Leather Steering Wheel Repair

judyb said:
Fat liquors are put into the leather during the retanning process and are designed to keep the leather flexible and supple. Along with fat liquors the other important factor is the level of moisture that the leather has.

Fat liquors do not need to be replaced in leather as in modern day tanning processes they are sealed in and do not migrate or dry out. This has been verified many times by tanners and leather technologists. It is also impossible to re fat liquor leather by simply adding a product through the surface. What dries out is the moisture in the leather.



On most auto leathers we are only ever dealing with the surface coating and what causes this to break down is dirt and abrasion. Once the coating has begun to crack it needs replacing to stop it cracking further. The earlier this is done the longer the leather will last. Adding products to the leather will not help and in some cases can make the matter worse.



On auto leather it is the surface coating that cracks and not the leather.



Hope this helps

Judyb



I'm in agreement with the above





[Fat liquor is not volatile nor migratory, so leather is not going to lose it. However, along with the fat liquor, the other critical factor is moisture. Any leather is going to lose its moisture in a hot car. Although leather seems dry, it is not. Of course too much moisture quickly leads to mould and mildew problems, so soaking it down is not reasonable. Ideally, exposure to humid atmosphere will help balance the effect of over drying on hot days.

Leather is very dynamic with respect to moisture content, meaning moisture comes and goes easily under normal circumstances....]
American Leather Chemists Association (ALCA)



Fat liquoring; all cowhides are naturally oily, unfortunately, these natural oils are stripped away in the tanning process (tanning is a process using a water vat and chromium salts to preserve hides and prepare them to absorb dyes) and some equivalent oils must be re-introduced after tanning.



This step, the replacement of oils, is called fat liquoring. Many leather products market themselves on how they feed or condition leather. In fact most vehicles leather seats are first coated with a very fine emulsion (pigmentation) to give them the desired colour and then a clear urethane coating. So for best longevity you should be keeping that coating clean, hydrated (water will permeate urethane due to its small molecules (as in a water vapour) and as well protected as possible.
 
capt512 said:
It is past the point of conditioning and cleaning, however I am now trying to find the next best option.

]





Visual Picture Inspection:

Notice the damage facing; it’s unlikely caused by direct heat from the sun but rather from the palms of the driver’s sweaty hand.

Sweat contains traces of urea and when fermented by the natural bacteria from the atmosphere shift alkaline.

Leather is acidic between pH 3 – 5.

Alkalinity contamination causes the protein fibers to shift ionic negative which then breaks bond with the negative fatliquor (like poles repels just like magnets).

With diminishing fatliquor, the leather fibers lose its lubrication and shrink simultaneously is the likely simple explanation of what’s happened as picture of the steering wheel shows.



Decontamination:

Decontamination recommended is a 2 in-1 process using a pH 2.2 degreaser both to remove penetrated body oils and charging the leather protein fibers below its iso-electric point positive. This acidification process will return the leather to its neutral pH chemistry integrity, follows with a pH 3.0 rinse.



Leather Rejuvenation with Hydrating and Fatliquoring:

The process of leather rejuvenation comes first with a pH 3.3 hydrator thereafter follows with a pH 5.0 fatliquor. The preconditioning of the leather structure serves few purposes: a) to further wicks up suspended foreign soiling particulates, b) to relax stiff and crushed leather fibrils, c) to swells and plumps the leather structure separating the stick together fibers – thus closing up the gaps of the cracks, d) reduces interfacial tension, e) to further charges the protein fibrils positive to hydrogen-bond with the negative pH 5.0 fatliquor. This pH 5.0 fatliquor is a water-based emulsion, where the charged fats and oils are water encased to penetrate where ever the hydrator has preconditioned it. When hydrogen-bonding takes place, the water is break-free leaving behind breathing pores for transpiration unlike stuffing oils that suffocates it. This lubricating of the leather fibrils allows the fibers to slide over one another smoothly to gives the characteristic suppleness of leather with increase strength.



The above are important steps prior to the next phases of repairs.



Structural Repairs:

Impregnating weak and crack fibrils below surface main purpose is to seal, strengthen and leveling out uneven absorption to improve abrasion resistance, for a strong foundation for further filling repairs.



Filling Repairs:

The basic step of filing repairs is to use leather stucco and they are mainly acrylic compound of a whitish paste. An advance technique is to mix it up with leather bond to give added flexibility and pigment color to reduce build-up of the surface repairs.



The next phase is Refinishing in 3 steps:

An adhesion coating is first applied, follows with color coating and ends with a luster matching topcoat.



Non-Stick Rub Resistant Protector:

A non-slip draggy feel protector is recommended.



This brief information is to ensure you that although the steering wheel damage is “past the point of conditioning and cleaning”. It is also the cleaning and conditioning that is the foundation of a holistic repair.



I suggest that the above sequence of process is easily accomplished by oneself, perhaps leave the refinishing to a pro with better equipment to accomplish a professional finish.



Routine Maintenance:

Use a pH 3.0 rinse to routinely neutralize the leather surface from “sweat” with simply spray and towel extract.



You may not see what you see for many years to come...with a maintenance routine in place!



What do you think?



Roger Koh

info@leatherdoctor.com
 
Leather covered steering wheel:



Steering wheels have an extra coating of protective finish on the already finished or coated leather. Perspiration and dirt are absorbed readily into the dry leather, and combined with the ultra violet (UV-B) radiation of the sun a chemical reaction occurs that degrades the finished leather. All of us have seen this wear on steering wheels



Using leather oil-based conditioners on finished leather may cause delamination from the leather substrate. As the oils will permeate the leather via the stitching or any micro-cracks in the surface, once oil gets between the urethane and the substrate it causes loss of adhesion (See also Oil and Oil based Products)



Most manufacturer’s advice against using oil-based conditioners on steering wheels as it makes the surface slippery and could be dangerous if you lose control of the vehicles steering



1. Clean the wheel’s leather surface with a leather cleaner (Leather Masters™ Strong Effect Cleaner ) or a Limonen (citrus) based de-greaser (P21S Total Auto Wash) diluted 5:1 with warm distilled water in a spray bottle; dependant upon type and extent of soil or stain

2. For oil or grease stains use Leather Masters™ Leather Degreaser (check for colour fastness) this aerosol product is ideal for cleaning this type of stain as it dissolves the oils and transforms them into a powder that is more absorbent than the leather.

This powder is what is wiped off, cleaning and degreasing the leather. Allow the white powder to dry fully. If the powder is drying to a yellow colour, it means that there are still a lot of oils in the leather.



Using a Medium / hard horse hair brush, or a soft sponge, spray and work the cleaner into a foam, lightly scrub surface and immediately wipe with a terry towel to remove excess moisture, especially around stitching (you may need to repeat this process).

3. Then use a compressed air nozzle to dry

4. Once wheel is thoroughly dry apply Leather Masters™ Leather Protection
 
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