[Neil Mc Anulty]

Has anyone ever restored an aniline sofa? I had one and the amount of grease was horrific. 13 applications of degreaser and still a big problem, have I done something wrong?

The panels at the back of the two armchairs have gone to a cream colour from a dark green with the sun dyeing them. Tried recolouring balm but only a slight change.

Is it possible this was too far gone for repair and should have suggested replacement.

[davep]

Maybe you can try a dye, both FC and LTT do them

[LTT Leathercare]

Neil
Recolouring balms will never get the depth of colour required for a job like this.

You will need aniline dyes (the actual dyes used for creating it in the first place).
This together with aniline tinted finish can generally restore most problem on aniline however much colour has been lost.  Aniline dyes can also be adjusted for the strength of colour you use.

What degreaser did you use as this seems like an awful lot of attempts without positive results? Has your supplier given you any help about this?

Aniline restoration is one of the great things about leather restoration as the results are generally stunning.  You will have been shown the aniline restoration process when you came on the course last year.
Contact LTT Ireland -  David Gamble who was on the course with you last year has done some stunning aniline restoration work.

[Neil Mc Anulty]

I will be asking the supplier regarding the degreaser.

Has there ever been an instance where there has been so much damage caused by the sun on an aniline that a dye cannot produce a result?

[LTT Leathercare]

Neil
Most of the time aniline leather can be fully restored - often to a better state than when they were new!!

Anilne dyes can be used at different strengths  now so that more colour can be put back in.  You can only put as much dye back as the leather will absorb so strength of colour needs to be assessed. Balms and gel style aniline dyes will not carry enough strength of colour to put back into very bleached leather but the aniline dyes can be used at varying strengths to deal with different problems. Also the aniline tinted finishes can be used to blend in areas that may need more colour.
 
Have you checked the full absorbency rate of the leather. all over?   We have come across aniline leathers with a clear coat finish which obviously will not absorb the dye so these would pose a problem.

Regarding the degreaser.  Some suppliers are selling a 'fast drying' degreaser which is a contradiction of the process.  The grease needs time to move out of the leather and usually will take 2-3 hours to do this.  More applications may be needed but certainly not 13!!!!! - huge amount of product used here without results. 

Just give us a ring if you need more advice.
Hope this helps