November 7th, 2009Leather Care
Author: Jake Berlin
Source: articleage.com
Leather Care
When buying leather, the best thing you can do is ask the people
who you buy it from, what the manufacturer recommends for
leather care and cleaning. Don’t forget to ask what other
products may work well for leather care too, as there may be
something you’re more comfortable using. Also ask what the
product does to and for the leather.
While still alive, leather on the animal, fish, or fowl is
maintained in situ. (It’s their skin) The oils that keep leather
conditioned and help remove dirt and grime from the skin of the
animal are produced naturally by their body.
Once leather is processed, these “living” components cease to
exist although they do retain many of their physical
characteristics such as leather’s porous nature and chemical
reactivity. Leather is naturally acidic so anything alkaline is
bad. For proper leather care, you want to mimic some of these
natural processes. If you sift through all of the mythology,
home recipes, and good ol’ folk lore about leather care, you are
left with the two basic tasks that all those natural processes
accomplished: cleaning and conditioning.
Any leather care enthusiast will tell you that an ounce of
prevention is worth a pound of cure, and if you want to protect
your investment keep it in top form. Leather care is relatively
easy but you need to be consistent. Leather can be restored, but
regular maintenance is highly recommended. If cared for
properly, your leather will last and stay in good shape for
years.
You want to know the type of leather you have, as well as the
way it was processed during tanning. For example, were any
anti-mold finishes applied or was a sealant used, and how was it
colored, if it was. Keep in mind that aniline, suede, and nubuck
are not as robust as pigmented leather because they do not
usually have a protective surface coating.
Pigmented leather is the most durable, full grain pigmented
leather has intact grain, and corrected grain pigmented leather
refers to whether or not the leather has been sanded to remove
imperfections.
Aniline
This top-grain or full-top grain leather is not pigmented, just
dyed whereas semi-aniline treatments combine pigment with dye,
usually to even out the grain because the leather has some
imperfections. The result is that the leather has a more
consistent color and some stain resistance qualities.
If you lightly scratch the surface of aniline, it will turn a
lighter color. Some nubuck leather will do the same thing. To
correct the problem, wet your finger lightly and rub it into the
leather. It should darken slightly, but dry the same color.
Antiqued / Marbled / Two-Tone
A second pigment may be rubbed over the original pigment to give
the leather an aged or antique appearance.
Nubuck
This is aniline leather that has been brushed to give it the
texture of velvet. In fact, nubuck is often mistaken for suede.
Nubuck is stronger because it is brushed on the grain side,
which is the side where the animal’s hair was, where suede is
made from the flesh side. If you apply the wet finger test to
nubuck, it will darken slightly and dry darker so be sure if you
do this that it is done in an inconspicuous area.
Pull-Up
Pull-up, also referred to as waxy or oil pull-up is leather that
lightens in color when stretched during wearing, creating a
broken-in appearance.
Suede
Suede leather is made from the fleshy side of hide. For leather
care of suede, it is important you make sure any product you use
won’t damage it. Find out as much as you can about the active
ingredients in the products you buy and the action involved. You
might want to bring your jacket with you or a swatch if you can,
and ask what would work best for it.
If you schedule leather care and cleaning you won’t end up with
a jacket that looks like someones cast off. I suggest scheduling
a cleaning at least once a year or so. (Mark it in your
daytimer)