2005 F150 King Ranch leather help!

>>> have tried the spa treatment (piping hot water towels). And the 2 oil stains on the back seat.

Heat may be good for general cleaning but leather is heat sensitive and will dries up the fatliquor (fat and oil) that will result in stiffness that leads to cracks. The hotter the water the more it evaporates and leaches out the fatliquor.

>>> the dark stains on the back of the drivers chair.

The dark stains are possibly a combination of body oil, grease and sweat. Sweat when ferments turns ammonia and darkens the leather in the process when react with the tanning agents. The vegetable-tanning agents component have oxidized and turns dark. Any alkaline solution used compounds the darkening effect. The solution is a combine degreasing to remove the oil and grease components and a low pH to neutralize or pH balance back to the leather pH neutral of 3 to 5 to reduce the darkening effect and this is done with Degreaser-2.2 > Acidifier-2.0 > Hydrator-3.3. Note that the products name suffix represent the its pH value, thus Degreaser-2.2 has a pH value of 2.2 and so the others accordingly. When any tackiness is detected with wet fingers that runs across the dark stains the leather has denature or slowly reverting to rawhide. A low pH system will result in a squeaky healthy feel especially when the leather thickness is saturated with low pH degreasing system. Degreaser-2.2 has two functions first to degrease and second to control the pH chemistry of the leather and can be seen with reduce color transfer when towel extract. Acidifier-2.0 has two functions first a surface rinse and second to pH balance as to ionic charge the protein fiber positive (+ve). Hydrator-3.3 has multiple functions and in this system is mainly to moves soiling particulates to the surface to be extracted and erased.

>>> However I am not satisfied and the leather is extremely dry and looks like it's shrinking no matter how much conditioner I use.

There are two levels of conditioning one for the leather structure that means the products has to penetrate the thickness of the leather and one for the surface of the leather. Shrinkage is due to the diminishing percentage of fatliquor (fat and oil) in the leather structure. Leather is fatliquored up to 16% for vegetable tanned leathers to make it supple from stiffness that leads to cracking. There are also two categories of leather structure conditioner one that is known as “stuffing oil” and the other “fatliquor”. Stuffing oils will also tends to darkens the leather and will clogs up all the pores or inter-fibrillary spaces and retards the natural leather transpiration or breathability, so the seating comfort is compromised. Besides any oils that is stuff-in will also easily leaks out. In contrast, the original softening up of leathers is done with ionic charged fatliquor where the ionic positive (+ve) charged leather protein fibers hydrogen bonds with the ionic negative (-ve) charged fatliquor. Fatliquor-5.0 is an ionic negative (-ve) charged fat and oil in an emulsion. When hydrogen bond with the protein fibers, the 5/6 of water contents breaks free and evaporates to leave a breathing space and the fat plumps the leather with fullness and the oil lubricates the leather for suppleness. The 1/6 of the fat and oil contributes to the moisture content of the leather and when dry may reads up to 16% is what the leather originally is.

>>> From your lineup, What products would you recommend to help me get my seats in the best shape and how much will it cost?

Use this Aniline (A.k) King Ranch Leather Problem Solving Guide to determine the products you need from the left column common problem.
Attachment 6866

The recommended sequence of system would be as follows:

The original and compounded stains from non leather-safe products have to be removed both from the surface and penetrated with

Phase-1
Use Degreaser-2.2 > Acidifier-2.0 > Hydrator-3.3 > Fatliquor-5.0 (with Brush-1 and Eraser-4).

Phase-2
Inspection to determine what other stains need to be removed according to the matrix “B1 to B11”.

Phase-3
Redox (oxidation-reduction) treatment with Vachetta-2.8 when dry and leave to dry for inspection. Proceed to Phase-4 when stains removal is satisfactory. See Matrix above "Row B2".

Phase-4
Rejuvenate the leather once again with Hydrator-3.3 > Fatliquor-5.0 > Hydrator-3.3 system.

Phase-5
Dry preparation with Eraser-4 and when satisfied proceed to Phase-6

Phase-6
Clear top coating with AnilineTop-76G/83G

Phase-7
Protector-B or Protector-B+ (leather scented)

Products mentioned are found in these kits:
Kit-A5.dr – Leather Degreaser Kit
Attachment 6867

http://www.leatherdoctor.com/kit-a5-...degreaser-kit/
Kit-K7.tc – King Ranch Leather Topcoat Refinishing Kit.
Attachment 6868
http://www.leatherdoctor.com/kit-k7-...finishing-kit/
Vachetta-2.8
http://www.leatherdoctor.com/vachetta-2-8/

This Kit-K8.cl may be the ultimatum for appearance correction if all else fail and I believe this leather condition may not warrant it.
Attachment 6869

Roger Koh
Leather Care System Formulator
Consultant / Practitioner / Instructor
web: www.leatherdoctor.com
forum: www.leathercleaningrestorationforum.com
email: [email protected]