Got a great deal on some cowhide today. Trouble is they are in three differnt colours. So can I re-dye them to a colour I want or just return them? Any Idea on how leather I'd need to redo the seats in a "47 Buick convertible? Thanks!
You might need to look at Angelus dyes. You would have something that like a primer or treatment to take the dye. The dye is like a paint. When doing leather for an interior usually you want to get all the hides at the same time so you know they all match. and get the correct amount.
I see you have a Cad in your avatar which would be similar in interior size as a Buick. How many hides would it take to redo the seats? I dont know if I'll do full leather or only the bolsters...
Best thing is to measure the seat. Full hides are usually 45-50 sq ft. Figure about 25% waste. Most leather places say you can get 3x 27"×27" clean cuts out of a hide. https://leatherhidestore.com/how-much-leather-can-i-get-from-a-hide
I'll second Angelus dyes. But there are some caveats involved. Generally speaking, you can always go with a darker color, but going lighter can be much tougher. I've seen it done, but it involved laboriously sanding all of the existing dye off before redyeing it. The job I saw, the guy used 600 sandpaper and was at it for a looong time. You might try just getting some smaller amount of dye to see if it covers before committing. I re-did a very expensive leather chair/ottoman that I got cheap because the PO let their dogs climb all over it. It was a medium saddle color and was badly scuffed. After I sanded out the worst of the scuffs, I dyed it navy blue (almost black) using Angelus dye and sealer. I'll note it took several coats to get an even color. The dye even worked well on the vinyl back, although I don't know how well that would work if that was a wear area. That was 15 years ago, the chair still looks good. DON'T get the dye anyplace you don't want it as it DOES NOT come off. If you get it on your skin, it'll be there awhile.... I got some on my concrete garage floor and there's still traces of it remaining even today.
If you have the option of returning them do it ASAP and order the same color hides. Don't screw around with dyeing the hides. Ordering a little extra never hurts. I buy all my leather from Crest Leather. High quality products. Been doing my deuces in all leather since the early 90's. Good Luck
There is a process to strip the old dye on the leather using denatured alcohol, wiping using cotton rags. Then apply the new dye spraying and drying with a hair dryer Then apply leather conditioner it can be time consuming but when finished it will be like new
Most hides these days are "vat dyed", meaning the dye fully pentrates the leather. Surface dyed leather will wear off more easily. Good luck!
I actually have not measured mine but it would be at least boththe seats, front and rear door panels and visors. And yes the Buick is similar. I think there is an upholstery guy here that can chime in.
Dyed leather is sealed once it's dyed, so it's not going to dye as well as it will if you strip the sealer first. Tandy Leather sells a liquid stripper to wipe the surface first, and also sells the dyes, and sealer to use once you've dyed it again. I did this on a donor rear bench seat in my '63 Falcon build. My interior was black and bench seat was tan. It came out great, and matched well.
That’s for the replies guys! I spoke with a club member tonight who is an upholsterer and she said there shouldn’t be a problem if I use the proper material. I’m not cheap but frugal on a pension so when theses hides were offered I kind of jumped at the offer. What would be the usual cost of fifty five square feet of cowhide?
I see cowhide for sale at Amazon that's $104 for 22-24 sq. ft. Other places I've seen are about $150 for the similar sizes. 55 sq. ft. wont get much interior work done.
I use "Clydes". https://clydesleathercompany.com/ Very happy with their products. Brings back old leather beyond my expectations.
Upholstery leather goes for about $5-10 sq ft in Canada depending on the quality. High end Italian about $13. I hate to say it but the chance of getting three different coloured hides all dyed the same colour is probably slim when the actual manufacturers can't even guarantee it between batches that are dyed from raw.
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