fiebings leather dye

[grays]

anyone on here used this product for there seats ?? its a real dye/ not spray can stuff.

[grays]

also whats a good sealer and can i buy it without dealing with shipping??

[nmlss2006]

Why would you want a sealer on your seats?

[grays]

thats what you have to use after you dye leather or else it will bleed out

[nmlss2006]

I have dyed ... several interiors with fair success. Automotive style dyes - which are actually coating dyes - generally provide their own sealing. Google colorplus and/or leatherique for details (on this forum and others).
Fiebing's seems to have both these and the alcohol dyes which are ... challenging to use and which may be less desireable from a wear POV.

[grays]

was tring to do the back seats today and was hoping i dont have to deal with shipping.
anyone knows if homedepot/sears/lowes/walmart sells this??

also on google search i saw that you can use olive oil and was comming from a old timer that deals with leather working for over 40yrs

[AndrewBird]

Fiebings makes a quality product. If your search my screen name for it, you will find a writeup I wrote about dyeing leather. I would find it for you, but I'm on my phone and it is a pain in the ass to search.

Edit: Here is the post:

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showpost.php?p=2370490&postcount=11

As a general rule, do not use any type of oil on tanned leather. While it will soften leather, it does so by breaking it down and essentially reversing the tanning process.

[nmlss2006]

Oh, yes, I'd missed that. I disagree with you on just about everything you wrote :) but I'm sure you're more experienced than I. I suspect one of the main differences in POV is that you grew up around leather that was tanned for clothing/accessory purposes, which is very very different from what is in cars (example: the sanding damaging the surface of the leather I would agree with, if you were sanding the leather. You are not: you're scuffing the polymer based coating that is on top of the leather to insure that the new dye, also polymer base, adheres like it does in the coloring (not tanning) vats at the manufacturer's and you're not using 80-grit to do it :P. By the way, this WILL restore the surface finish of the leather by definition. Example II: using a polish works great on shoes, I do it regularly, but it has rather tragic results on seats - that's when you need a sealer, otherwise the polish WILL end up on whatever rubs against the leather, and sealers I'd really try to avoid for a million and one reasons. And you're right: this will not do anything good if the surface of the leather isnt' perfect, either). What I will say is that the process I followed was suggested by the manufacturers of Surflex and is similarly endorsed by the manufacturers of Leatherique. It has held up very well on multiple cars for several years per car, so I must be doing something right. To each their own, however, and there are things I agree with: use the right products for the right application (which excludes the do it all in a can but it also excludes the Fiebings alcohol based dyes), do not even think about putting olive oil (or milk, I've heard that one too) near any leather, though leatherique/surflex oil (and for that matter, cobbler's grease) will work miracles, and plan on spending 144 times the amount of hours you thought you were going to take to do it right.
Pictures for reference, the last set in particular has now been in the car for 5 years and it looks the same, it had been in there over 3 years when I took the pictures:

[bmw325csi]

Did u dye red seats black?

[nmlss2006]

No, three different sets out of seven I did. These I have pictures of handy.

[MaxBell]

So what products did you/would you use to dye seats red? I have seats that are read, but my drivers is tan/black mismatch of pieces.

[gath]

[/QUOTE]

You did a really good job, would you please share the process that you used :)

[StereoInstaller1]

Posting here just so I can find this thread later!

[nmlss2006]

OK, here goes:
First a premise which is important: Nitro is entirely correct in saying that it takes a long time. As I have commented in previous threads, doing this my way is *NOT* worth your time. It takes time, patience and a decent hand. With this said...

1) I have used the products that are available at www.colorplus.com . I have been very happy with the products and with the service - the owner will go miles out of her way to accomodate you if you need a special colour or if you need something YESTERDAY. There are others, some are probably just as good, I have not used them.

2) To do this well, you have to resign yourself to taking everything apart. Yes, everything means everything. I was lazy with the red seat set you see there and tried spraying the centre portions while still on the frame. I later had to take everything apart and redo it, so... follow my advice and do it right the first time.

3) When all the bits are apart, vacuum off any loose dirt, then use Cetaphil or a similar soap to clean the leather. No, the owner of colorplus doesn't recommend it. I do.

