Leather Re-Dye

Rod Farmer asks:

Can anyone offer advice on renovating leather? I have a XJ40 with 160,000 on the clock. It is a 1988 and has been well loked after mechanicaly, however the seats are cream leather going on worn! Any tips on renovation, what type of cleaner / conditioner or how can I get back the color on a solid 1988 car?

In reply to several list members who requested a description of how the seat re-dye job was performed, here it is.

I started by pulling all of the seats. It was easier than I imagined. Once they were on the bench, I brushed them off, and we began by putting a little of the water-based, non-caustic CT-600 cleaner on a rag and wiping down all of the surfaces. This was followed with a few damp cloth rinses, then drying with another rag.

This however, didn't seem to pull the dirt out of the leather 'grains'. So we put the CT-600 in a spray bottle, lightly coated the seats with it, and scrubbed lightly with a soft nylon scrubbing brush. This we followed with a few damp cloth rinses, and finished by drying with another rag. The leather was so clean and supple after this cleaning, we could have stoped right there if there weren't patches where the original dye had worn off.

We cleaned the vinyl sides of the seat with laquer thinner and a scrub brush, which was quick and effective. Gerard warned against using laquer thinner or other organic solvents on the leather itself, since the wait time for all of the thinner to evaporate from the leather would be more than a week, whereas with the water based cleaner it was not a problem if rinsing was thorough.

We waited a few hours to apply the dye. We used cheap disposable foam brushes, and did about three or four thin coats to all of the leather surfaces, waiting 1/2 to 1 hour between coats. The atmosphere was warm and dry (in-law's kitchen table). We coated the vinyl with two to three thicker coats, as the grain of the vinyl was much more pronounced than that of the leather.

I used a Bissel carpet cleaner on the carpets and headliner, and we re-installed the seats. Overall working time for Dianne and me was 4 days. We had to disassemble the rear seat bottom (a moderate pain, but we did it in front of the TV so it went quickly), to replace a corner piece of leather which had a gash in it. Reassembly of the rear seat bottom was not difficult, just time consuming to ensure a wrinkle free cover.

Again, we're very happy with the results. We'll wait a few more days, then soak the seats with Lexol Neatsfoot Oil to try to moisten the leather all the way through. This should keep them in good shape for awhile.

There were some cracks in the seats, and the dye was able to fill these to a degree. Gerard mentioned that he could use a leather crack filler, but I decided not to go with that. For this job, I wanted to maintain the softness and suppleness of the leather, at the expense of a few cracks. Perhaps the crack filler would have been just fine, but I kept imagining wallboard filler paste, so we decided to stick with the dye. I think it's flexible enough to stay in the cracks for some time. We'll see how it goes.

The interior really does look brand new. Even the vinyl has the proper flatness, or 'leather sheen' to it. I've seen 3 or 4 different interior leather dyes, and I believe this one is the best so far. The cost came out under $100, or just over that if you count the $32.50 the upholsterer charged me to sew the leather piece into the disassembled cover.

So we're happy. I imagine when I get out of school and get a real job, and the kids (future) have trashed the leather, I'll spring for new leather covers altogether, but until then we have a very much presentable interior at a fraction of the cost. I was even thinking I'd make vinyl upholstry for the baby seat and dye it to match the rest of the interior. Perhaps I'll put a leaping kitty on the front 'grab rail' of the baby seat?

Vince Chrzanowski wrote:

As I recollect it, you re-dyed your interior about a year ago with a process that most of us were unfamiliar with. There was some question at the time about the porosity of the new finish, and its ability to accept softening and preserving treatments. Despite all that, you were enthusiastic about the ease of application and the quality of the results.

Now that some time has gone by, are you still able to recommend that process? How about a report?

Vince and others,

The seat redye has held up pretty well. Now that about 8 months have passed, the seats show a little wear, but overall look pretty good. There were a few deep cracks in the passenger front seat back, and the finish has not remained in the cracks. I would expect this however, since the leather fibres are deteriorating as the seat flexes. I would doubt that any crack filler would work in this application.

