From: Dan [dbrindle@kondratyev.com]
Sent: Friday, August 23, 2002 1:31 AM
To: 928
Subject: [928] RE: Need re-dyeing advise

Omar,

You are in both good and bad shape.  First the bad news.  You will not be
able to re-dye the seats for $50.  This will barely buy the supplies.  The
good news is you probably got a deal on the seats and re-dying them will
greatly enhance their value.

The best system I have seen is the Leatherique products.  Mention Renn List
and get a 50% discount.  They have a four or five step process that produces
remarkable results.  The people at Leatherique are friendly, helpful and
first class.

The first step is recondition the seats with their rejuvenator oil.  You may
have to sand the old leather where it has hardened to get the oil to
penetrate the surface.  This process takes a couple of weeks and a couple of
applications with the oil soaking into the leather.  Best is to spray them,
cover them with a plastic trash back and set them out in the sun.

Once the leather is softened then a cleaner is applied.  From there a
pre-surface chemical and then the dye.  All of the Leatherique products are
low toxic, but I would still advise using them outdoors and with a
respirator.  I found the dye a little difficult to apply.  A sponge works
well, but I find spraying works the best to get an even coat.  Even if the
dye does not go on completely evenly it can be smother out by using some of
the cleaner after it dries.  In the worst case you can sand the dye to give
is a deeper luster and even out the spots.

If the color is not black then you will need to send a sample for matching.

If there are cracks in the leather, Leatherique makes a filler product.
This works, but I found it time consuming to apply.  I was able to repair a
hole in the leather with the product and it came out nice, but it took a lot
of coats to get it where I wanted it.  Superior Products makes some better
repair products.

You will find once finished you will have a pair of seats that look as close
to new as is possible.  .

Dan the Pod Guy
Portia's Parts