some thing i learned about leather

Thejoyofdriving

Thejoyofdriving

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today i was calling 303 products to ask them a question about there APC (all purpose cleaner) I noticed that it had a PH rating of 9, which is like 100 times more caustic than a PH of 7(nuetral) and i allways thought that you needed a nuetral PH to clean leather. It turns out that the helpful man at 303 told me something very interesting, it was an artical written by Dr. jenkins(part of the lexol corporation)real untreated leather like in saddles, turns darker when it absorbs water and sweat. It turns out car makers dont want this happening to their seats, so they top the seats with vinyl. he also told me that there are some cars which do have untreated leather. so, he told me that infact, you should treat treated leather like you would treat vinyl, since this treated leather has a impervious barrier, and sweat cant pass through it, neather can leather conditioner. the vinyl locks in the oils that the leather has already. the proper care for leather is to just clean it, and apply a protectant to keep that vinyl barrier healthy, to ensure it does not let oils escape. I found this information very helpful, and know i can help stop misinformation.:) If you guys have more questions, you should call the guys at 303 and talk to the guy there, he know his stuff, he even talked to Dr.Jenkins personaly.
 
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what kind of protectant should you use if not conditioner? and how do you tell the difference btwn. treated and untreated?
 
Thejoyofdriving said:
today i was calling 303 products to ask them a question about there APC (all purpose cleaner) I noticed that it had a PH rating of 9, which is like 100 times more caustic than a PH of 7(nuetral) and i allways thought that you needed a nuetral PH to clean leather. It turns out that the helpful man at 303 told me something very interesting, it was an artical written by Dr. jenkins(part of the lexol corporation)real untreated leather like in saddles, turns darker when it absorbs water and sweat. It turns out car makers dont want this happening to their seats, so they top the seats with vinyl. he also told me that there are some cars which do have untreated leather. so, he told me that infact, you should treat treated leather like you would treat vinyl, since this treated leather has a impervious barrier, and sweat cant pass through it, neather can leather conditioner. the vinyl locks in the oils that the leather has already. the proper care for leather is to just clean it, and apply a protectant to keep that vinyl barrier healthy, to ensure it does not let oils escape. I found this information very helpful, and know i can help stop misinformation.:) If you guys have more questions, you should call the guys at 303 and talk to the guy there, he know his stuff, he even talked to Dr.Jenkins personaly.
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303 is a good protectant, but they don't make leather conditioner, that why they are telling you protectant is enough. Leather still needs to be conditioned at least 3-4 times a year. Pinnacle and Wolfgang are good leather conditioners that condition and UV protect leather.
 
i have a conditioner... what if you just wipe it down with QD, supposedly QD on inside material is supposed to have good protection
 
Well remember, this information is comming from Dr. jenkins from lexol, not 303. you can tell if you have untreated leather by applying a few drops of water on to clean leather, if the water soaks in after a few minutes, you probably have untreated leather, now remamber, water evaporates, so its hard to tell whether it is soaking in or evaporating. lexol makes products for untreated leather, like saddles and treated leather like car seats. I am not sure if vinyl dries out, i belive it just breaks down under uv light. I suppose you can use a leather conditioner on vinyl coated leather, but it wont penetrate to the leather. I am not an expert in such matters, i just know a little bit, im sure the vinyl experts at 303 can answer all of your quetions, there products are very widely use by many companys, so i take it they are a credable source of information.
however there are some statements on their website which i do not like, for example- ""303" is the only effective UV screening treatment for vinyl." i doubt that is true, im sure there are other effective uv screening treatments. As with ALL companys, there is always something wrong, or some amount of lies curculating(marketing, i wish i could tell you how much i hate it) Unfortunatly there is so much misinformation and marketing lies going around it is really hard for people like me to find out the real truth about things. For all i know every thing the guy at 303 told me could have been a complete lie, i can only hope that this is infact real information, as i have no chemical or experince in this feild, if anyone as any light to shed on this subject please do, i am just tring to find the real truth.
 
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heres some stuff i copied of the 303 website, i thought it might be helpful :)

Protecting Vinyl
Using the wrong vinyl "protectant" product is worse than using no vinyl treatment product at all! Avoid vinyl treatment products that contain any type of oil, have an oily or greasy feeling, contain petroleum distillates or leave a coating that dries like wax. If a product label says "flammable or contains petroleum distillates", do not use on vinyl.

How to clean vinyl
  1. Rinse with cool water.
  2. Wash with soap (not detergent) and water using a soft cloth or sponge. For stubborn dirt, a soft bristle brush may be used.
  3. Rinse thoroughly with water and allow to dry.
  4. Avoid harsh cleaners, abrasives, petroleum distillates and alcohols.
 
BS in my opinion. After you apply leather conditioner to coated seats, it becomes darker, softer, and prevents cracking. So it has to be getting absorbed.
 
D&D Auto Detailing said:
BS in my opinion. After you apply leather conditioner to coated seats, it becomes darker, softer, and prevents cracking. So it has to be getting absorbed.
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Yep, it does gets absorbed, it can't just vanish...
 
I use Scratch-X to clean, and KSG to protect... done deal :cheers:
 
I think Dr.Jenkins was smoking somthing. I had some nasty, dried out leather in my car 4 months ago. Bi-weekly cleanings and conditionings with Wolfgang has brought my leather back. There is no way it did that on it's own (I can post picture evidence if need be). I am sure 303 is a great protectant on the leather, but saying treated leather and leather conditioner don't work is a little crazy to me.

Edit: I just read over a few articles by Dr. Jenkins and Phil Meyers (owner of Lexol). It was pretty long and all about conditioning and protecting and such and saw nothing about it. I would like to see this article that the 303 guy was mentioning (if it exists).
 
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Like i said call 303, they guy at the desk will tell every thing he knows, he offered to fax the artical to me, since it was in a magazine. Im sure he would be more than happy to asist you. I jusy want to find out the truth, whether it be that Dr. jenkins is wrong or he is right, like i said, i just want the real truth. I hope you call 303 gregsgoat as i would like to find out what you discovered, good luck
 
D&D Auto Detailing said:
BS in my opinion. After you apply leather conditioner to coated seats, it becomes darker, softer, and prevents cracking. So it has to be getting absorbed.
Click to expand...

Call lexol or 303, talk to them, let me know what you find out.
 
So Lexol says you dont need leather conditioner, but they make it?
 
supercharged said:
Yep, it does gets absorbed, it can't just vanish...
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Bingo.
While 303 is great for vinyl,...I hardly see it fit for use as a leather conditioner. Sure it might block harmful UV's,..but ultimately it will do nothing to moisturize & condition the leather.
I've never tried the leather products carried here at AG. I use products that are considered contraband on here(Z****). I am pleased with my results.

A conditioner is absolutely necessary for maintenance of leather. If 303 made a leather conditioner then their story would change.
 
Exactly.

From everything Ive read, Zaino leather conditioner is great. Havent tried it yet though.
 
IMO it works great. Does not leave the normal greasy feeling and look of many conditioners. Also,..it smells like leather in a bottle. It really makes the leather surfaces smell like new.
Other products seem to just make the surface shiny and slippery. Not so with Zaino.
 
I use 4 Star and Pinnacle. Both work great also. Apply them, let soak in for 30 min- 1 hour, then buff.
 
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