In the lower pleats of the rear seat back, there were a few areas which had lost all of the original dye, and we re-dyed right over these. Of course, the pressed in leather-look texture was gone, but the areas we treated in this manner are still holding up.

To the porosity issue. I'm not very consistent with leather maintenance. I put Hide Food on the leather about 1 month after treating. I put Lexol Neatsfoot NF oil on about three months after treating, and again about two months ago. I was surprised by how the leather absorbed the emulsified neatsfoot oil. I diluted the nf oil a bit with water (as prescribed), and it soaked in even better. I've not been much impressed with Hide Food, but that's just because I think it doesn't soak very well into surface-dyed leathers.

Overall, the interior looks nearly as good as when we re-dyed it. The few cracks in the front seat back can only be repaired by replacement I'm sure, so I don't worry too much about those. The leather has remained reasonably soft (compared to other Jags), so we're pleased with the results.

To review, Al Gerard Sr. mixed up a custom (door-panel matching) biscuit for us, and included the cleaner, for @ $100. There is enough dye left over for me to do the entire job at least once more, which I probably won't, but I did make a vinyl cover for our baby seat and dyed it to match our interior.

I like the fact that the dye and cleaner are water based.

I re-did the interior of my car (85 XJ-S) this past spring and summer. This included the leather as well as the headliner and the woodwork (still working on that one). The leather on the front seats was cracked and split in several places. The leather on the back seats was dry and the "dye" had began to wear off showing patches of the leather itself. The trim leather (door panels and arm rests, front and back) had became faded and in places grimmy.

The front seats were too far gone and the solution was a no-brainer : ordered a leather kit and replaced them outright (fairly easy job but time and patience consuming) cost for the new covers, including headrests, $600 for both. The only thing I should have done differently was to also replace the foam bottoms with new ones (additional $150). I looked closely at the old ones thought they were OK and decided to not replace them. The front seats came out really good. Would have been better with new foam cushions. Anyone interested in more details regarding the front seat recovering, send me a note I'll be glad to share the experience.

Regarding the rest of the leather ..... It was in good shape physically (no tears, cracks or splits), so I decided to re-dye it. First I got leather cleaner from the Jag dealer. It came in a green bottle with Jag logo and it is called "Jaguar Leather Cleaner" (JLM-9869); cost $5.00. This turned out to be the greatest thing since sliced bread!. You apply it by rubbing very small amounts of the stuff onto the leather with a damp sponge (full instructions come on the back; I followed them to the letter). After I got through cleaning the leather I seriously wondered whether I wouldneed to do anything else. However,the wear patches had not gone away (I hadn't expected that they would) so re-dyeing was in order.

I got the dye from Bill Hirsch Automotive (800-828-2062; NJ 210-642-2404); they carry genuine Connolly dye (the can comes labeled by Connolly); cost is about $55 for a pint can, including shipping. For my car it took two pint cans to do all of the leather in the car, except for the front seats. I still have some left over and could have done the front seats also. The "dye" is actually a spray-on lacquer paint of the right color. I applied it using the disposable spray-painters that you can buy at hardware stores for about $8.00 plus $2-3 for the replacement cylinders. By the way, Hirsch also sells the dye in spray cans for an upcharge of $5.00. The dye resulted in an almost perfect match with the newly recovered front seats and I am very pleased with the outcome.

The dyeing proces is fairly simple. After I cleaned the leather as described above, I wiped it down with a rag soaked in lacquer thinner and let it dry for a couple of days. I sprayed all the pieces in one day. Each piece was sprayed with 5-6 very light coats of the dye. The dye is used straight out of the can and is not diluted with thinner. I let each coat dry while I sprayed the remaining pieces. I was aided in this by the fact that I live in Phoenix and the weather here was dry and warm. In a cold, wet climate you may need to provide some additonal drying time. The trick is to get the coats on very light so you don't have runs or drips. After the last coat I let all of the pieces to dry in my garage for a period of about a week before I put them back in the car. At the end of that period the dye was definetly dry. However it did have a residual "tacky" feel to it. It took about an additional two weeks of Phoenix weather to make the tackyness disappear. I believe that this is due to the dye forming a "crust" right on the surface, but the underlying dye below it still has the thinner in it and releases it more slowly.

