Bridle leather - portfolio - with greasy finish problems

Hello Roger! I have a bridle leather portfolio that I take with me everywhere. It is kind of a satchel that I just hold under my arm. Where my hand holds it it seems to get tacky and slightly greasy from my hand oils and sweat and you can see the finish looks different where hand contact usually is. I applied some degreaser to those areas and rinsed with acidifier, but now it seems that there are some finish issues remaining. It isn't as shiny in those spots as it once was. Would this need some sort of protector, or rather a topcoat? Thanks! Below are some pictures where you can see dull spots relative to the shiny spots.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y20...psiog95vu9.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y20...psu8pj3ipm.jpg

Picture #1
This looks like the secondary coloring is rub-off from wear, body moisture contact and deteriorated finishes is also easily removed during cleaning.

Need to have better pictures to determine if the secondary coloring missing is close to “Metallic-98” Silver or “Pearl-97” Natural, which need to be sealed with MicroTop-54G (gloss luster).

Preventive care to prolong the finishes is with rub-resistant Protector-B+ leather scented or scentless version Protector-B.

Roger Koh
Leather Care Consultant
[email protected]




Attachment 3541
Leather Doctor Metallic-98
Leather Doctor® Metallic-98 is design to create a metallic secondary color effect.
They are sealed with MicroTop-54G (gloss luster).
Preventive care is with routine Protector-B+ application to impart a buttery-feel rub-resistant durability.
Colors are available in Gold, Silver, Bronze and Copper.


Attachment 3542
Leather Doctor Protector-B+
Leather Doctor® Protector-B+, a buttery-feel with a classic leather scent is design for pigmented, aniline and nubuck oil pull-up leather types. This is a non-film forming, non-stick, rub-resistant protector that enhances a soft natural tactile feel for imparting a breathable barrier essentially to shield the detrimental effects of sticky soiling and preventing the too common pesky ballpoint from ever ready rolling out its nasty ink. Moreover, for helping to release those tenacious blue jeans dye-transfer stains obviously on light colored leathers easily. Its natural buttery-feel protection increases the leather resistance to wet and dry rubs, thus reduce stretch; scuff and abrasion with reduce friction squeaks.

It is actually black and the silvery color is just due to the shine off of the light. Question: What's the difference between Prep and Degreaser? They seem to be used interchangeably from reading some of the forum?

>>> It is actually black and the silvery color is just due to the shine off of the light.

If it is due to lost of luster, then it is the topcoat that you will need.
MicroTop-54 comes in four luster level, gloss, satin, matte and dull.



>>> Question: What's the difference between Prep and Degreaser? They seem to be used interchangeably from reading some of the forum?

Both Prep-7.7 or Prep-4.4 and Degreaser-2.2 are all products for restorative cleaning but used depends on leather types and soiling conditions to achieving the same end result – leather free of foreign contamination.

Degreaser-2.2 is obviously design for degreasing both above surface and most of grease are also penetrated that goes below. As it has a pH value of 2.2 both degreasing and controlling bleeding at the same time it used in all leather types.

Prep-7.7 is a preparatory cleaner with a pH value of 7.7, thus only safe on non-absorbent leathers mainly pigmented where the water pools on the surface of the leather. Worn areas is not safe as it goes into the leather structure thus Prep-4.4 is used instead.

Prep-4.4 is also a preparatory cleaner with a pH value of 4.4 and recommended for all absorbent leathers with general soiling.

All the above 3 products is used as a system with other matched products thus:

Degreaser-2.2 > Rinse-3.0 or Acidifier-2.0 for surface soiling and Hydrator-3.3 for below surface soiling.

Prep-7.7 > Clean-3.8 > Rinse-3.0.

Prep-4.4 > Clean-3.8 > Rinse-3.0 or Acidifier-2.0 for bleeding control.


Roger Koh
Leather Care Consultant
[email protected]



Attachment 3545
Leather Doctor MicroTop-54
Leather Doctor® MicroTop-54 is available in four levels of luster - matte, gloss and satin for pigmented upholstery leathers. A dull or extra matte is created for the auto desired luster level. These lusters are intermixable to produce the in-betweens to match. These are waterbased soft polyurethane topcoats that are lightfast and non-yellowing. They have excellent flow and leveling properties, recoatable and form a flexible tough film. Satin, matte and dull will require good stirring and filtering prior to application. Luster is available in Gloss, Satin (25% dullness), Matte (50% dullness) and Dull (80% dullness) for auto seats.


