yes roger, not brilliant ones, give us your email and i'll send them too ya.
Thanks for sending me the pictures!
The leather type is a gloss aniline finish type – need to know whether it is a wax pull-up by going to hidden unused area and try pulling or stretching it to see if it lighten up; and confirm when warm heat from hair dryer will revert it back to its original.
The blood stain was originally larger as we still can see the darker ring marks, leaving the seam area still showing the concentration of where the blood stains has pooled.
At this point, it is good to know the history especially what have been used to attempt removing it.
Since this is a high-end aniline leather, it is still worth the while to salvage the problem and returning to a pleasing appearance.
Leather Blood Stain Removal:
This specialty stain removal process involves the use of leather protein stain remover like d’Protein-11.0 or equivalent with a high pH of 11.0. This high pH product works by penetration, lubrication and suspension of the stain and swell the protein fiber at the same time to deflocculate the protein coagulation.
Technique to work it out is to drip with an eye dropper; agitate with a spatula and extract with cotton swab – this is repeatedly done genteelly with patience and consistency – until it is completely done.
The next step is to neutralize the high alkalinity of 11.0 (if left there will eventually wrack the leather from stiffness to cracking) with a low acid pH of 1.3. This d’Tarnish-1.3 besides neutralizing the alkalinity does the effect of “acid bleaching” the iron component of the blood. This will reduce the browning or rusty rings that we see even now.
Leather Rejuvenating:
Much of the cleaning may have also removed the original fatliquor (one way to determine the effect of fatliquor lost is to feel (by hand) the suppleness of the leather; comparing the dried stain areas with the unused hidden area). This phase of leather rejuvenation is to restore its suppleness by hydrating and relaxing the leather fibrils that becomes stick together that result in the stiffness with a pH 3.3 Hydrator-3.3; thereafter follows with Fatliquor-5.0, "the life-blood of leather" to return the leather suppleness when it’s completely dry.
Leather Secondary Fashion Rejuvenating:
If it is the wax pull-up, then Wax Effect-8.6 is to be applied to the entire section or rather the entire cleaned surface to produce an even pleasing appearance. There are two functions to this fashion rejuvenating; first is to restore the pull-up effect and second is to produce the typical waxy sheen activated after a cloudy waxy residue is form by heat.
Leather Rub-resistant, Non-stick Protection:
Finally the non-stick, rub-resistant protection; for standard gloss aniline use Leather Scent-B (buttery-feel) to match the topcoating and the Leather Scent-D (draggy-feel) to match the fashion wax pull-up effect.
The Potential Problem:
To remove the penetrated blood stains that coagulate to the protein leather fibrils; we are potentially stripping the entire leather constituents that has been hydrogen-bonded; the pH of 11.0 alone will basify the protein fibrils and shift it anionic (-); and this phenomenal alone will repels all anionic leather constituents like a magnet; especially vulnerable is the fatliquor – the life-blood of leather that need to be replenished. A typical healthy leather has an average of 14% moisture content and much of this is from the fatliquor.
Estimated Results:
When one understand that it is a holistic approach to the blood stain removal; a comprehensive restoration is the undertaking.
And one must have the resources and confidence to accomplish better than it is now; not only aesthetically but with returns to the chemistry integrity of the leather should be.
Price vs Value:
In order to convey a value and not merely a price of your services; the above information has to be made known to your customer to appreciate it.
In leather services, I do frequent mention that “Cheap may be Expensive; and Expensive may be Cheap”
Once educated, it’s the customer’s choice.
Roger Koh
info@leatherdoctor.com