[Mike Halliday]

started out as a melted piece of chocolate, they scrapped off the bulk of it them wiped it with a dilution of Borax.

 when I first looked at it I thought it looked like it was still damp, so i used a hairdryer to try and dry it out, no effect

any ideas?

[Ben Staerck]

You can use the leather degreaser to remove this stain. If it comes out with one application then that will probably be fixed quite easily. If you have to re-apply a few times then you may need to restore the colour afterwards.

[robert meldrum]

Would you need a towel between the insert and the leather, to prevent potential wicking ?

[LTT Leathercare]

We have had success before with chocolate on aniline by simply heating the area and massaging the leather to help dissipate the oils but as you have used a hairdryer I assume that this has had little effect.

You can degrease the area but restoring colour to an area that has a harder outline is often tricky with aniline dyes although it is possible.  You may find that no colour is removed they do vary a great deal.
We have an aerosol degreaser which is very effective and easier to use than pastes etc.

Get in touch Mike if you need further help

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Mike why don't you advise getting it dyed chocolate brown? 

Shaun

[Mike Halliday]

Shaun I did mention that! but this is a 2 seater which came with 2 chairs. a big job to do just for this small stain.

they won't  accept it just looking better, they want it gone or they would prefer to go down the home insurance route. and claim for a new suite, although I mentioned I didn't think they would get a complete replacement only the settee replaced

[davep]

Funny that Mike as I have one exactly the same to do on Wed morning but a lot smaller, a malteaser squished into an aniline.  Will post before and after pics (if all comes good  )

[LTT Leathercare]

Hi Mike
With any restoration on aniline leather stains like this are never going to go away completely as the area will always retain some evidence, not like a pigment where you can cover the damage completely. The chances are they will never be happy whatever the results you achieve.
If they are of this mind they are better doing an insurance claim.  I think you are right that they will only get the price for the damaged piece but it may be possible to do a replacement panel for the cushion.

Dave
It is always worth trying the hairdryer and massage first as it has worked on many occasssions, it certainly cannot do any harm before resorting to other methods of removal.

[robert stubbs]

Dave, remember this one.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[davep]

I do Rob, do you have the after pics and was the custy pleases?  Learned a lot that day, have you done much since?

[davep]

Heres the one I did, how did you get on Mike?  The lighting isn't great and it was taken on my mobile.  Need to carry proper camera  :

[Mike Halliday]

good job there Dave, mine wouldn't let me go ahead unless I could guarantee perfection, so passed on it

[davep]

Just tell them it will be more perfectthan itis now 

Cant see anyone guarantee perfection with any kind of stain, carpet or upholstery  :

[Roger Koh]

>>>Would you have done things differently?



Yes!

If the objective of this repair is to matches the original characteristic of the aniline leather.


To maintain its original characteristic of: 

1. Degree of absorbency.

2. Sheen level matches surrounding areas.

3. Tactile feel with naked fingers, should not detect the differences.

4. Airbrush touch-up of original Aniline Top Coat.


Then this is how I would have done it, with a minimum warranty of one year.

1. De-Oil with leather-safe pH value 4.4 - use d’Oil4.4™ or a pH equivalent leather degreasing agent.

2. Clean sticky residue with leather-safe pH value 3.8 - use clean3.8™ or a pH equivalent leather cleaner.

3. Acidifier rinses all residues with leather-safe pH value 3.0 - use rinse3.0 or a pH equivalent leather acidifier rinse.

4. Replenished lost of original fatliquor due to de-oiling or degreasing - use fatliquor5.0 or a pH equivalent fatliquor.

5. Erase wicked up residue with anilineEraser5™ or equivalent.

6. Damaged top coat airbrush touchup with matching Satin Sheen Aniline Top Coat - use anilineTop54S™ or equivalent.

7. Finished off with a non-stick buttery feel conditioner with a classic leather scent - use leatherScent’B™ or equivalent.


Note:

There is no need to apply dyes on aniline where there is no color lost problem.

The leather-safe products bring the reserved dyes stuff through the wicking process up to the surface, otherwise - use surfactant3.6™ a pH3.6 leather-safe surface wetting agent or equivalent.

The original Aniline Top Coat enhances or brings the color up that matches perfectly.


Roger Koh
info@leatherdoctor.org
Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification #942
Leather Care Technician
Master Textile Cleaner
Master Fire & Smoke Restorer
Journeyman Water Restorer
Since 1973

[LTT Leathercare]

Sometimes it is simply enough to add Ultra Protect to aniline leather to remove surface scratching and to restore and even out colour. 

Had a customer today who did just this on her rather tired looking dining chairs (£4,000.00 worth) and she rang to say that although initially sceptical of our advice,  they looked like new when she had applied it.  It simply reblends the colour that is already there and also adds a great protection while you are doing it.  This is always worth trying on a tired looking aniline leather as sometimes it is enough.

Had a similar case before Christmas with an aniline leather suite that was heading for the scrap heap as the customer was so disappointed with the way it looked after 18 months.  She had been advised by the shop to use hand cream but fortunately she decided to take further advice.  With the simple addition of Ultra Protect the suite came back to life and the customer was extremely happy.

Simple measures are often better than rushing in to complex restoration and are often worth trying first to see if the results are enough.

[Roger Koh]

Here is an example of lost of color due to diminishing fatliquor from the leather structure.

In this situation what you would need is a fine airbrush dose of fatliquor5.0™ to build the color up.

Check when dry to proceed until it blends.

No colors required.

Anyway, is the problem solved?

Roger Koh

[LTT Leathercare]

It is not possible to replace fat liquor correctly into an already tanned leather.