatliquor will reveals cracks when dry.

The general sequence of process includes the following:

A – Hydrating:
Hydrator-3.3 is used as the preconditioner for Fatliquor-5.0 and together rejuvenates the leather structure. This leather rejuvenating prior to stripping, tops up the fatliquor in the existing leather structure from over drying that may otherwise easily leads to cracks. Dwelling of the Hydrator-3.3 with its multi purpose abilities may take up to 72hrs with control evaporation depending on the desired result what we want to accomplished. And in this case is the relaxing and separating the crushed or stick together fiber plumping the inter fibrillary spaces for ease of fatliquor distribution evenly to the entire leather structure.

B – Fatliquoring:
Fatliquor-5.0 follows when the leather structure is fully relax and plumps up, while still damp Fatliquor-5.0 is applied to saturate it and at each drying cycle and before getting too dry more is applied to retain the plumpness. When dry the water contents is replaced with the fat and oil that makes the leather supple with softness and strength.

C – Stripping:
Stripper-2.3 is used to strip unwanted finishes to even out appearance with help of horsehair Brush-1 or a nylon stiffer stripping brush.

D – Hydrating:
Hydrator-3.3 is again used after the stripping process as the preconditioner prior to fatliquoring due to the fact that the leather may become too dry after stripping and will need another round of leather rejuvenating it.

E – Fatliquoring:
Fatliquor-5.0 is used immediately as a continuation of the hydrating process together to rejuvenate the leather structure for suppleness with softness and strength.

F – Repairs – Structural:
Picture #2 shows structural weakness and will leads to tear if left alone. After the leather is rejuvenated with Fatliquor-5.0 any surface residue is removed with Hydrator-3.3 of any milky residue until clear. Otherwise any remaining may affect adhesion of finishes. Impregnator-26 is used to impregnate the leather structure with added strength when dry. Again leather rejuvenating and repairs at this stage is below surface into the leather structure.

G – Repairs – Surface Cracks or missing Fiber.
Surface coarse roughness may only be smoothen up with Bond-3D and donor suede fiber for filling and added strength.

H – Repairs – Grain or Skin Abrasion and Wear Repairs:
Even roughness due to loss of finishes may be smooth up with Adhesor-73.

I – Sealing and Adhesion Promotion:
The entire leather is sealed with Adhesor-73 by horsehair Brush-1 and any surface excess is removed with lint free towel. This process evens out the absorbency of the entire bag for an even application of Aniline-76.

J – Re-dyeing:
Aniline-76 coats are applied by brushing and using a delicate varnishing brush may produce better result than a simple foam brush, advanced airbrushing technique produces professional result. Best result is achieved when done section by section even with a simple foam brush.

K – Topcoating:
AnilineTop-21 is simpler to applied without streaking by brushing and AnilineTop-76 is recommended when using airbrushing. Gloss is used first for added strength and satin may follow to adjust the luster level.

L – Protection:
A practical non-stick, rub-resistant protection, sheaths sticky soiling and reduce friction wear with a buttery-feel with Protector-B+.

Roger Koh
Leather Care Consultant
[email protected]

Example of what can be achieve both structure integrity and appearance with proven success for Chanel lambskin leather bags!

Attachment 4056

Further reading:

