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Hi Roger,
I知 sure you致e heard this before, but I left my window open in my vehicle and the seats got wet and now areas of the seat have become hard.
From what I heard, this cannot be restored without reupholstering the leather.
However, I have seen on your posts that you have recommended the leather doctor products to fix the exact issue I am facing.
What sets your product apart?
Do you have any before/after examples?
Attachment 10808
>>> What sets your product apart?
Leather hardness and stiffness are leather structure problems, in this and all cases the fatliquor (fat and oil) leaches out empty between the leather fiber structure, and with quick drying under the sun ‘Van der Waal’ phenomenon takes place, the leather fibers become stuck together results in hardness and stiffness.
To revert the shrinkage problem, a relaxing hydrator will need to soften up the stuck-together fiber separating them to allow easy excess of new replenishing fatliquor. Water-encased fat and oil fatliquor emulsion when in contact with the protein leather fiber breaks free leaving behind the fat and oil that impart leather softness with strength.
Here is the recommended product system for your further reading.
Attachment 10811
https://www.leatherdoctor.com/auto-l...on-kit-at5-ws/
Auto Leather Seat Water Damaged Stiffness Restoration Kit At5.ws by Leather Doctor is to fatliquor recondition leather stiffness caused by water and heat drying issues.
People Also Ask:
What is Leather?
Leather is an amphoteric protein fiber material that is pH sensitive and any liquid that has a pH value above the pH neutral of leather will cause the leather constituent, especially the fatliquor fat and oil content to leach out.
Why Water Damage Leather?
Water's average pH value is about 7, while leather's pH neutral is about 3 to 5. Any liquid source that has a pH value above 7 will cause the leather protein fiber to weaken its ionic positive (+ve) charges. As the main leather constituents like the tanning agents and fatliquor are ionic negative (-ve), the hydrogen bonds weaken and the fat and oil migrate out, emptying out the center of alkaline overexposure.
Why Heat Damage Leather?
When heat is present during the accelerated leather drying process with insufficient fat and oil present, it causes the leather fibrils to become stick together due to the 'Van der Waal' phenomenon.
What is Leather Stiffness?
Leather stiffness is due to the lack of fat that separates the fibers from sticking together stiff and oil that lubricates the fibrils like millions of interlocking hinges for flexibility.
How to Restore Leather from Stiffness when Wet?
Leather stiffness is relaxed by hydrating the thickness of the leather structure separating them and reversing the shrinkage by massaging/stretching/flexing without a dry edge. When suppleness of the leather is achieved with dimensional satisfaction during the wet process fatliquor reconditioning begins. Otherwise, when all water content evaporates without fat and oil, the leather reverts back stiff again.
How to Restore Leather from Stiffness when Dry?
Fatliquor is the lifeblood of leather! Without it, the leather loses its practical usage, becomes stiff and when flexed will crack. Loss of fat and oil will need to be replaced with ionic negative (-ve) charged microemulsion. Upon contact with the millions of ionic positive (+ve) charged fibrils the water-encased fat and oil break free, hydrogen bond takes place and the water evaporates leaving a breathing space.
Repeat fatliquoring continue each cycle water evaporates until the last application leather absorbed no more. Although leather is already dry of water, it is the fat and oil content remaining that keeps the leather soft and strong, with all surface residues removed with a hydrator.
How to Saturate the Leather Structure Below the Finishes?
Hydrator is the preconditioner to penetrate the leather structure easily by the reverse suede side, otherwise follows where the water has seeped in typically along stitching holes between panels. Water has gone through the holes and moves sideways and the hydrator will follow beyond the path of water damage to even out and redistribute fugitive tanning agents and fatliquor. Fatliquor reconditioning follows thereafter to replenish.
How to Ease Conditioners Penetration?
Perforated leather is easier to work with as there are more holes for products to penetrate, a bamboo toothpick could be used to standardize shrunk holes back to size or stitch holes on smooth leather.
How to Move the Conditioners to Spread out the entire Panel?
The practical method is by hand over a plastic sheet to reduce friction rubs to the leather finishes spreading out the conditioners, another practical method is sitting movement over a plastic sheet while the conditioners are being applied with less effort to spread them out.
What Can be Done with Finishes Damages?
Finishing damage repairs is the second phase based on satisfaction of the first phase of stiffness restoration success.
Depending on the severity of shrinkage in question, where a new color refinishing is deemed inevitable, it will require a related refinishing kit to accomplish the finish restoration. Embossing damages becomes permanent and is not practical to recreate without pressure, heat, and an embossing plate. Shriveled finishes may be too delicate to work during the stretching to relax it and may result in de-lamination. In such a situation the entire damaged panel finish may be shaved with Razor-60 for ease of relaxing the leather structure with hydrating is recommended.
