[LTT Leathercare]

Aniline dyeing is done on Day 1

[derek west]

thought day 1 was cleaning and history like we did at the iicrc, looks like i'll have to book the lot, ive got one of your schedules somewhere, i'll read up before i book, see whats best. cheers andy/judy

[Ben Staerck]

Steve,

You need to spray the colour on. Applying by sponge or cloth wouldn't belnd it in - it wiould apply the colour too dark.

Judy,

I know it's turing the leather into a pigmented leather, but it's only part of the leather it touches, not the whole thing. If done well, you'd never notice.

And the customer would always prefer it to be sprayed than have a stain, im pretty sure of that one!

[LTT Leathercare]

Never had any problems dealing with the stains and customers are always happy to accept them if they are well blended in and find that this is far preferable to having pigment put on the top with its potential problems. Once the customer understands the nature of the leather they have they accept  the outcome very readily as it is so stunning.

Usually the reason they bought the furniture in the first place was for the look and feel and if this is altered then they are not happy.

Pigments can be used to repair damage to anilines but this takes a lot of experience and know how to get it right so is not something that can be done  as a matter of course.

[Steve Chapman]

Heres the pictures of the suite, i think its more likely a nubuck as the it has a slight pile to the surface on the arms, although the rest is very dry and faded,

[Steve Chapman]

another one

[Steve Chapman]

and another

[Steve Chapman]

can i still dye this the same way ?

the guy is not looking for a miracle just wants it to look half decent

steve

[LTT Leathercare]

Hi Steve

This is definitely an aniline style leather that will benefit from the aniline dye system and the result will be stunning.

The 'nubuck' areas are caused by the leather being worn and abraded but will still dye with the rest of it.

This is a very dry and faded sample but we have had great success with the aniline dye system and have posted pictures earlier of the results.  The stains and other problems that have soaked into the leather will not disappear but they are blended in and the whole thing will take on a much richer appearance.  Most of the time clients think there is nothing that can be done with these leathers but they are always worth restoring.

The major staining on the last photo (this may be removeable depending on the cause) but if not removeable will not entirely disappear but there is a lot that can be done with aniline tinted finishes to really help blend this sort of damage without changing the nature of the leather. 

Most people buy this type of leather becasue they like the look of it and to add any sort of pigment would not only be risky but would change the appearance and the texture.

Hope this helps

[Steve Chapman]

cheers,

 is the dye a wipe on product and do i need to get a swatch from the leather or can i just mix a colour for it?

The arms were actually less worn than the rest and it was here that had a fine pile to it, you might be able to see the brush marks in the photo, will this make any difference to the dying ?

regards
steve

[Joe H]

That looks bad Steve. Hope it comes up good and you show piccys.

Judy - we spoke on phone week last Friday.
I put the proposal of what needed doing to the L shape unit, but suggested a charge of £200 - £250 as I though it would be a 4 + hour job then 1.5 total travel.
Hes not gone for it (he was thinking but not come back).
Was I too high with the hours estimation!!

[LTT Leathercare]

Hi Steve
The dye is a wipe on product  and not very difficult to use - we can help with further directions if you want as there are a few things that you  need to be aware of that are easier to explain over the phone rather than on the forum.

Colour mixing is very easy (nothing like matching pigment colours) so you would be able to do this yourself although we can custom mix for you if you want.  A straight brown would probably be OK if the customer is not too worried about it being returned to an original colour.

The slightly 'nubucked' areas will not affect the dyeing process.

The whole thing should be cleaned as much as is possible prior to dyeing as this will reintroduce moisture to the dry leather and stop the dye being 'grabbed' quite so quickly.

Also the cushions will need a good 'plimping' up to get their shape back.

[LTT Leathercare]

Hi Joe

The estimate does not seem bad to us.  With the travel etc and the amount of work that seems fine.  Unfortunately people do seem to have the idea that professional cleaning etc. will be cheap  :

Cheers
LTT

[Steve Chapman]

thanks Judy, will probably phone you if that is ok over next couple of days,

cheers
steve

[david washbrook]

steve

its a shame they have banned paul moss cause he would have been able to help and he would have given impartial advice not like others on here if you need his number let me know

[John Gregory]

David   I have seen Paul do his leather traning twice . the first thing he say's is get some proper training off either LTT or FC   the 2nd  is if the leather absorbs liquid don't touch it with a barge pole


John

[Mike Osbourne]

Paul's area, by his own admission is pigment leathers, not analine. Like John says he recommends going on a 'proper' course.

When I went up there the first thing he said was this is my way of doing leather take it or leave it. And I'm sure that's what he says every time he shows people.

I think all the leather companies have something to offer, with their own philosophies on how it 'should' be done.

FC is down to earth, straightforward and cheap, LTT is more involved and Rogers I'm sure is great but is beyond my comprehension currently.

[carlton care]

Wow, talk about a challenge ! It's so badly worn and mangled, it looks like suede in some areas, pull up, in others and aniline on the seats. What a mess, but what an opportunity ?

Realist pricing would be in the three to four hundred pounds region. Andy of Ltt is about to renovate a similar suite. Doubt it will be as bad as this one.

[Steve Chapman]

Rob,

you are spot on with the observations and it does look like a real combination, but when you see the suite it really is worth saving, a real soft italian leather, and the guy is relaxed about the whole thing, so i think it will give me a real chance to see for real what results can be expected!

If it goes horribly wrong i guess i will own leather suite  as he was going to throw it anyway if nothing could be done.

To be honest it so badly faded, im sure anything i do will make it look half decent,  im hoping anyhow

regards
steve

[carlton care]

Have fun Steve. I would love to have something like that to play with. Did the F C course in 2007 and the LTT two weeks ago.

Discovered at ltt, you can create masterpieces from wrecks, I always thought analine was to be avoided completely, now I know better.