Working with Leather

Hi Roger,

I've been checking and I can not find one leather cleaning or renovation specialist in my City possibly even in the country. There are only dry cleaners for garments or cleaning companies who will not treat the leather properly.

What sort of training is needed to become a specialist, in your opinion? Would it be possible to operate a mobile business or is a workshop necessary for spraying, etc.

I used to renovate car leather only, but lost faith in the products I used as they were not "fast" to the surface. They wore away so I don't really offer the service anymore. How well would your colours last on a car seat that is used everyday?

Thanks

Brian

A specialist in my opinion means that one will only provide leather related services both cleaning and restoration including repairs and refinishing in all segment of the leather industry.

The leather service industry could be segmented as Auto, Commercial, Residential, Yacht, Aircraft, Garment, Bag, Equestrian and other leather Accessories.

Knowing what product is available and its application is part of the training search.

One has to stick to a system that one is most comfortable with – they are called it “matched product system”.

This forum is a no nonsense technical forum.

This shall be our technical backup for our entire hiccup.

It is also for technical trouble shooting when things go wrong, where we miss a step.

Post a picture, ask a question.

In leather cleaning and restoration there is no short cut.

We are both a technician, an artist and triple as a salesman.

We will learn the wisdom of triple caution for every single action.

It is easy just to spray but it is 7 times more difficult to remove them.

If it is a wrong spray it may be 7 x 7 times more laborious to rectify them.


I was alone in the past; tips were like trade secret; we do not have a forum like this to share our tips willingly, it has to be bought with a price.

The samples I have come in a five gallon drums too, “take it or leave it”.

Five samples so five drums, not suitable… what next... always waiting for heavy continuous downpour… for a good ratio mix. (In a far away country, here people called it the Far East).

I have countless failure in my attempt to succeed in a project until now – the Leather Doctor® System.

By hindsight I wish I could have done it differently now with Leather Doctor® System.

I thought I was the best, my customer pay me well and we were happy and oblivious too.

We thought that these were norms, until now.

The various products I used in the past were thick like plastic, they crack when flex, peels with poor adhesion, the solvent makes you "high", the cloudiness when moisture were trap between the tip of the nozzle and the object of spray using solvent topcoats.

What more, the repair like putting putty or stucco on a crack will just crack again too soon, unless they are put in museum for display only “see no touch”.

Well, the repair by heat iron, I never knew that heat could dry up the fatliquor; the supplier did not say that.

Using heat that shrink the leather on every repair, kills the leather without replenishing the original fatliquor that provides softness and strength.

Any more, yes of course color that fades too easily; they are not high performance against UV.

Well again every color mix before application need to be tediously filtered otherwise micro color lumps will be spew out of the spray gun.

Colors that stick on leather will peel on vinyl panels.

And colors that sticks on vinyl looks vinyl on leather.

Final result all feel and smell like vinyl.

With Leather Doctor® System, these are things of the past.

This system is 75% delivered 25% for us to mess it up and it will fail too!

The next training is to practice on them.

Until you make enough mistake during the practice.

You will have no mistake to sell to your customer.

Your customer will become your client and your cheer leaders too by and by.

That why we don’t see many of these people around in every City or even in every Country yet!

Auto or Car Seat System – Relevant Products and understanding them is part of the training in theory too!

Its real until you practice on them.

SPECIALTY
Acidifier-2.0
Basifier-8.8
d'Mold-3.6
d'Spew-4.8

DEODORIZER
d'Odor-4.5
d'Smoke-4.7

SPOTTER
d'Urine-2.1
d'Protein-11.0
d'Tarnish-1.3
d'Tannin-3.5
d'Ink-7.7
Prep-4.4

DEGREASER
Degreaser-2.2

PRECONDITIONER
Super Cleaner-4.9
Strong Cleaner-4.3

CLEANER
Cleaner-3.8

RINSE
Rinse-3.0

FATLIQUOR
Fatliquor-5.0
Fatliquor LS-5.5

SENSUOUS CONDITIONER
Leather Scent-B
Leather Scent-D
Leather Scent-S
Leather Scent-W

REPAIR
Bond-3D
Bond-7A
Stucco-90
Patch-4S

AUXILIARY
Adhesor-73
Impregnator-26

BASECOAT
Pigment-64

TOPCOAT
TopCoat Pigmeny-56

CROSSLINKER
CrossLinker-25

Do you think seriously that with Leather Doctor® System the color will wear away easily?

Maybe I may have to answer in more details for better satisfaction in the next post.

Roger Koh
IICRC#942 LCT MTC MSR
[email protected]

Hello Roger,

Your above detailed explanation to Brian is great !! Thank you for educating us !!

As requested in my previous message, do you have any leather workshop for actual trial ? I'm interested to join as I also have plans of setting my own Leather bag cleaning shop in the next few months.

Do you also have any Asian branch that distributes your porducts ?

Do you also have an Asian office where you conduct the actual cleaning, restoring leathers ? I'm sorry for sounding like a broken record. I am just very, very curious.. ^_^

Apple :)

Do you have any leather workshop for actual trial?

No! However, private hands-on training is available.

Do you also have any Asian branch that distributes your products?

No!