I am extremely pleased with how it came out. I feel that it is easy to do but requires patience and an eye for detail. You should also make sure that you give yourself enough time to do it. Again, if anyone is interested in more details regarding the proces send me a note I'll be glad to share the experience. Good luck,

SUMMARY This is a step-by-step guide to refinishing/recoloring leather and vinyl seat upholstery on a 1986 US xj6. Much is relevant to other Jaguar models. This guide tells you how to renew your seats completely to near new condition. Materials cost is $100-200. No experience or exotic tools needed. Among the materials used is a water-based colorant product called Surflex. Surflex colors both leather and vinyl. Topics here: how to prepare your upholstery surfaces, remove the old coloring, hide creases, fix cracks, splits, broken stitches, apply new coloring while restoring leather suppleness.

Some of this information is unique to Surflex. I have previously used another leather refinishing product made by Connelly. However,I believe the Surflex product, application and result is superior. I have no business interest whatsoever, etc., in Surflex or any material or products contained here. Information here is from my own experience, Surflex instructions, and tips from Gregory Andrachuk whose good advice helped me renew my upholstery. Comments, additions, corrections are welcome.

BACKGROUND: Jaguar uses hides made by Connelly Brothers of London. Jaguar makes a lot of hoopla over Connelly leather whose hides may be fine, but whose appearance can fail the test of time. One reason, apparently, is the lacquer coating they use for coloring. This coating can deteriorate more than the actual leather underneath. Over time, this lacquer gets brittle,cracks and fades. Repeated flexing and stretching creates minute chips and cracks in the lacquer. These omnidirectonal wear lines enlarge, get dirt in them, and ultimately degrade your seat's upholstery. This is the transmogrification of character and patina that fine leather can gain with time to a faded, flaking, cardboard-like material. In light colored leather, like doeskin, the cracking and dirt accounts for those unattractive dark lines. Darker Jaguar leather colors like mulberry can show the lighter flesh colored leather underneath. Even many big unsightly cracks can be areas where there is simply an absence of coloring. Underneath, the leather is good. If your leather is particularly old, dry or deteroriated, these areas can progress to actual cracks and crevices in the leather itself. Then one day you sit behind the wheel and your leather splits. Happily, most of these conditions, including tears, can be fixed yourself. This assumes you have finally set yourself to completely renewing the color,condition and suppleness of your seats. In one respect, you are making the leather of that gorgeous Jaguar of yours to look better than new. Your seats, due to their age, possess character: wrinkles and creases that new ones lack.

STEP 1. REMOVE THE SEATS. a. Remove your backseat, the part you sit on. Two screws, one on each side, in the seat cushion front. Pull seat out of car. b. Remove the seat back section. Two bolts, one on each side, down where the seat belts are attached. 7/16" socket does it. Lift the seat back upward to free it from the three hooks which secure it from behind. One hook is in the center, the other two on the right and left side. c.Once out of the car, now you can remove the armrest. The 4 nuts are easily accessed on the back of the seat back. You also need to remove about 6 black trim clips hold the vinyl trim board which is mounted behind the armrest. Remove all hardware from the armrest. Six screws. d. Remove your front seat cushions. One screw in each cushion front. Then lift up and out. On the driver's side, disconnect the wire leads under the cushion which attach to the seat position motor. e. Remove the front seat backs and frames from the car. Four bolts,nuts/washers and spacers in each seat secure the frames to the floor. Unclip the return springs to more easily move the seats forward or backward to access the bolts. Lift the frames/seat backs out of the car. f. Now remove the chrome levers which operate the seat back position. One screw. Levers pull off. g. Remove the lumbar handles. One screw. Handles pull off. h. Raise the headrests as high as they go. You need this clearance to prepare the seat top surfaces for coloring. Apply masking tape on the chrome post and collar.

