Leatherique Color???

typically you send leatherique a small sample and they color match it

 

I'm having my tan interior re-dyed right now and the leather guy said he has seen many different shades of Ferrari tan pass through his hands. From his experience there's no typical tan.

 

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you might cutt off a small piece from under your seat - that is the place where your tan color is probably the most original

 

Here is the issue with taking a leather sample ... if you send them a sample of leather from under the seat they will do an expert match, but it will not look the same as the rest of the interior as your interior has a patina on it... so unles you are doing a complete trim redye ... try to get them to match the color with a hi res photo or tint it to match.

I use leatherique - love the products & its a high quality product.

 

Agree. This is a problem with re-dyeing vintage leather.

Before I bought my (now ex) 328, the interior was ruined by re-dyeing, and I'm 99 percent certain it was Leatherique. Looked like absolute painted-on garbage. I don't know who did it, but obviously it was a DIY job. A previous owner mentioned Leatherique, which is why I think this was the product used.

If you don't know how to refurbish leather, get a professional to do it.
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There's another way: A good shoe repair shop can mix up leather dye to match whatever sample you bring in. The dye can be sprayed or painted on with a brush. Remove the seats and whatever else you want to re-dye, remove anything you don't want to dye (trim, hardware, etc.) and working on a clean table, the surface is prepared as follows: clean the surface with lacquer thinner (not paint thinner) using a soft rag, not soaking the leather but cleaning it carefully. Let it dry, then carefully brush or spray on the dye in thin, even coats, like three coats or so, not heavy coats. Let the dye dry between coats, this usually takes a few hours or overnight. After the leather is dry, you will probably see some uneven surface appearance here & there (different gloss) which is taken care of using Lexol; just use a soft rag to wipe in the Lexol, wipe it dry; a couple of applications might be needed. When it's dry the leather will look good!

Please note that this is a surface treatment,which of course is never as good as the original finish of the leather, but if you take care of the leather it should last a while.

The above treatment process was explained to me by a very experienced upholsterer, who does a lot of restoration work. I followed his instructions and it came out very well!

Re brush vs. spray: Many hardware stores (like Home Depot) sell a small spray bottle kit (about $5!) that can be used to spray the dye, but in my experience the dye is too thick to use the small plastic filter screen on the end of the pickup tube, so I left it off. Be sure to mix the dye very, very well, no lumps that will clog the sprayer. Otherwise just brush it on, and wipe of the excess. It helps to have the surface being dyed flat.

For myself, I chose a darker tan color than original.

However you do it, best of luck!

Cheers,
Rich

 

Well, I've done my seats before in two cars - once with out Leatherique and 2x with and the results have been great - not by my standards but by peoples reaction to - wow your seats look great... kind of thing.


its never going to be new looking - but if you use proper prep and take your time, they will come out great. The hardest part is to go slow and be methodical. sanding down the old dye, and using the prepping agent takes time ... but I've found it to be a great solution.

the stitching is the stumbling block - you will most likely go over the stitching and you have to be careful to not build up "gunk" in the stitching.... I like the scumbling method - painting leaves marks, and airbrushing takes FOR EVER... you have to build up layers just like the old masters did when painting.

 

Typical gtsi tan = Ferrari Beige = Connolly Saddle 3218 = Leatherique 2111255.

Best...Jim

 

An 8 oz bottle is more than enough and you'll have extra for touchups years later...

See this: http://www.leatherique.com/do_it_your_self_instruction/ferrari-re-dye-by-mike-char.html

Here's pictures of the completed job: http://www.tradetutor.com/photos/interior/