2010 King Ranch leather, severe water damage, general wear and tear

>>> Some of these photos are general wear and tear, which I believe may require a rhe color e-dye to look normal again.

Coloring with ‘opaque’ coloring is straight forward ‘what color we see is what we get’ – same as painting.
Coloring with ‘transparent’ aniline dyestuff will produce a range of lively coloring as each layers intensifies the color saturation.
These leathers are of the second type – Aniline Dyed!
Airbrushing will also be necessary to produce professional results.

>>> How about the cracking and light areas in the seats?

The recommended procedure is to remove the other remaining clear ‘topcoat’.
This topcoat magnifies and amplifies the color beneath.
The color is dye stain into the leather fibers that now appears lighter partly due to the missing topcoat and partly due to sun fading.
Color intensity improvement can be accomplished by activating the dormant or excess dyestuff with Hydrator-3.3 to enrich the appearance.
When the color saturation is achieve then topcoating will again bring the color intensity back without the need to apply new coloring.
At this stage Aniline-76 system is still an option to even out the color difference by fine airbrushing.
We will go into more details if you wish to proceed with this recommended procedure.

>>> The final four photos show significant staining and ridging in the leather from water damage. What’s the recommended repair process for the water stains and ridges in the leather?

Water damaged migrating or fugitive dyestuff is part of the leather constituents that was affected by pH differences.
Even out the color intensity appearance is by Hydrator-3.3 to redistribute back to the entire surface.

Water damaged ridges are collection or deposits of leather constituent colloids or solids from fatliquor and tanning agents like debris of beaches where the water level meets or reaches the dry sand. Again the redistribution is by Hydrator-3.3 dwelling process.

For the migrating tanning agents, fatliquor and dyestuff caused by differential pH value of the water that loose its ionic attraction, strengthening of the leather protein fiber anionic attraction is by Acidifier-2.0 below its iso-electric point or pI or pH neutral of the leather.

To work below the leather surface into the structure it is recommended that the existing topcoat be removed by Razor-60 during the Hydrator-3.3 process.

To skip the science behind the restoration if you wish we may go straight to the practice with this Kit-Aa7.cl from this link:
http://www.leatherdoctor.com/leather...ceted_search=0

And I will take any further questions you may have.

Attachment 5201
Leather Doctor® Kit Aa7.cl, auto-aniline leather dye refinishing kit is design for color refinishing from the simple sunlight fading to the severely body oil, grease and sweat damages. Most severely penetrated, prolonged and neglected stains show a darkening effect with probable finishes damages affecting the structure, dyestuff and topcoat. When contaminated stain feels sticky, it may be a sign of leather denaturing to rawhide. When sign of color is transfer to a damp white towel, it may indicate alkaline overexposure. When leather is stiff, it is a sign of diminishing fat and oil. Protein fiber, the main component of leather is amphoteric while the other constituents (tanning agent, dyestuff and fatliquor) are not and contamination that causes shifting of the protein pH value weakens the leather constituents’ ionic attraction. Restoration to both the leather structure and the finishes would include the following sequence of procedures. Remaining contaminated damaged finishes if any, may be removed for an even appearance with Stripper-2.3. Contaminated alkaline soiling is removes with Degreaser-2.2, a waterbased (pH 2.2) multifunctional degreaser that emulsifies greasy contamination besides controlling dye bleeding and strengthening the attraction between the ionic tanning agent and fatliquor. Deflocculated and suspended soiling is towel extract, thereafter rinse with Rinse-3.0 or further pH balanced with Acidifier-2.0 to a squeaky feel that prevents the leather from reverting to rawhide. 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. Use Aniline-76 (clear) for reduce color intensity or see use color matching services - http://www.leatherdoctor.com/servlet...ing/Categories

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