STEP 2. REMOVE THE OLD FINISH. This is the worst part of the whole job. You remove to (1) renew the color or (2) change color. The problem with changing color completely is that Surflex doesn't recommend using its product to change the color on VINYL. Color changes on LEATHER are fine and effective though. I added rear headrests to my xj6 which I got from a salvage yard; they were doeskin which I colored red to match my interior red.
a. To remove: use quick-dry lacquer thinnner. Apply it ON THE LEATHER SECTIONS ONLY. The leather sections are: the parts you sit on/against, the front headrests, the entire rear pull out armrest. Everything else is vinyl. I used medium grade steel wool and rags. Use a dull edge kitchen knife with a rounded tip and a brush to gently clean the seams. The coloring comes off easily enough. But it's damn messy work. The key is to use generous amounts of thinner, keeping the surface good and wet,and wiping repeatedly before the thinner evaporates too much. In some areas, you can squeegee the old color off with the knife, like cleaning water off a windshield. I used over a gallon of thinner, two pairs of heavy gloves, and a big pile of rags. The gloves were slippery and awkward. Good ventilation is a must. Fortunately, you need remove only about 80% of your old color. Sandpaper is advised for some difficult spots. You DO NOT, however, want to create a suede look.
b. For the vinyl sections, you DO NOT apply lacquer thinner. Keep the thinner off the vinyl as it can make the surface sticky. Surflex makes a product for vinyl preparation which they call Super Cleaner. With a rag, wash the vinyl thoroughly with their cleaner and completely rinse.
c. Let the seats dry for 24 hours. The instructions stress this drying time to get the solvent completely out of the leather. You'll be surprised how much softer your seats are now, without all that old brittle finish.
d. When dry, sand. Use 320 grit sandpaper for rough spots and creases on the leather. Tear off a tiny piece of sandpaper, fold it around your finger and sand lightly in the direction of creases. Some creases disappear as a result.
e. Overall sanding. Now sand with 320 very lightly and quickly over the whole seat surface, leather and vinyl. For the leather, this step opens pores so that the conditioner can thoroughly penetrate.
f. Wipe off completely any dust created by your sanding. Surflex suggests using a tack cloth for this. MAKE SURE YOUR TACK CLOTH IS NOT the type which can impart stickiness to the surface. I used one that did and I believe it gave me a slight problem later.
g. ON THE LEATHER ONLY apply the conditioner/softener Surflex which recommends. This stuff looks like and applies like linseed oil. Use a brush, painting it on. Some areas will absorb faster than others, re-coat as needed in quickly drying areas. Keep this stuff from dripping onto the vinyl, which you MUST keep clean.
h. Let the seats dry, again, for 24 hours. Temperature should be 70 degrees or higher.
i. Wipe off all the conditioner residue. Use a rag with a bucket of warm water, rinsing frequently and changing water. Get the seams clean, too. Feel how much softer your seats are now; almost like a woman's thighs.
j. Let your seats dry completely again, for another 24 hours. After this time, the leather is supple enough to attempt stretching for stitching repairs without tearing.