"Why these Products are Picked as a Holistic System to Restore Auto Leather Seat Water Damaged Stiffness?
The answer is a three-part system that works on water-damaged stiffness . . .
1- Pro Cleaner-1.5 and Acidifier-2.0 system!
Pro Cleaner-1.5 and Acidifier-2.0 holistic working systems are developed to rectify leather denaturing from turning sticky or slimy with Acidifier-2.0 used as a rinse to a healthy squeaky feel.
This system ensures that surface soiling is first removed and leather pH neutralized prior to proceeding to the next step of fatliquor reconditioning it.
Leather Pro Cleaner-1.5 is a water-based pH value 1.5 restorative cleaner with an extra protonating or pH balancing function for all leathers and suedes types.
Pro Cleaner-1.5 works by increasing the ionic positive (+ve) attraction of the amphoteric leather protein fiber to hydrogen bond with its other ionic negative (-ve) leather constituents like the tanning agent and fatliquor more effectively.
Leather Acidifier-2.0 is a water-based pH 2.0 rinse and pH-balancer for alkaline damages manifest as marks, streaks, brightness, and tackiness.
2- Hydrator-3.3 and Fatliquor-5.0 system!
Hydrator-3.3 and Fatliquor-5.0 work in sync in fatliquor reconditioning as a system to return leather from stiffness.
Leather Hydrator-3.3 is a water-based pH 3.3 relaxing conditioner with multi-functional abilities both on the surface and within the leather structure.
Hydrator-3.3 structural penetrating ability will require saturating leather to an optimum level with moisture oozing out when gently pressed between thumb and fingers. Its surface ability is to remove fatliquor dry sticky residue.
Leather Fatliquor-5.0 conditioner is a micro-emulsion of fat, oil, and water for reconditioning and restoring leather, and suede to their original suppleness, from weakness and stiffness.
Fatliquor-5.0 fat content plumps the leather with fullness from easily collapsing into creases and wrinkles during stress or flex, while the oil content lubricates the fibers so that they slide over one another smoothly like millions of interconnecting hinges.
Fatliquor-5.0 helps to keep leather at its optimum physical performance and prevent premature aging.
Fatliquor-5.0 softens the leather when dry with stretchability, compressibility, and flexibility while enhancing its rip tensile strength greatly.
3- Protector-B system!
Leather Protector-B is a non-film-forming surface protective conditioner with a non-stick soft buttery feel which reduces leather squeaking noise that translates to increased leather resistance to wet and dry rubs thus reducing stretch, scuff, and abrasion.
How to Work with Pro Cleaner-1.5 and Acidifier-2.0 system?
1- Pro Cleaner-1.5 is sprayed and worked with a detailing brush and towel extracted until the new folding side shows clean.
2- Acidifier-2.0 is sprayed and worked with a detailing brush and towel extracted until the new folding side shows clean and dry. And is ready for hydration.
How to Work with Hydrator-3.3 and Fatliquor-5.0 systems?
1- Leather Hydrator-3.3 is sprayed and brushed through the perforated or stitching holes following the path of water damage and beyond with no dry lines within a panel.
2- The entire panel should have a darkening effect with full hydration beneath the finishing coating to allow for massaging/flexing/stretching the shrunk area to softness without the ridge line.
3- Any ridge line or wrinkle is worked through a plastic sheet to reduce abrasion to the finishes when a spatula or spoon is used.
4- Sitting over a plastic sheet with movement also helps to improve overall appearance, while it is kept fully hydrated.
5- With appearance and softness satisfaction while the leather is still damp, fatliquor reconditioning may commence.
6- Leather Fatliquor-5.0's objective is to follow the penetrating path of Hydrator-3.3 with continued massaging and allow slow drying of the evaporated water content, more is applied until the last application the leather absorbed no more.
7- Hydrator-3.3 is used to clean up any surface residue.
8- When the leather is almost dry, sitting movement over a towel until the leather dries ensures leather retains its softness with strength.
How to Work with Protector-B system!
1- Shake well, mist spray, and spread with a lint-free towel padding and it is ready to use when dry.
Your Questions are Welcome!
Attachment 10810
Roger Koh
Leather Care System Formulator
Consultant / Practitioner / Instructor / Coach
web: www.leatherdoctor.com
forum: www.leathercleaningrestorationforum.com
email: [email protected],
email: [email protected]