Leather Recolouring Information
We do not show “before and after” pictures as these can be doctored or fictitious, please look on car club web sites for genuine customer photos.
This is a very popular practice pioneered by Connolly Brothers many years ago, it basically involves applying new coats of dye to a previously cleaned and prepared leather surface, we used the Connolly system ourselves in the 1970s and we soon noticed not just one, but many faults with the system.
The Connolly system first involved scrubbing the leather with an Ammonia based cleaner diluted with water. This stripped the leather of dirt and any remaining natural oils. When dry, the leather was rock hard and shrunk, plus our hands were in a similar state.
Then you applied a cellulose based dye, this made the leather even harder, and the cellulose solvent attacked the nylon in the stitching. Finally you had to “soften” the leather using Connolly “Hide Food”, a thick paste that was supposed to soften the leather. You had to leave it overnight to “work”, but it didn’t, we had to polish it off before handing it over to the customer, with the interior smelling of cellulose paint!
Connolly’s did bring out a water based dyes in the late 90’s, but the system was the same, it looked good for a few months then degenerated.
Why the Connolly system was not a “common sense” approach?
Firstly, you made it hard and dry with the cleaner. Then harder with a solvent based dye that weakened the already worn stitching. Finally you had to try to soften the leather with a thick paste that cannot penetrate the dye. The result was that the leather soon cracked and returned to a shabby state. The system was obviously badly flawed.
There are other systems still on the market. One is very similar to the Connolly system above but using a very thin water based dye. Many coats of dye then need to be applied to get satisfactory coverage. A “sealing paste” then has to be applied to prevent the dye transferring to clothing. Finally you have to try and soften the leather through the dye and sealant.
Another system, now widely advertised, involves cleaning and then stripping the leather using a very strong solvent, this is used to break down the original tannery finish to form a “key” for the dye. After dying a sealant is applied, again no attention is made to making the leather soft and supple beforehand, and nothing can penetrate the new dyes and sealants afterwards, we believe both these systems to be badly flawed.
All the above give a short term gain and a long term disaster.
GLIPTONE'S "system" developed in the early 90’s and is the complete reverse of all the competition, our system is based on common sense, it’s simple, it works and the final result lasts for years. Our dyes are used for the restoration of hundreds of classic cars every year, gallons of our safe dyes are used on commercial aircraft worldwide, we supply the leather service departments of all the major furniture retailers, plus independent technicians and auto trimmers. Our system is always being tested and recommended. If you don’t believe us please check out classic car club web sites for unedited independent comments from customers who have used it.
From the beginning we developed a water based system, this is safe to use and, as no part is flammable, it can be sent safely worldwide in the post. Secondly, we didn’t want our products to dry the leather out or weaken the stitching.Finally, we wanted a system that was easy, effective and looked original, not false or just painted and it must last for years.
How You Do It
We suggest you remove the seats from the vehicle - it makes the job easier in the long run, no drips on the trim or carpets.
Clean the leather using GT12 Cleaner using a finger nail brush, the brush is provided in the kit. This cleaner is very thick and contains glycerine, which softens as it cleans, this also impregnates the important stitching with a lubricant.
When happy with the cleaning, the Conditioner is applied to soften the leather further, (you needn’t wait for the leather to dry). If the leather is very dry and old, spend time applying further coats over several days until it’s very soft, this is very important for a long lasting finish.
Clean the leather again but lightly with the GT12 cleaner to remove any residue of Conditioner, leave to thoroughly dry, then wipe over all the leather and vinyl (if you are colouring the vinyl) with the Leather Degreasant, paying particular attention to the creases and stitching, leave for about 30 minutes to dry off or speed it up with a hair dryer.
The dye can now be applied, firstly rub undiluted dye by hand into the worn areas and creases, rub well in and leave to dry, apply the main coats by sponge, brush, mini roller or the best and most economical method, by spray gun (we can supply a “hobby” spray gun), these coats should be done with the dye diluted with water.
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT EACH COAT IS THOROUGHLY DRY BEFORE APPLYING THE NEXT.
All leather when new has a matt finish and all our dyes are supplied matt unless your sample is gloss (some furniture), but we do add to the kit a Gloss Enhancer, this you can mix with your last application of dye to give a shinier finish, it’s trial and error on your part to obtain the required shine. YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF THE FINISH, but don’t over do it, the leather will go shiny with use.