STEP 3. MAKING REPAIRS: STITCHES. If you have several broken stitches, you need an inexpensive tool, a leather stitcher. This looks like, and is about the size of, a large awl; mine was equipped with several needles and waxed string. I got it from a shoe repair store for about $15.00. I have also seen them in craft stores. Instructions on how to use, make knots, are included. Easy. I would not use this tool, however, for major restitching, such as doing two or three long seams with 30 or 40 stitches. The only stitching I did was on the front seat cushions, repairing a coup[e of broken stitches here and there. First thing: you must gain access to the underside of the leather. Access to this underside in the back seat or seatback appears to be similiar as below although I have never done it. And, I haven't studied how to access the front seat backs which house the head rests. Anyway, procedure for the front seat cushions:
a. Turn the front cushion upside down on a table to remove the leather covering from the frame. All the little black trim clips pop off with a screwdriver.
b. Carefully peel off the leather covering from the foam rubber form. The covering is glued to the foam seat but I was able to separate it without too much trouble or damage to the cushion by working my hand carefully between them.
c. Once the covering is off, remove the portion of cloth padding stitched to the underside of the pleats where the leather needs repair. I used a razor to slit the padding close to the seams. Cut just enough to reveal the underside of the leather, folding back just enough to give you room to work the leather stitching tool.
d. With the leather seams now exposed on both sides, begin making your stitches according to the tool's instructions. Use the existing stitch holes in the leather.
e. When you're finished stitching, re-position the cloth padding. Use Duct tape to secure it in place.
f. I applied Duct tape to the foam cushion form along the areas where the leather covering was glued to the form. I felt that this would provide a new smooth surface for re-glueing.
g. I brushed Contact Cement on top of the Duct tape in all of the areas in (f) and on the corresponding underside of the leather cover. Note: the whole underside surface is not glued, just parts of it.
h. Carefully position the leather cover on the foam cushion, press and secure in place; let dry about 30 minutes or according to glue instructions.
i. Wrap the rest of the leather cover around the sides of the form. The vinyl sides have a layer of thin foam padding stitched to them; smooth this out along the sides to prevent bunching. Reinstall the trim clips on the same marks they left on the vinyl when you removed them. The cover fits back easily without any real stretching or pulling.

FIX CRACKS Surflex offers a crack filler which works like joint compound on drywall. It is made to be flexible when dry. And as Surflex says, a little bit goes a long way:
a.Apply the crack filler into the crack or crease with a finger right from the can. Wipe off excess and let dry.
b.When dry,about 30 minutes, sand in the direction of the crack with 320 sandpaper.
c.Deeper cracks and creases require several applications, letting dry and sanding each time. In such cumulative cases, it's very important to be sure the final surface is sanded as smooth as possible. You should not feel or see any rises or lumps in the surface no matter how subtle. Any scratches on the crack filler surface from sanding WILL SHOW up when you recolor and resemble brush strokes which you don't want. Surflex instructions do not specify this but final sanding, using 600 or 1000 grade, I believe is needed to rub out these minute scratches.

FIX SPLITS -leather or vinyl If you have a tear or split or if the crack is deep enough and appears that it will likely split at some point, glue a leather or canvas patch to the underside. If you cannot access the underside of the leather, do the following:
a. Slit the crack with a razor and work the patch through the split. Position the patch behind it with your fingers. Work in glue between the patch and leather. Glue one side and let dry.
b. Apply glue to the other side of the patch and hold the split closed with tape until the glue dries. Remove the tape.
c. Now apply crack filler as above. Will take several layers.

STEP 4 RECOLORING:
a. Wipe down the leather and vinyl so that it is thoroughly clean of crack filler and/or dust, etc. Everything must be THOROUGHLY clean AND dry otherwise the colorant will not adhere.
b. Before applying Surflex, wipe the leather with quick dry lacquer thinner. DO NOT saturate.
c. Apply the colorant. I used a one inch foam brush. Surflex consistency is thin, like water. The first coat must be applied VERY very sparingly, as well as subsequent coats. First coat objective is covering, not worrying about uneveness, or making it look finished. Don't re-work your strokes much, especially if it's drying fast. I also used a wider two inch foam brush for the big vinyl areas. The advantage of the foam brush is that strokes, if any, are minimized. Surflex sells a bristle brush as an applicator, which I bought but did not use for the colorant The foam brush is Gregory Andrachuk's advice.
d. Use a soft toothbrush to do the seams. Again, this is Gregory's suggestion which I followed. You don't want the dye to pool in the seams. Some seams I separated with my fingers and worked the brush in the stitches. The seams take time but are very important. The clean, complete coverage and appearance of your seams can mark the job a good one or poor one.
e. TIP: Before coloring the rear armrest(and after you've prepared it for coloring), reattach the chrome arms; they serve as a great stand for the armrest as you apply the colorant. The arms allow you to adjust the position of the armrest as needed.
f. After 15 or 20 minutes, Surflex is dry to the touch. You can apply a second coat. The color when dry is different than when wet but it all evens out when dry.
g. A third coat can be applied, if needed. My color was red and the instructions say a third coat is often needed for this color. In fact, it was not. Use JUST ENOUGH to color, no more. I did, however, do some touch up in spots. When doing touch up, remember to keep just a very small amount of colorant on the brush and RESIST the temptation to even out or rework the strokes. If you do, you will get brush strokes on the surface.
h. The colorant is durable for use after 24 hours. It takes about 6 weeks to cure. After that, it can be cleaned.
i. After 24 hours, buff with a dry cloth to remove surface residue and bring out a lustre.