Attachment 4057
Leather Doctor® Kit-A7.cl, aniline leather dye refinishing kit is designed for dyestuff and topcoat refinishing from the simple sunlight fading to the severely sweat damages from body oil and grease. Most severely penetrated, prolonged and neglected stains show a darkening effect with a sticky feel have its topcoat and dyestuff probably deteriorated by the sweat. When the stain feels sticky, it is a sign of leather denaturing and reverting to rawhide from breaking of bonds with the tanning agent. When sign of color is transfer to a white towel, it indicates that the dyestuff has also break bonds with the protein fiber. When leather is stiff or shows signs of whitish residue migrating, it shows that the fatliquor is breaking bonds as well with the protein fiber. The main component of the leather protein fiber is amphoteric while the other constituents are not; shifting of the pH mainly caused from sweat to alkalinity affects the pH imbalance. To revert from denaturing into rawhide prior to topcoat refinishing, contaminated alkaline soiling is removed with Degreaser-2.2, a waterbased (pH 2.2) multifunctional degreaser that emulsifies greasy contamination besides controlling dye bleeding and charging the protein fiber ionic positive for strengthening the attraction between the ionic negative tanning agent, dyestuff and fatliquor. Deflocculated and suspended soiling is towel extracted, thereafter rinse and pH balanced with Acidifier-2.0 to prevent the leather from reverting to rawhide. When leather feels sticky or slimy it is a sign of leather denaturing, a squeaky feel when wet is a sign of a healthy leather. Hydrator-3.3 relaxes stiff leathers and removes surface tension free from surface blotchiness prior to fat and oil replenishing. Fat and oil is replenished with Fatliquor-5.0 to rejuvenate the leather for the desired suppleness when dry. Custom redyeing commences prior to topcoat refinishing. Protector-B+ imparts a non-stick rub-resistant protection with a buttery-feel that shield against sticky soiling and reduce friction noises. Note that the mentioned product suffix number denotes its pH value in this holistic leather-safe aniline leathers dyestuff and topcoat refinishing system.
Please email [email protected] for custom matching services or choice of color: Antique-Brown, Black, Yellow, Orange, Red, Red-Brown, Rubine, Blue or Dark-Brown.
And choice of topcoat luster:
Gloss or Satin

Attachment 4058
Leather Doctor® Impregnator-26 is design for structural weakness on pigmented and aniline smooth leather types. This is a protein compact resin-blend compound for impregnating worn leather grains and micro cracks. It is to seal, strengthen and leveling out uneven absorption for further coating process. It fills and tightens with good leveling properties that is film forming for improve abrasion resistance.
Instruction:
• Shake well, pad to saturate all weak and absorbent areas.
• Concentrate on weak areas otherwise wipe off unnecessary excess to reduce buildup.
Sand off surface buildup when dry with 1000/2000grit sandpaper.

Attachment 4059
Leather Doctor® Bond-3D is for leather structure bonding repairs, such as abrasion, cat-scratch, and filling repairs with Stucco-90, Micro-54, Anline-76 and Aniline-21. This waterbased medium soft polyurethane leather bond will not lift the leather finishes unlike other dry solvent-based glue. Works in conjunction with leather Patch-4S as sub patch and suede fibers as fillers. Excess clean up when dry will require the help of Bond-7A.

Attachment 4060
Leather Doctor® Bond-7A is a bond smoothening aid and excess clean up after Bond-3D. This is a soft nitrocellulose lacquer emulsion bonding aid to level and remove excess Bond-3D from leather surface safely without the need for sanding.
Instruction:
1 Let dwell, work and remove excess Bond-3D with leather Spatula-6.
2 Wipe off and follows with damp towel to remove unwanted sheen before it dries.

Attachment 4061
Leather Doctor® Hydrator-3.3 is a waterbased pH 3.3 leather-safe hydrator. It is a fatliquor preconditioner with multi functional abilities. Surface application is primary to check for even surface tension free of blotchiness prior to fatliquor replenishing. Structural application will require saturating to an optimum level with moisture oozing out when gently pressed between thumb and fingers.
Packing types are available in RTU, Fill-Up and Conc. RTU is ready-to-use straight from the bottle. Fill-Up is concentrate ratio in the bottle to be fill-up with distilled water prior to use to save on shipping. Conc. is the 60ml concentrate to be cut with distilled water at a ratio of 1: 25 that makes 1.64 quarts prior to use to save on shipping.

The multi functional abilities include:
a) to check for surface tension for an even appearance free from blotchiness prior to fatliquor replenishing.
b) To plumps, relaxes and separates crushed, shrunk and stick together fibrils for manipulating away-unwanted creases and wrinkles.
c) To rectify alkaline overexposure areas by facilitating colloidal water movement to redistribute the leather constituents from surrounding areas.
d) To activate the dormant dyestuff within the leather structure for color refreshing.
e) To facilitates colloidal water movement within the inter-fibrillary spaces for wicking foreign soiling particulates to resurface.
f) To stabilize, pH balance and charge the protein fiber below its iso-electric point (pI) ionic positive to hydrogen bond with the ionic negative fatliquor more effectively.
This universal Hydrator-3.3 is for all leather types including pigmented, aniline, vachetta, nubuck, suede, hair-on-hide and woolskin.