Attachment 3546
Leather Doctor Degreaser-2.2
Leather Doctor® Degreaser-2.2 is a pH 2.2 leather-safe waterbased degreaser with dye bleeding control. It is design for degreasing leather of penetrated oil, grease and sweat stains from skin, and hair contact, especially the headrest and armrest of upholstery, collar and cuffs of garment, handles of bag including steering wheel. It works best in conjunction with Rinse-3.0 to rinse surface emulsified soiling or Acidifier-2.0 for rinsing, bleeding control and pH balancing sweaty contamination from leather denaturing into rawhide. Below surface suspended soiling will need the help of Hydrator-3.3 to wick out soiling particulates during the drying process and best accomplished with “reverse transferring” technique utilizing a stretchable paper towel to trap soiling through, then still remaining on the leather surface. Leather Eraser-4 is recommended to erase the leather surface with better traction soiling residue free. As most penetrated grease problem is liken a tip of an iceberg, most soiling may be hidden that will require repeats to wick them all out through a few drying cycle. This universal leather degreaser is for all leather types including the common pigmented, aniline, vachetta, nubuck and suede.


Attachment 3547
Leather Doctor Prep-7.7 (Pigmented Leathers)
Leather Doctor® Prep-7.7 is a pH 7.7 water-based, high viscosity heavy-duty prep cleaner for pigmented leather types. It works by dwell-time allowing its superior penetrating, lubricating and suspending power to do its work prior to towel extraction. Proven technique include “reverse transferring” suspended stain during dwell time through a stretchable absorbent paper towel rather than being reabsorbed by the leather instead.
Note:
Friction rubs color transfer problem may reveal existing finishes color loss. Prior failed attempt cleaning may cause existing finishes damages and stains on wear areas may also become more sensitive to color loss during cleaning. With the sealing topcoat missing the colorcoat becomes more vulnerable to cleaning and may reveal more losses after stain removal. Depending on existing situation it is recommended to consider color refinishing prior to stain removal. For successful stain removal MicroTop-54S satin or other matching lustre is recommended to strengthen the color coatings.

It is design to remove stain such as:
a) Blue Jean Dye
b) Leather Belt
c) Plastic Ink Print
d) Newsprint,
e) Ballpoint Ink,
f) Stamp Pad Ink
g) Sticky Label Residue,
h) Crayon,
i) Chewing Gum,
j) Silicone Shine
k) Permanent Marker
l) Accumulated Soiling

It is highly recommended that the remaining sticky residue be thereafter remove in conjunction with Clean-3.8 and Rinse-3.0 as a holistic leather-safe system. Resealing matching lustre topcoat with Micro-54 recommended for normal stain removal and custom color matching accordingly.


Attachment 3548
Leather Doctor Prep-4.4 (Aniline, Nubuck & Suede)
Leather Doctor® Prep-4.4 is the leather-safe milder version of Prep-7.7 with a pH value of 4.4 for pH sensitive leathers. This universal prep cleaner is for all leather types including the common vachetta, nubuck, suede, wet-white and all aniline leather types This prep cleaner works by allowing sufficient dwell-time to penetrate, lubricate and suspense prior to towel extraction. Proven technique include “reverse transferring” suspended stain during dwell time through a stretchable absorbent paper rather than being reabsorbed by the leather instead.

It is design to remove stain such as:
a) Blue Jean Dye
b) Leather Belt
c) Plastic Ink Print
d) Newsprint,
e) Ballpoint Ink,
f) Stamp Pad Ink
g) Sticky Label Residue,
h) Crayon,
i) Chewing Gum,
j) Silicone Shine
k) Permanent Marker
l) Accumulated Soiling

It is highly recommended that the remaining sticky residue be thereafter removed in conjunction with Clean-3.8 and Rinse-3.0 or Acidifier-2.0 for bleeding control as a holistic leather-safe system.

So for the topcoat would I have to use some elbow grease to get off most of the current topcoat so the surface is even, or can I blend it fairly easily without having to completely strip the finish?

Also, what's the difference between Dye Staining Aniline and the different "Pigments" (Bicast, pigment, napa, micro)? Are these dyes/pigments easy to blend with adjacent color?

>>> So for the topcoat would I have to use some elbow grease to get off most of the current topcoat so the surface is even, or can I blend it fairly easily without having to completely strip the finish?

If the coloring is intact and you just want to even out the luster the safest option is just applied over it.
However, do a small test using a cotton swab will show the result you want.

To easily remove the topcoat will also remove the colorcoat in most cases and it is easily done with Stripper-2.3, thus would incur a complete refinishing with matched colorcoat and topcoat.


>>> Also, what's the difference between Dye Staining Aniline and the different "Pigments" (Bicast, pigment, napa, micro)?

