Shoe Polish to color leather?

[KenC]

So I'm picking up a pair of near-mint black leather vaders later today for a price that I couldn't refuse. On the drivers side bolster, there is a tiny bit of discoloration from wear/getting in and out. I was considering using shoe polish on it to bring it back to black. I figured I could buff it well enough after the application in order to get any possible residue off. Has anybody tried this?

[DarkWing6]

I've never tried it, but I would be too worried about it getting on my clothes. I think it would take a lot to buff it to the point of not rubbing off. It would also wear off somewhat quickly. You would end up reapplying it all the time.

Talk to an upholstry shop or some place like that about what dye they would recommend. It shouldn't be too hard to color match with black. That is gonna last longer too.

[MrK]

why don't you get that particular bolster removed and reskinned? Shouldn't cost you much.

[KenC]

why don't you get that particular bolster removed and reskinned? Shouldn't cost you much.

It's not in bad enough shape to be reupholstered. I'd say it's in 'near-mint' condition... I was just wanting to bring it to 'mint' status.

[hamann318is]

Ken, you could try Mink Oil. That's a little pre application that helps to restore leather. If I was going to do anything with shoe polish, I would try Mink Oil first. If you weren't going to sit in the seat for a while, I wouldn't feel too bad about throwing on some black shoe polish as well.

I was lame a while back and learned some tricks of the trade for polishing shoes.

[bimmer8604]

i used "black leather shoe dye" on my old seats. no problems with it coming off or anything. made the seats look a lot better, kinda colored some of the cracks. You can use the dye, just make sure you apply lightly, and buff really well. then do another coat, and repeat. Just get an old tshirt and buff the spot where you used the dye, and then let it sit for a while, then buff it again. shouldn't have any problems.

Kyle

[KenC]

Where did you get shoe dye?

[DanGillan]

should work, i used something similar on my sport seats before rob recovered them.

[StereoInstaller1]

I did the same. Only thing I would add is the gloss effect is not to my liking.
Next time I am gonna use a paste, seee if that works better.

I did a conditioner over the polish, never had any residue, ever.

Luke

[bimmer8604]

walmart, somethin like that for the leather dye. just the Kiwi stuff. i didnt think it left a glossy finish at all. looked good imo, couldnt even tell, and the seats looked 100x's better.

kyle

[StereoInstaller1]

my seats were so dry they were a fire hazard, so I used the cheapass liquid crap. It left a bit of gloss, and was blotchy.

Luke

[asubimmer]

what about w/ tan leather seats? would the black dye look like crap on it?

[KenC]

my seats were so dry they were a fire hazard, so I used the cheapass liquid crap. It left a bit of gloss, and was blotchy.

Luke

I have the paste in the round can. I'm going to give it a try on a small section of the seat tomorrow after I clean them. I'll post here with the results.

[KenC]

I have the paste in the round can. I'm going to give it a try on a small section of the seat tomorrow after I clean them. I'll post here with the results.

I cleaned them with some meguiers cleaner, and then used a bit of shoe polish on the side of the seat where there was a small scuff. I applied two coats of the paste polish and it looks much better now. The scuff is hardly noticeable. I'm still not totally sure if I'll use it on the portion of the seats that I make contact with as I wear white a lot and I don't want to chance any residue.

[92 mtechnic cabrio]

Ken, you could try Mink Oil. That's a little pre application that helps to restore leather. If I was going to do anything with shoe polish, I would try Mink Oil first. If you weren't going to sit in the seat for a while, I wouldn't feel too bad about throwing on some black shoe polish as well.

I was lame a while back and learned some tricks of the trade for polishing shoes.

two layers of kiwi regular black polish as normal
two layers of kiwi parade finish black polish as normal
hot fumes from a lit zippo lighter
dip t-shirt in ice-cold water, and polish as hard as you can before the wax dries (from the zippo lighter)

best shine ever.