Instruction:
A. Surface Tension Inspection:
A1. Spray Hydrator-3.3 evenly and wipe with lint free towel to free of surface tension for an even appearance prior to fatliquor replenishing.
B. Stiffness, Creases and Wrinkles:
B1. Saturate the thickness of the leather to an optimum level with moistures oozing out when gently pressed between thumb and fingers.
B2. Cover up with plastic wrapping to control evaporation and let it dwell for softness.
B3. Manipulate by stretching and cross flexing to relax the leather prior to fatliquor replenishing.
C. Rectify Alkaline Overexposure:
C1. Saturate the thickness of the leather to an optimum level with moistures oozing out when gently pressed between thumb and fingers.
C2. Cover up with plastic wrapping to control evaporation and let it dwell for redistributing of the leather constituents from surrounding area.
C3. Observe for appearance and test by finger for tactile squeaky feel prior to fatliquor replenishing.
D. Activating Dormant Dyestuff to Resurface:
D1. Saturate the thickness of the leather to an optimum level with moistures oozing out when gently pressed between thumb and fingers.
D2. Cover up with plastic wrapping to control evaporation and let it dwell up to 72 hours for excess dyestuff to resurface.
D3. Remove plastic cover and let it natural dry to observe color improvement prior to fatliquor replenishing.
E. Removing Penetrated Stains:
E1. Saturate the thickness of the leather to an optimum level with moistures oozing out when gently pressed between thumb and fingers.
E2. Cover up with plastic wrapping to control evaporation and let it dwell up to 72 hours for foreign soiling particulates to resurface.
E3. Remove plastic wrapping, replace with tissue paper without airspace to trap stains as it dries instead of remaining on the surface.
E4. Peel tissue paper when crispy dry and erase with Eraser-4 or Eraser-5 for suede accordingly prior to fatliquor replenishing.

Attachment 4062
Leather Doctor® Fatliquor-5.0, a micro emulsion of fat, oil and water is an anionic charged pH 5.0 fatliquor for rejuvenating all leather types. It relaxes coarse breaks, creases and wrinkles enhance suppleness and prevent cracking. It softens the leather with stretchability, compressibility and flexibility, while enhancing its rip tensile strength greatly. It is for replenishing the original fat and oil that diminishes thru sun-bleaching, ageing, heat and alkaline overexposure or cleaning. On application, the water-encased molecule breaks free when hydrogen bond attraction takes place between the fat and oil with the protein fiber. The excess free water content wicks out leaving a breathing space behind for leather natural transpiration. The fat plumps the leather with fullness from easily collapsing into creases and wrinkles during stress or flex, while the oil lubricates the fibers so that they slide over one another smoothly like millions of inter-connecting hinges. Thus helps to keep leather at its optimum physical performance and prevent premature ageing. This universal Fatliquor-5.0 is for all leather types including pigmented, aniline, vachetta, nubuck, suede, hair-on-hide and woolskin.
Packing types are available in RTU, Fill-Up and Conc. RTU is ready-to-use straight from the bottle. Fill-Up is concentrate in the bottle to be fill-up with distilled water prior to use to save on shipping. Conc. is the 250ml concentrate to be cut with distilled water at a ratio of 1: 5 that makes 1.58 quarts prior to use to save on shipping.

Leather Approximate Quantity or Percentage of Fatliquor:
The quantities of fatliquor (fat and oil) contents retained in the leather after an universal 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 leather 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 leather 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 leather 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 the ratio for Hydrator-3.3 is 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:
1 Apply Fatliquor-5.0 and redistribute with foam brush until saturation.
2 Repeat application each time water contents evaporate until fully saturated.
3 Drive remaining surface remnants free of milky fat and oil until it turns clear with Hydrator-3.3.
4 Allow natural drying for extra softness.
Tips:
1 When crispy dry, prior surface contaminations/damages may darkens as soiling particulates resurface.
2 Removes soiling particulates with Eraser-4 for all leathers including nubuck and Eraser-5 for suede.
3 Stretching the darken areas lightly will also lightens the appearance.

Chanel - Black Lambskin Bag – need advice!