CONCLUSION/EVALUATION
a.The difference in my upholstery is very dramatic. I'm extremely pleased with the result. The color is even, smooth, DOES NOT look painted on or amateurish. Unlike another product I used, my leather is almost as supple as it was before I put the colorant on. The color match from Surflex was perfect.
b.GLOSS FACTOR.The final finish does have a gloss that is higher than the original Jaguar upholstery finish. In the bright sun especially, the gloss on the vinyl surfaces in the most visible areas seemed, to me, excessive; the piping seemed a little too shiny. Surflex offers a clear coat which they say dulls the gloss to a matte finish. Although I bought the clear coat, I did not use it. Based on my experience with another product several years ago,I was afraid an extra coat might stiffen the leather too much. If your leather is dark colored, as is mine(red) this gloss will likely be more evident than on a lighter color. So you may want to try their clear coat, OR TRY WHAT I ultimately did (section e and f., below).
c Surflex recommended I get the quart can of colorant for front and back seats, including my 4 headrests. I used only about 2 inches of colorant from the can.
d.ONE NEGATIVE. I had a slight tackiness on some areas of my VINYL, even after it was dry. I'm not sure what caused this condition but I believe it may have been caused by my using a tack cloth to clean prior to coloring. The cloth may have imparted a tackiness to the surface. Because of this, I would discourage the use of a tack cloth.
e. To remove this tackiness, I experimented. I began gently wiping the vinyl down with paint thinner about 50 hours after the colorant dried. Besides removing nearly all the tackiness, the paint thinner had an unexpected effect: it dulled the gloss. I preferred this softer look over the gloss so I was encouraged to apply paint thinner on the leather sections. Luckily, got the same effect: a much softer look. The leather absorbs the thinner right away, the vinyl doesn't, so be fast and gentle on the leather if you try this technique. Be very gentle, at least at first until you get the feel of it. In some areas I repeated this application several times to get the right lustre. A tiny, tiny bit of color does come off on your rag at this point in the drying cycle. First try in an inconspicuous area to see if you like the soft lustre effect.
f.TIP: SMOOTHER SOFTER LUSTRE/ FINAL FINISHING TOUCHES:Wait least a week or two before you attempt this so the colorant is sufficiently dry. Use steel wool to smooth your seams. Use OOOO finest. Tear off a pad, and with your fingers pinch an edge to the pad. Run the edge down your seams and around the piping. Don't apply pressure or scrub, just drag it lightly down the seam once or twice or as needed. Keep reforming the edge of the pad. Smoothes out the seams for even the most scrutinizing eye. Then very lightly, again hardly any pressure, smooth your leather with the steel wool pad, blending the lustre of each panel or pleat with its adjacent sections to achieve a uniformity of lustre. I got a very smooth, soft lustrous finish. Do the vinyl, too, to blend this gloss with that of the leather. I was surprised how vigorously I could rub the vinyl. Use a tiny bit of steel wool to dull the gloss ON THE PIPING; you don't want to rub the leather, however, as you're doing this. Essentially, you are in the role of the artist/craftsman here, smoothing and blending together the lustres of the leathers and vinyl.

Any questions, please email. Ralph W. Allen. (I have no connection with Surflex)

Company that makes Surflex:
Color Plus
3767 Sunrise Lake
Milford, PA 18337-9315
USA
717-686-3158