DIY Leather Repair Success

[RSBob]

For the economically minded... Giving a shout out to Magic Mender for a real transformation of the diver seat back side bolsters. Their all inclusive kit is all I used. Am doing a color change from beige to cork throughout because beige is soooooo beige. Also changing carpet to dark reddish brown to match dash and trim.

Am happy with the result and the two hours it took. But it is far from perfect since I was freezing my aspirin off I rushed. There is a vid on YouTube of the process.



http://www.leatherrepairkits.com/auto-colors/

I will no doubt redo it in the summer but for now it is good enough. Besides, if it has the word Magic or Miracle n the title.... but they get great reviews and I used their product on dash and trim and it looks and wears great.

[KNS]

Nice work!

[DaveMcKenz]

Hi Bob,
Those look great. What was your prep? Did you use filler?
Good luck,
Dave

[RSBob]

Prep involved using the cleaner fluid they provided on a rag and wipe down the area plus 2" surrounding the target. Then lightly sand using the sand paper they provided. Use the cleaner fluid again then use their filler and smooth it out as best as possible. As you can see I missed three creases which I will return and fill. You can lightly sand or use an alcohol wipe to remove any bumps. Then paint, using their sponge the dye and either let dry or use a hair drier, which takes about 2 mins. Then again using the sponge, dab the dye in a random pattern until covered. You may need to do this twice. Their reviews rave and the filler is supposedly flexible and completely bonds to the leather. Time will tell.

Since this was my first attempt, I'm sure my skills will progress to making the repair invisible.

Oh, Mask anything you don't want dyed or keep water and a rag handy since that can be used to wipe away any dye not completely dried.

[914Ravi911]

Looks great and unbelievable. Need to order some now.

[DaveMcKenz]

Hi guys,
I have quite a bit of experience with this. That's the reason I asked Bob about the prep and filler. I think his approach is fine for areas of minimal damage, and not exposed to flexion and abrasion. The bolsters on the seat and back, however, are a different story. I have found that a more aggressive prep is needed here. I use acetone and steel wool to remove all old finish. Often it's the finish that is cracked and not the actual leather. You can mask off surrounding areas. When done several times, you can then see what cracks really remain. Most will be gone, and you will only see a crease or wrinkle where they once were. Use a minimal amount of filler on any remaining, knowing that filler may not be very durable. It may fill a crack, but it may let go from the sides of the crack, thus giving you a crack again. I have found the sponge application gives a nice finish, without the need for spray equipment. I have had success with Leatherique product, but the principles are the same here.
Good luck,
Dave
PS I seem to have deleted my pictures of seats in progress, but they will look a lot worse after stripping with acetone, before they look a lot better finished.

[Avanti]

+1 ^^^ on Dave's comment.

Bob, great job on your first attempt. I teach classes on auto reconditioning and find the most common mistake beginners make is applying too much color. This is easy to do too when using a foam brush or dauber. An airbrush works best and for those not looking to invest much, those Preval spray units available at Home Depot can work well. This is a simple repair process, however many details must be adhered to.

Paul

[al lkosmal]

That turned out great rick...................and cork is a good choice.

regards,
al

[Paulporsche]

Odd. For some reason "cork"doesn't come up under the Porsche 911 part of their color chart...

[RSBob]

Cork is # 918. Auto Color Chart | Magic Mender® | Leather Repair KitMagic Mender®

Scroll until you see the color swatches