Do you also have an Asian office where you conduct the actual cleaning, restoring leathers?

No!


The training is based on these Kits:

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...h/Kit-CCt1.jpg
Leather Cleaner & Conditioner Training Kit-CC7


Contents:

1-A Cleaner, Rejuvenator & Tool
Cleaner-3.8 - 250ml
Rinse-3.0 - 250ml
Hydrator-3.3 - 250ml
Fatliquor-5.0 - 250ml
Degreaser-2.2 - 60ml
Prep-7.7 - 60ml
Prep-4.4 - 60ml
Leather/Nubuck Eraser-4 - 1pc
Nubuck/Suede Eraser-5 - 1pc
Leather Brush-1 (horsehair) - 1pc
Nubuck Brush-2 (nylon) - 1pc
Suede Brush-3 (brass) - 1pc
3" Poly-Brush® - 1pc
Washable Rags - 5pc

1-B Conditioner
Oil Effect-2.8 - 250ml
Wax Effect-8.6 - 250ml
Leather Scent-B (buttery-feel) - 120ml
Leather Scent-D (draggy-feel) - 120ml
Leather Scent-S (silky-feel) - 120ml
Leather Scent-W (waxy-feel) - 120ml

1-C Hair-On-Hide, Sheepskin, Feather, Fur - Cleaner & Conditioner
Wool Degreaser-5.6 - 120ml
Wool Cleaner-5.5 - 250ml
Wool Rinse-4.0 - 250ml
Fur & Hair-S - 120ml
MothProof-5.4 - 120ml



http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...h/Kit-SCt2.jpg
Leather Specialty Cleaner & Remover Training Kit-SC7


Contents:

2-A Specialty Cleaner
Acidifier-2.0 - 250ml
Basifier-8.8 - 250ml
d’Bacteria-3.7 - 250ml
d’Mold-3.6 - 250ml
d’Odor-4.5 - 250ml
d’Smoke-4.7 - 250ml
Sanitizer-3.9 - 250ml

2-B Specialty Remover
Bleach-10.3 – 30gm
d’Protein-11.0 - 250ml
d’Urine-2.1 - 250ml
d’Spew-4.8 - 60ml
d’Tannin-3.5 - 60ml
d’Tarnish-1.3 - 60ml
d’Yellow-6.7 - 40gm


http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...erkoh/Kit3.jpg
Leather Repair & Refinishing Training Kit-RR7

Contents

3-A Repair
Impregnator-26 - 60ml
Leather Bond-3D - 7ml
Leather Bond-7A – 7ml
Leather Stucco-90 - 5gm
Leather Patch-4S (1 x 4” strip) - 1pc
Leather Spatula-6 (stainless steel) - 1pc
Leather Razor-60 (60mm Ø) - 1pc

3-B Auxiliary
Adhesor-73 - 60ml
Crosslinker-25 - 60ml
Thickener-48 - 60ml

3-C.1 Aniline System
Aniline Dye-21 (Black 115) - 60ml
Color Fix-99 (Natural) - 60ml
Topcoat Aniline-59WM (Waxy Matte) - 60ml
Topcoat Aniline-79G (Gloss) - 60ml

3-C.2 Pigment System
Pigment-64 (Black 612) - 60ml
Topcoat Pigment-56S (Satin) - 60ml

3-C.3 Micro-Pigment / Semi-Aniline System
Pigment Micro-54 (Black 512) - 60ml
Topcoat Micro-72S (Satin) - 60ml

3-C.4 NC Emulsion Napa Pigment System
Pigment Napa-84 (Black 412) - 60ml
Topcoat Napa-78S (Satin) - 60ml

3-C.5 Nubuck / Suede System
Nubuck Dye-21 (Black 115) - 60ml
Color Fix-99 (Natural) - 60ml

3-C.6 Secondary Color System
Antique-27 (Black 715) - 60ml
Fluorescent-96 (Silver F23) - 60ml
Metallic-98 (Gold M20) - 60ml
Pearlescent-97 (Pearl P67) - 60ml


http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn4/Rogerkoh/LK3.jpg
Leather Color Matching Training Kit-CM7

Contents:

4-A. Opaque Pigment Color Matching
Pigment Micro-54 (Tan 586) 60ml
Pigment Micro-54 (Ochre 586) 60ml
Pigment Micro-54 (Yellow 586) 60ml
Pigment Micro-54 (Orange 586) 60ml
Pigment Micro-54 (Red 586) 60ml
Pigment Micro-54 (Blue 586) 60ml
Pigment Micro-54 (Maroon 502) 60ml
Pigment Micro-54 (Black 512) 60ml
Pigment Micro-54 (White 505) 60ml

4-B. Transparent Aniline Color Matching
Aniline Dye-21 (Black 115) 60ml
Aniline Dye-21 (Clear 177) 60ml
Aniline Dye-21 (Orange 157) 60ml
Aniline Dye-21 (Red 180) 60ml
Aniline Dye-21 (Rubine 113) 60ml
Aniline Dye-21 (Blue 119) 60ml
Aniline Dye-21 (Dark Brown 124) 60ml
Aniline Dye-21 (Red Brown 159) 60ml
Aniline Dye-21 (Yellow 128) 60ml

Roger Koh
[email protected]