Aniline is transparent dyestuff, more prone to sunlight and UV light fading than pigment coloring. In the tannery, aniline leathers are “stain” through such as the reverse suede side takes on similar coloring. However, after a topcoat is applied from the tannery, aftermarket re-dyeing may pose a problem as some aniline topcoat other than like AnilineTop-21N (with natural breathability) may resist dye penetration that result in blotchiness.
Thus the needs of a coating dyestuff like Aniline-76, which coats over existing topcoat yet still retaining a transparent effect. This coating dyestuff finishes is quite water resistant and liquid stains stay on the surface instead of penetrated.

“Pigments” are opaque coloring that blocks or hides the existing background, therefore we can color white over black as an example. The difference between the pigment types is the binder or the glue that holds the color pigment. Napa pigment forms “discontinuous” film so that the leather breathes with wearing comfort and are mainly used in garment with extra softness normally described as “buttery-feel” texture associated with lambskin.
Pigment and Micro are pigment with degree of finesse, Micro-pigment are used to produce semi-aniline leathers a finer version of the pigmented leathers. Bicast finishes uses two layers of finishes, thus typically heavier than pigmented, it comprises a primary opaque pigment coloring and a secondary transparent aniline dyestuff to simulates the higher end “Aniline Wax Pull-up leathers.

Another category of pigment is the hybrid that produce a “translucent” effect associated with Antiquing leathers and two tone effect of many fashion like marbled, tipping, wipe-off, etc.

All above-mentioned colors are all available in the common black.


>>> Are these dyes/pigments easy to blend with adjacent color?
All water based dyestuff and pigments are blend-able to produce hybrid, except the Napa system that is lacquer emulsion.


Roger Koh
Leather Care Consultant
[email protected]

Thank you, Roger. So if I were to add color would I hydrate and fatliquor before or after adding pigment/dye? Also, do you have picture examples of the different levels of gloss for topcoats? Also, are these topcoats porous enough to have hydrator and fatliquor penetrate and condition?

>>> Thank you, Roger. So if I were to add color would I hydrate and fatliquor before or after adding pigment/dye?

Hydrator-3.3 > Fatliquor-5.0 always comes before pigment.
Nubuck, suede, pure aniline, aniline pull-up and all absorbent aniline leathers – staining Aniline-21 dyestuff comes before Hydrator-3.3 > Fatliquor-5.0.


>>> Also, are these topcoats porous enough to have hydrator and fatliquor penetrate and condition?

Porous topcoats forms “discontinuous” film like NapaTop-84 and Aniline-21N a super fine topcoat that allows pure-aniline to breathes naturally. Hydrator-3.3 > Fatliquor-5.0 easily relax and soften them up porous easily.

Other topcoat in generally forms "continuous" film and will develops micro crazing as it ages and thus becomes porous, some takes sooner and some takes longer.

When topcoat is cross-linked with Crosslinker-25 they becomes super tough and may not become porous.


>>> Also, do you have picture examples of the different levels of gloss for topcoats?

I will get the pictures and show you the next post.


Roger Koh
Leather Care Consultant
[email protected]

When Fatliquoring, how do you know when it is fully hydrated? There are sections that seem to just soak the stuff up and when it dries it keeps soaking it in. Do I just keep reapplying until it just kinds of pools up all over? It is uncanny how much I have been applying to sections. Also, do you have those examples of the top coats?

>>> Also, do you have those examples of the top coats?

Here are the MicroTop-54 luster levels, from upper left to right are Gloss (100% shine), Satin (25% dullness), Matte, (50% dullness) and Dull (80% dullness).

These are done two coating by airbrushing.

The lower section is the color coat.

Attachment 3625

Thanks, Roger. Can you comment on when fatliquoring is finished? Do I keep reapplying it until it no longer absorbs and just puddles up?

Use a moisture meter and read when leather is completely dry will show its moisture content.

Fatliquor sufficiently replenished will have the dried leather having a reading of up to 14% back to the tannery original maximum moisture level.

Assuming the leather moisture contents reads 0%.
It weights 100gm.
To replenish it with a 10% moisture level will need 60gm of Fatliquor-5.0
5/6 of the water contents evaporate and the remaining contents left is 1/6 equal 10% of moisture level.

Hope you understand and help me rewrites or rewords it.

While I'd love to use a moisture meter I think the cheapest one online is about $900. I'll put it on my Christmas list for Santa this year and see what happens.

>>> When Fatliquoring, how do you know when it is fully hydrated? There are sections that seem to just soak the stuff up and when it dries it keeps soaking it in. Do I just keep reapplying until it just kinds of pools up all over? It is uncanny how much I have been applying to sections.


Please show some pictures of the location that is continuously soaking up the fatliquor. This is likely the area that is worn of its finishes, so you have unequal absorbent rate. Option is to remove the finishes entire to that you have equal absorbent rate. Do the leather rejuvenating to ensure equal texture suppleness before doing the refinishing.

Tips:
Ideally is to have an evenly supple leather throughout and not as you have described.