4) Use a first coat of the SOFFENER oil on the leather. Spread it on well and bag the leather in a black trash bag. If possible, put in the sun to heat. If not, heat while applying with a hairdryer (not a heat gun). The leather will take a fair amout, keep applying until it seems to stabilise with a wet sheen, then bag the stuff and leave alone overnight. Try not to get any soffener on the foam, it will deteriorate (eventually)

5) take the stuff out of the bags, note that you will have a film of crap that the soffener has lifted from the leather. Wipe off and repeat 4. Leave overnight again.

6) this time, wipe off then clean with the cleaner - super cleaner. After wiping with that, sure enough, repeat 4. Leave overnight again.

7) repeat 6. Leave overnight.

8) at this point, the leather should not be taking much of the soffener any more but it should have softened a fair amount. This is where you have to be *CAREFUL*. Wipe off the residue, clean with super cleaner, then scuff ***GENTLY*** with either very fine (800ish) sandpaper or fine steel wool. This will break open the surface layer slightly allowing the oil and eventually the die to penetrate. DO NOT scuff any stitching and mind any piping and edges. Once scuffed wipe down, lay on soffener again, leave overnight.

9) depending on how much the leather has absorbed, repeat the soffener application and overnight or not.

10) once you're 12hrs+ after your last soffener application, wipe down. Wear gloves. Give a gentle quick wipe with acetone to displace the soffener and aid dye penetration.

11) At this point, if you're going colour-on-colour, just spray with a spraygun/detailgun. I thin the dye about 10% with distilled water and use a cheap $50 detailgun. First coat should be light, successive can be heavier but should remain on the light side. You do not want FULL WET, you want a sheen. Remember to overlap, don't spray from the wrist, etc. Successive coats can be applied in fairly rapid succession, once the dye is dry to the touch you can reapply. 3-5 coats are sufficient.

11b) if you're changing colour instead (the karmesinrot seats used to be tan) you're better served by brushing on a couple of layers first to have a solid base with less dye waste. I am useless with a brush so my GF does this, she prefers the boar bristle brushes, others prefer the foam brushes. Crisscross patterns seem to help avoid streaking. Once you've done the brush coats, follow up with at least two spray coats for evenness and texture. Yes it is different, no it won't come out the same if you don't spray.

12) Once you have laid on the final coat, just walk away for 24 hours, 48 are better. Put the items in an area with low dust (obviously).

13) Now for the final touch, again Ms. Price doesn't recommend this but I do: **GENTLY** and **SPARINGLY** wipe down with saddlesoap to remove any eccess dye. Wipe clean with distilled water being careful never to saturate the leather with water. Small quantities and light hand.

14) Done? OK. Walk away again. Ideally, for a week. One day is the absolute minimum, two are a lot better. Heck, a month would be best.

15) Reassemble everything. Be aware that for the first 4 weeks, your finish is comparatively more delicate and you should avoid getting any water/cleaning product/what have you in contact with it.

16) every six months, wipe with Cetaphil then use Zymol Leather or Soffener as preferred. Remember to clean your car regularly in between. Enjoy for the next several years.

A few additions:

1) If you're doing vinyl (yes you can, dashes inclued), wash with a decent soap (I use Zymol clear personally, anything that isn't Tide will work) and scuff lightly to promote adhesion. Then, start with step 11/11b (brush or spray) and follow the others.

2) If your vinyl or leather has been treated with nasty silicone based products (Lexol, Armorall...), you have more of an adhesion problem and it's VERY hard to get rid of them. Wipe more thoroughly at the beginning, possibly subsituting Cetaphil with something more energetic. Solvents unfortunately do not affect silicones, so going wild with acetone or alcohol won't accomplish much.

3) the process above recommends 6+ Soffener passes. This is my recommendation for any E30 leather I have met. If you were dealing with a more recent car or one that was always stored inside, you could get away with less.

4) Colorplus has a product to fill in any leather cracks you may have (flex-fill). Do keep in mind that this is only necessary if there is a texture crack. 99% of the ones you see are cracks in the surface colouring that will vanish with the dye alone.

5) I'm here for any questions. If I forgot something, please let me know.

6) PS: I have no financial interest whatsoever in Colorplus, nor do I get kickbacks, I'm just a happy customer.

[GT BMW E30]

damn....brain got tired at 13. forget that. how much you charge? lol only joking nice writeup