The Leather Seat Project PT 5

["Richard F. Viehdorfer" <viehdorfer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The front seats, after having been cleaned and prepped thoroughly, were
allowed to dry for about six hours, or overnight, on my dining room table.
This afforded me a well-lit, heated and stable work environment. It also
allowed me to move freely around the seat while doing the dye job. This is
something that should NOT be done in the car!
A note of caution: Eye protection and rubber gloves are called for during all
phases of this project. While the products don't appear to be particularly
hazardous, they do tend to dry out ones finger if you are rubbing the product
into the leather. I am specifically referring to the prep agent (soapy window
cleaner). And eye protection is just a natural defensive measure when doing
anything out of the ordinary.
The dye comes in a 32 ounce plastic container. It is NOT the color of your
seats! My dye was much brighter, almost vermilion; quite vibrant. It had a
slight ammonia like odor too it, not unlike some paints or dyes I have used
other places. It did require thorough mixing, as there was much settling of
solids on the bottom. I shook the container and  divided it into two separate
glass containers with wide mouth lids. I was able to mix the contents
sufficiently that I did not get hardly any residue left in the plastic bottle.
I then remixed the contents of both jars until I felt I had the same
consistency. I sealed the first jar with plastic wrap and re-capped it, and
used the first jar to start.
I had purchased medium quality brushes, a small cheap detail brush 1/4" and a
1 1/2" of better quality. Don't do this. I threw away the 1/4" brush almost
immediately - didn't work. Buy that expensive one over there, the one that is
for both oil and latex, maybe with feathered edges. The best quality synthetic
brush you can get your hands on. It probably won't lose bristles in your
finished work, and it will be better made. Start with a 1 1/2" model, and
maybe buy an additional 1 incher. I did and it seemed to work better. Buy some
isopropyl alcohol if you haven't already, as well. It works as a solvent if
you need to remove dye before it sets up.
I removed everything that I could from the seat: the plastic covers over the
seat ends, the rails at the seat bottom, the armrest, and the side covers that
run above the seat joint covers. It's obvious; take your time and you will see
what I mean. Remember that I also had removed the seat back by removing the
two phillips crews from the bottom of the seat back and pulling down sharply
on the cover. The back was exposed while I redyed everything.
The seatback I did first. I had removed the frame and the netting from the
seat pocket (three screws hold it in back) and set it aside. I just randomly
brushed a quantity of dye straight from the jar right on the surface. Using
the 1 1/2" brush to start, I medium loaded the brush and continued randomly
brushing, in all direction, until I felt I had a solid but 'thin' coat of dye.
Once that was done, I set it aside. I didn't feather it, blend it, do the
edges, or pre-spot anything. I set it upstairs in my spare bathroom (good
thing I'm single) and let it dry overnight. As this was my test piece, I
waited until morning to proceed.
In the morning I looked at the seat back. It was perfect.. not a mark,
perfectly smooth (this dye is self-leveling) perfect color (matched the door
panels to a tee) and awesome to behold. Just the right amount of semi-gloss.
At that point I headed downstairs to do the seat itself. Starting with the
piping and the seams I layed in an initial coat, and then, as before, randomly
brushed a light to medium coat on, without working the dye too much. Once it
was on, I brushed to eliminate any obvious brush-stroking, and let it dry. The
results were the same as the seat back - the cracks were gone, new color
everywhere. I was most concerned about the bottom seat cushion. I will admit
that there was a slight texture and gloss difference in some areas; this was
due to remnants of crack filler being left on ( I should have sanded more).
But it was not objectionable, and to the naked eye momentarily gazing at the
seat cushion, completely acceptable. In places, I used two coats: The seat
bottom, and the seat cushion upright (the front of the seat back). Once
finished,I set it aside to dry thoroughly. They are dry to the touch within 15
minutes, but still soft (un-cured).
I did the passenger seat first, and followed with the drivers seat. I dyed all
the leather surfaces. Once they were done drying ( about 48 hours) I
re-installed them in the car. It was cold here for a day or two after I put
them in; after a warm day or two, I rubbed out the dye with a soft cloth, and
applied the prestine clean to all the newly dyed surfaces.
All I can say is... awesome. Simply beautiful. And the most wonderful thing of
all is the return of the leather smell! The car doesn't smell funky anymore.

Since I was concerned about the back seats being more difficult, I did some
additional research to try to cut my prep time down before I tackled them.
More about that in my next post....

Rick Viehdorfer
(... in a backless E28)

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