Leather dyes
 

My black leather driver seat has the color rubbed of in some places. I would like to spruce it up a bit and am looking for recommendation on dyes. Thanks

I always wondered if shoe polish would work. haven't tried it though.

SEM automotive interior dye.
Good stuff.

:thumbs:

I wouldn't trust shoe polish to not stain my clothes. (It would probably make the seats look nice)

It looks like that SEM dyes are only available in spray cans. Is that a good option if I only want to spruce up a couple of areas and not spray the whole seat? I see they have a compound. Have you used it to fill in cracks?

I had the same thought about shoe polish. It probably look nice but would rub of on my clothes and then I would have to redo it.

Hi,
I'd think you could use a spray dye by spraying a concentration of it on a cloth (diapers work well) (yes, I'm old enough to still have some cloth diapers) and then work it into the leather.
Regards,
Alan

Just talked to www.tcpglobal.com who carries SEM dyes as the idea of spraying on a cloth sounded good to me. They only recommend to spray the dye directly over the whole seat. The person I talked to couldn't recommend ANY other dyes and they sell restoration products? But it does look like a good place to buy restoration products.

Tandy leather sells leather dyes in various colors.

http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/

I think they sell a couple of different blacks. One ought to match up pretty well. The bottles come with an applicator built into the handle so you could use it as a touchup.

I used their leather dye to re-dye a motorcycle jacket and it worked great.

There ya' go, or maybe try a local shoe repair place, as they often carry leather dye. Usually in spray form though.

Black is a good color to work with. It will work for a while, but remember that you are basically 'painting' the seat covers. You will definitely extend the usable life of the seat covers by many years, and that's what you are after, but expect it to wear off in time. You can always re-apply as needed. True leather tanning is a very involved process that involves a good deal of chemicals and a highly involved process. You can't duplicate it in a can. But the dye like used to repair leather jackets is a very good economical way to extend the life of your seat covers. I'd do the same thing.

Personally, I would treat the areas that show the most wear and leave the parts that are currently fine.

Mark G

I'll look into the tandy dye and the two Ed mentioned.

Mark, I am just trying to spruce up a couple of spots on the driver seat until I am ready to recover them. Our cold winter months are perfect to give my car some TLC. It's unfortunate that the previous owner didn't use a seat cover. The passenger seat is in incredibly good condition.

I sure appreciate everybody's input, thank you.

Kiwi Leather Dye
 

Nothing better than Kiwi Leather Dye for a black interior. You sponge it on but it is self leveling. When dry, it is has a thick, flat, finish with no brush marks. Looks very OEM. Sheen is just right. Does not flake off. It is not shoe polish so there is no color transfer to clothes. SEM is called dye but is really just black spray paint. Not that impressed. Tandy is similar to Kiwi but not as good. Stay far, far away from Leatherique. That stuff is expensive and way over-rated. Leatherique finish looks "painted" on. Kiwi only works with Black. Can't beat $2 or $3 for the best product out there.

Corvette America sells a spray dye made for your corvette interior that will match and work perfectly. It is about $15 a can and works great.:thumbs: