Re dying leather - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Tony H · #1 10-10-2021, 04:27 PM

The leather Cognac interior in my coupe has assumed a light "Pumpkin" color as a result of fading and cleaning over the last 50 years. Leather is in great condition otherwise. I am (and have been over the years) thinking about re dying the interior. Old dye can easily by removed with lacquer thinner-I tried a hidden area and the old color comes off no problem. Any one have actual experience with a product or line to re dye my interior? Lots on the net and they all say they are the best of course. This will be a large undertaking and I want to do it right. Interior is all out so a good time to do it.

rumb · #2 10-10-2021, 05:12 PM

I've had excellent results with Leatherique dyes.

subforry · #3 10-14-2021, 12:06 PM

I have had excellent results with VHT on vinyl. I have some dye from Wold Upholstery, but have not used it yet. They will have the correct color. I think the current dyes are really good. I am not sure you need to remove any old dye. You do have to clean the surface to remove oils, silicon, and dirt.

Frank Reiner · #4 10-14-2021, 08:03 PM

Tony:
Both Leatherique and Leather Magic have excellent products. Leather Magic (LM) has a good on-line video that illustrates the steps to re-color leather. They will both emphasize that leather used for upholstery is not "dyed", rather it is coated on the surface, i.e., painted. The LM video shows the cleaning and scuffing to prepare the surface for re-coating. LM would like you to purchase their "prep solvent". It is a 28% solution of denatured alcohol (ethanol with 1% methanol) in water. Go get a bottle of the cheapest vodka you can find; 40% ethanol.

Tony H · #5 10-16-2021, 02:00 AM

I'm aware the surface color is "paint" and it comes off easily with solvent. No wonder the color fades with cleaning. I have used Leatherique in the past and did not get the results I was hoping for but their "dye" seems like a good product. I don't want to use a product that requires a clear coat-I think it's going to look painted.
I already have a bottle of the cheapest Vodka I could find.

BWhitmore · #6 10-16-2021, 08:58 AM

I have a lot of very good experience with a company named Color Plus in Palmyra, PA. They sell dyes that are a perfect match to original Mercedes colors and will also match a color sample that you send them. Their dyes are water based, are easy to apply (spray or soft bristle brush) and are very durable. The owner of the company is Diane and they do have a website.

berfinroy · #7 10-16-2021, 02:15 PM

I think a point is being missed here with respect to the unique original Roser Cognac; The darker dappling that gives that leather its unique character was stencil died on top of the underlying lighter color. And the darker color will wear off in places subject to higher frictional wear-like the driver's side bolsters.
Roser is not in business anymore and no modern leather maker does it this way, probably because of the above noted shortcomings of the process. And no known spray on die process can duplicate it without employing some sort of compatible stencil, and frankly I can't see how would work well in a non factory setting, especially with in place seating.

Tony H · #8 10-16-2021, 08:46 PM

I know exactly what you are mentioning-I have the same condition.
I did see a restored car that they achieved the "stencil" and I doubt it could be duplicated on existing surfaces that are not flat so I am consigned to just having the base color. I might go a little darker since it won't have the "stencil" which darkens the color. There was a 3.5 Coupe that sold on BAT recently that had the stencil intact and it looked like original interior.
Not sure how they protected it all these years-it is pretty fragile.
On a hidden area of mine that was still intact 1 wipe with lacquer thinner took it off.

Quote:

Originally Posted by berfinroy

I think a point is being missed here with respect to the unique original Roser Cognac; The darker dappling that gives that leather its unique character was stencil died on top of the underlying lighter color. And the darker color will wear off in places subject to higher frictional wear-like the driver's side bolsters.
Roser is not in business anymore and no modern leather maker does it this way, probably because of the above noted shortcomings of the process. And no known spray on die process can duplicate it without employing some sort of compatible stencil, and frankly I can't see how would work well in a non factory setting, especially with in place seating.

berfinroy · #9 10-18-2021, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tony H

I know exactly what you are mentioning-I have the same condition.
I did see a restored car that they achieved the "stencil" and I doubt it could be duplicated on existing surfaces that are not flat so I am consigned to just having the base color. I might go a little darker since it won't have the "stencil" which darkens the color. There was a 3.5 Coupe that sold on BAT recently that had the stencil intact and it looked like original interior.
Not sure how they protected it all these years-it is pretty fragile.
On a hidden area of mine that was still intact 1 wipe with lacquer thinner took it off.

Yikes! I didn't know it was THAT fragile!
Some years ago I seem to recall seeing a 280SL with very realistic cognac and was told it was a high quality vinyl product. If memory serves. Which it may not.
Although the front seats on my low mileage [77,000] 1973 300SEL are pretty good, I have kept sheepskin seat covers on them since I bought it 15 years ago to protect them from further abrasion deterioration.

BWhitmore · #10 10-18-2021, 11:18 AM

Several years ago I re upholstered the seats in my 1971 280SE 3.5 coupe with Cognac interior. I used an auto upholstery company named Hilborn Auto Upholstery who was able to acquire the original leather material in cognac. They were located in Southern California. I have no idea if they are still in business. It was expensive.

Tony H · #11 10-18-2021, 01:10 PM

Yea my leather is in good condition other than the color. There were sheepskins on the seats when I bought it but I took them off. I'm not concerned with total originality and might go darker than the original Cognac. I would like the patina to show through whatever product I use. I think hand application vs spraying will show more patina.

BWhitmore · #12 10-18-2021, 07:57 PM

The Color Plus dyes will not show the original patina through the new dye. The water based dyes provide an original full cover dye for either vinyl or leather.

Idle · #13 10-18-2021, 08:41 PM

I had this problem on a Oldsmobile 98 I was restoring. Only it was the original black of the carpet area on the doors.

I went to a place that reconditioned used cars and they gave me the old 'We don't work on private cars' until I asked them to charge a private car price. So they whipped out a small paint gun and suddenly everything looked new. And it stayed that way for about twenty years.

Detail shops are now a thing so you might run this by one of them and see what they do with one seat. They may even be willing to sell you the paint or whatever you will need to do the job correctly.

They do this sort of thing everyday, so let a professional guide you through the first seat.