Why the Gliptone System is the
Sensible Approach
- Our system puts natural oils into the leather BEFORE it is dyed, just like the tannery did.
- Our system does not involve “washing” the leather with water or solvents, which will dry out the leather, shrink it and attack the stitching.
- Our system allows you to control the final finish.
- Our system does NOT involve a top coat sealant which if applied incorrectly can cause dye to transfer to clothing, our dye does not need a sealant.
- Our re-colouring kits come with our famous leather scented aroma cards, your car will smell of quality English leather, not paint!
We offer re dying/re-colouring kits in 3 sizes:
250ml Kit
Sufficient to re-dye the facings of 2 seats (not enough for a Rolls Royce).
Contents: 250ml Dye / 250ml GT12 & GT11 / 150ml Leather Degreasant, 65ml Gloss Enhancer / 1 x Cotton Cloth / 1 x Towelling Cloth / 1 x Nail Brush
1 x Small Leather Scented Air Freshener.
£54.50 - Click here to order from our shop
500ml Kit
This is sufficient to re-dye the facings of 4 average seats or a full 2 seater sports car. The kit comprises as above but with 100ml Gloss Enhancer.
£64.50 - Click here to order from our shop
1 Litre Kit
Sufficient for the full interior of an average large car, or a reasonable condition Rolls-Royce. The kit comprises as above but with 200ml Gloss Enhancer and a large under seat leather scented Aroma Pad.
£77.00 - Click here to order from our shop
We can supply 250ml and 500ml kits to an official manufacturers colour name, but if named incorrectly by you, we cannot accept returns. 1 Litre kits are made to sample only, we advise all customers ordering ANY kit to post a sample with car details, the larger the sample the better the colour match.
Changing Leather Colour or Re-colouring Badly Cracked Leather
The colour of leather can be changed but not from a dark colour to a light colour. This is because the dark colour will always try to show through. We advise that any colour change be of a similar vain, i.e, a light colour to another and likewise with a dark. Any colour can be changed to black.
Well Worn (or as we say "knackered) Leather
Many owners have leather that should be replaced but the car’s value makes it uneconomical, for this and colour changing we have “Flexicote” dyes. These have twice the pigment content of our standard dyes and never “dries”, they always remain flexible which means that when applied to a badly cracked leather they should not crack open (but there are limits). Flexicote needs a sealant applying over the dye to provide the dry finish, we supply a bottle of matt and gloss sealant, so that you can mix them together to attain any finish you desire.
IMPORTANT - Flexicote dyes only have a short shelf life of about 6 weeks. Scuffmaster dyes have a shelf life of about 3 years, both must not be allowed to freeze.
Prices for Flexicote dye kits are 1/3 more expensive than Scuffmaster and include sealants. The extra overseas postage costs are the same.
Leather dyed with Flexicote cannot be conditioned afterwards as it cannot penetrate the dye, however as long as you conditioned it well before applying the Flexicote, it will not need it, it’s sealed in. Leather dyed with Scuffmaster dyes can be conditioned after about 9 months of use.
Click here to view our Flexicote kit in our shop
Send your order and sample to:
Gliptone Leathercare Ltd
250 Halifax Road
Todmorden
West Yorkshire
OL14 5SQ
Please enclosed a filled out Car sample form or a Furniture sample form.
If you are posting part of the car like a headrest or small trim panel, send it by Recorded Post and we shall return it by the same or a similar secure method charging you the same as it cost you to post it to us.
We do not recommend that you send photographs in the post or email as it is impossible to achieve a match due to light reflection. Also, please do not email more than 2 photographs (ideally less than 60kb each) if requesting an opinion because of download times.
WANT SOMEONE TO DO THE JOB?
Even though our systems are extremely simply and do not need any previous experiance to provide a professional result, some customers may want someone to do the work for them, so we offer a free contact service.
Gliptone supplies dozens of leather technicians who should be able to rectify your leather problem if you feel that you cannot do it yourself. They are independant companies and businesses situated in most parts of the UK many are prepared to repair/renovate leather articles for our customers, they are not franchisees, they pay us no fees or refferal/commission charges, therefore they should be able to offer competitive prices, but may charge a call out or inspection fee.
If you would like one of them to contact you, please click here.
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