Leather Conditioners Evaporating

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imported_DetailDan

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I was reading another thread about leather conditioners and there was some discussion about how they absorb, or don't absorb into leather. It was suggested that they actually just evaporate. I wasn't too sure I believed this, but as I was reading it I thought of a short experiment to test this. Heres what happened....



First, I grabbed a piece of glass and cleaned it with alcohol. Then applied a drop of Pinnacle Leather Conditioner

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I put my finger in a plastic bag and rubbed the conditioner around for about 20 seconds. By the time I went to take the picture it had already started evaporating.

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Here it is after sitting for only 1 min. Pretty big difference there.

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After 2 min.

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And after 3 min. As you can see its pretty much all gone, but left a VERY faint residue behind.

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So I tried it again, but this time I used Leather Master's Leather Vital. Again, I cleaned the glass with alcohol. And applied a drop of LM.

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Spread it around for about 20 sec.

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After 1 min.

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After 2 min.

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After 3 min.

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After 4 min. As you can see, LM did not evaporate nearly as fast or as much as Pinnacle. I rubbed the remaining residue with my finger still inside the bag and the residue was very sticky.

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As you can see, leather conditioners do evaporate rather quickly. I also think they evaporate MUCH faster when you're using them on actual leather. So there isn't much time for them to absorb into the leather either way. I still wonder why the leather feels softer and usually has a darker appearance after applying a conditioner? Id imagine some of it must get absorbed and the rest really does just evaporate.



Oh, and hopefully this was a good experiment and actually shows something worth while. If not, then dont be too harsh, its 4am. :faint:
 
I just did a conditioning treatment of my baseball glove using Lexol leather conditioner. I have had this glove since 1978 (back in my softball league days). The conditioner soaked right in, and I applied a second coat of it, which also got absorbed. I do this every year.



Of course, there is a vast d difference between a baseball glove and a car interior seating surfaces! ;)



It depends if the leather is dyed right through or if it sprayed on and coated. Leather that is dyed right through would absorb a conditoner more readily than one that was sprayed and coated.





Posting at 4:00AM? Are you suffering from Detailer's insomnia? ;) :grinno:
 
In both of those, it looks like there's still a clear, greasy film left behind. Am I wrong? I'm sure there's water and/or solvents in there that evaporate, but I don't think it all evaporates.
 
wfedwar said:
In both of those, it looks like there's still a clear, greasy film left behind. Am I wrong? I'm sure there's water and/or solvents in there that evaporate, but I don't think it all evaporates.
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No, you're not wrong, and I mentioned the residue left behind. However, Id say about 95% of it did evaporate. And as you can see in the pictures after simply spreading the conditioner around, there was a good amount for that small 4"x4" section of glass. When I condition leather, an amount like that covers more then a 4"x4" surface. That makes me believe it will evaporate even faster, and even less residue will be left behind.



Also, the residue that was still there after 4 min. from LM was very sticky. Something you would not want left behind from a conditioner. So again, it would be spread on a larger surface, thus evaporating faster and leaving less residue.
 
I'd love to see this test with some leatherique. Maybe I'll do it - I've generally had "ok" experiences with what I consider maintenance leather conditioners (pinnacle, megs, zaino, lexol, etc...), but with leatherique the results are always quite noticeable. Of course the method is a lot more involved.
 
Picus said:
I'd love to see this test with some leatherique. Maybe I'll do it - I've generally had "ok" experiences with what I consider maintenance leather conditioners (pinnacle, megs, zaino, lexol, etc...), but with leatherique the results are always quite noticeable. Of course the method is a lot more involved.
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I encourage everyone to try it so they can see whats happening for themselves. My guess would be that leatherique does not evaporate nearly as quick as Pinnacle. Thus more time to absorb and better results. At least thats what happened with LM, which I believe is a higher quality conditioner compared to Pinnacle.



Unfortunately, I dont own any Leatherique.
 
The problem is that the residues left behind on the surface aare what ttract more dirt and oils which break down the finish - hence the reason for not using a conditioner but protecting instead.
 
judyb said:
The problem is that the residues left behind on the surface aare what ttract more dirt and oils which break down the finish - hence the reason for not using a conditioner but protecting instead.
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Right, same thing happens when you dont extract carpets after cleaning them with chemicals. They become more prone to soiling. However, I assume people will go over the leather again with a clean towel to wipe off any remaining residue.
 
judyb said:
The problem is that the residues left behind on the surface aare what ttract more dirt and oils which break down the finish - hence the reason for not using a conditioner but protecting instead.
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Well, virtually everything you can buy is a "conditioner". What product do you recommend instead?
 
D&D Auto Detail said:
Right, same thing happens when you dont extract carpets after cleaning them with chemicals. They become more prone to soiling. However, I assume people will go over the leather again with a clean towel to wipe off any remaining residue.
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That's the beauty of Pristine Clean.....



The surface is cleaned after the Leatherique Rejuvenator is absorbed into the leather....
 
Dave1 said:
That's the beauty of Pristine Clean.....



The surface is cleaned after the Leatherique Rejuvenator is absorbed into the leather....
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Along with the grime and muck on the surface? That doesn't sound terribly logical.
 
wfedwar said:
Well, virtually everything you can buy is a "conditioner". What product do you recommend instead?
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Plenty of protectants out there. 303 Aerospace is one of them. :) Works fine on leather, vinyl, rubber etc.
 
Mindflux said:
Along with the grime and muck on the surface? That doesn't sound terribly logical.
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Yeah, its like waxing, then polishing. Im not going to knock it because I haven't tried it. Just sounds backwards from what we're probably use to doing. But thats a different conversation.
 
To answer the "logical" part stated earlier.



With Leatherique you vacuum to remove loose dirt then apply the Rejuvinator oil which is absorbed into the leather. The main purpose here is to restore suppleness to dried leather but the process also loosens dirt and in the process what oil remains on the surface is like a dirty scum which is removed when wiping down with the Prestine Clean. When you actually use it, it makes sense and works great.
 
Thanks for the experiment D&D. I didn't realize there was that much evaporation. Without being a chemist hard to say why. I know when you get into solvents and alcohol you get accelerated evaporation, but those wouldn't be in those formulas. But come to think of it I've mopped a few floors that were evaporating by the time I got to the next room.



I still don't think it proves all conditioners necessarily leave a harmful residue. (I know you weren't saying that) After all, if they are drying too fast, you can just slightly dampen the applicator, like you might with a paste wax. But usually you buff them out before that happens.
 
kilodawg said:
To answer the "logical" part stated earlier.



With Leatherique you vacuum to remove loose dirt then apply the Rejuvinator oil which is absorbed into the leather. The main purpose here is to restore suppleness to dried leather but the process also loosens dirt and in the process what oil remains on the surface is like a dirty scum which is removed when wiping down with the Prestine Clean. When you actually use it, it makes sense and works great.
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Sorry. I don't buy it.



You apply the rejuvinator to your dirty seats.. and while it's 'soaking in' the Rejuvinator is also soaking up dirt and oils from your body and depositing them right into your leather.



I know that a lot of folks like leatherique and praise it. I've yet to try it myself so this is just what I think about it. I guess one could always pre-clean the seats if it bothers them (ie me) so much.
 
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