Vegetable-Tanned - How to Preserve or Conserve these Antique Leather Chair Seats

Roger this client would like these leather chairs preserved.

She doesn't mind the way they look, but i informed her that they will crack and deteriorate further if left unattended.

She just wants to rehydrate and condition the leather if possible, leaving them as natural as possible.

I was thinking that they should be cleaned, rinsed, relaxed, fatliquored, impregnated to strengthen, and aniline dyed to hide the cracks (she doesn't want the cracks fixed).

Top coated?

Leather scent.


#1)
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f2.../8-3-09072.jpg


#2)
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f2.../8-3-09071.jpg


#3)
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f2.../8-3-09065.jpg

Yes!

I agree it’s to be preserved or conserved, otherwise it loose its value when it look too new.

This work is to restore the leather structure integrity and leaving the present look as natural as possible

The most important consideration is to soften and strengthen the leather for continue practical usage without allowing the leather to crack further.

This is my suggestion for the sequence of processes:


A) Preparation:

1. Remove the cushion off the chair frame.


B) Prep Clean, Hydration & Fatliquoring:

2. Prep Clean - use prepClean4.4, coat entire cushion brush with leatherBrush1 and Scrub with leatherEraser4 and let dwell at least 30 minutes or before it dries.

3. Cleaning - use clean3.8 and repeat as above follows with wiping off suspended residue until towel shows clean

4. Acidifier Rinse - use rinse3.0 as above and use 1200/1500 sanding paper to smoother crack edges and remove deteriorated finishes too.

5. Hydration - use hydrator3.3 spray soak while the leather is still damp, lay thin tissue paper and wrapped with plastic cling wrapper up to 4 - 24 hours, to separate the stick together fibrils and relaxes them too.

6. Fatliquoring - use fatliquor5.0 spray soak while the leather is damp, spread and acidify rinse all strays fatliquor that stay on the leather surface, repeat at drying interval until the leather is supple and soft when massaged. Lay thin tissue and cling wrapped to leave overnight for sufficient hydrogen-bonding between the cationic fibrils (+ve) with the anionic (-ve) fatliquor5.0.

7. Allow for slow drying for extra softness.

8. Wicked up foreign soil particulates to be wiped off at drying intervals and crispy dry surface soil particulates to be erased off using leatherEraser4.


C) Dry Prep:

9. Remove old and deteriorated topcoat with razor60, sanding with 1200/1500 sand grit.


D) Impregnation:

10. Use impregnator26 concentrating on those worn and weak areas - to work the product into the leather structure.
For: worn leather grains and micro cracks.
To: restore, seal and strengthen worn area leveling out uneven absorption for further coating process.
Fills and tightens with good leveling properties that is film forming for improve abrasion resistance.
Instruction:
1. To shake well; apply by padding to saturate all weak and absorbent areas.
2. To concentrate only on weak areas otherwise wipe off unwanted excess to reduce buildup.
3. To facilitate color saturation on aniline leathers - add up to 25% of aniPureDye21™.
4. To smoothen for in between coating - use 1000, 1200 or 1500 sandpaper.


E) Aniline Redyeing:

11. Dyeing is optional; otherwise use a matching anilineDye27 - a new generation aqueous urethane aniline transparent dye coat.


F) Top Coating

12. Use anilineTop79 test to match existing gloss level - with either gloss, matte or satin.


G) Leather Scent Buttery Feel Conditioning

13. Use leatherScent’B


Let’s see some pictures at every stage.


What do you think?


Roger Koh
Leather Doctor®

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Roger Koh

Yes!

I agree it’s to be preserved or conserved, otherwise it loose its value when it look too new.

This work is to restore the leather structure integrity and leaving the present look as natural as possible

The most important consideration is to soften and strengthen the leather for continue practical usage without allowing the leather to crack further.

This is my suggestion for the sequence of processes:


A) Preparation:

1. Remove the cushion off the chair frame.


B) Prep Clean, Hydration & Fatliquoring:

2. Prep Clean - use prepClean4.4, coat entire cushion brush with leatherBrush1 and Scrub with leatherEraser4 and let dwell at least 30 minutes or before it dries.

3. Cleaning - use clean3.8 and repeat as above follows with wiping off suspended residue until towel shows clean

4. Acidifier Rinse - use rinse3.0 as above and use 1200/1500 sanding paper to smoother crack edges and remove deteriorated finishes too.

5. Hydration - use hydrator3.3 spray soak while the leather is still damp, lay thin tissue paper and wrapped with plastic cling wrapper up to 4 - 24 hours, to separate the stick together fibrils and relaxes them too.

6. Fatliquoring - use fatliquor5.0 spray soak while the leather is damp, spread and acidify rinse all strays fatliquor that stay on the leather surface, repeat at drying interval until the leather is supple and soft when massaged. Lay thin tissue and cling wrapped to leave overnight for sufficient hydrogen-bonding between the cationic fibrils (+ve) with the anionic (-ve) fatliquor5.0.

7. Allow for slow drying for extra softness.

8. Wicked up foreign soil particulates to be wiped off at drying intervals and crispy dry surface soil particulates to be erased off using leatherEraser4.


C) Dry Prep:

9. Remove old and deteriorated topcoat with razor60, sanding with 1200/1500 sand grit.


D) Impregnation:

10. Use impregnator26 concentrating on those worn and weak areas - to work the product into the leather structure.
For: worn leather grains and micro cracks.
To: restore, seal and strengthen worn area leveling out uneven absorption for further coating process.
Fills and tightens with good leveling properties that is film forming for improve abrasion resistance.
Instruction:
1. To shake well; apply by padding to saturate all weak and absorbent areas.
2. To concentrate only on weak areas otherwise wipe off unwanted excess to reduce buildup.
3. To facilitate color saturation on aniline leathers - add up to 25% of aniPureDye21™.
4. To smoothen for in between coating - use 1000, 1200 or 1500 sandpaper.


E) Aniline Redyeing:

11. Dyeing is optional; otherwise use a matching anilineDye27 - a new generation aqueous urethane aniline transparent dye coat.


F) Top Coating

12. Use anilineTop79 test to match existing gloss level - with either gloss, matte or satin.


G) Leather Scent Buttery Feel Conditioning

13. Use leatherScent’B


Let’s see some pictures at every stage.


What do you think?


Roger Koh
Leather Doctor®

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You gave a detailed tips and tricks for cleaning it. Thank You!

His responses are so thorough! I wish the original poster would have shown some photos taken during the process and and after photo!