Worn Leather Repair – Wear Line in Leather Seat
This is a phenomenon that has really got me kinda stumped on how this happens. A wear line on the edge of the lower bolster on a leather seat. The leather seats really not worn like you would think, the seat looks basically new but with this line running right along the seam of the seat. I know what the cause is which is sliding in and out of the vehicle but you would think it would wear a little different then a line that in some cases looks like someone has taken a router and carved out a line nice and neatly right down the side of the leather seat. Pretty wild if you ask me. But something I run across on a pretty regular basis and repairing the infamous wear line in a leather seat takes a little time and and know how to achieve a leather repair that you can be proud of and stand behind.
Now you first instinct is to grab your leather filler after a good prep and fill the area in, well don’t. There is a couple of reasons for this. First is if you go for the filler on a deep wear line, it won’t last and your wasting time and product. Second why would you want to load it full of filler when you can sand most of it out and use minimal amount of filler which will give you a longer lasting repair saving you time, money, and give you a better looking leather repair which is what you set out to do in the first place.
By sanding the leather you will eliminate the need for a bunch of compound which believe me from experience the more the compound you use the less chance you have to a permanent leather repair, especially on the edge of a leather seat where the problem started to begin with. I’m not saying that if the person driving the vehicle doesn’t change there entering and exiting habits that your repair is going to last forever either, but it will last longer then a botched up compound loaded repair job.
What I start with on these is first inspect for holes or extremely thin leather, these areas you’ll want to be careful with sanding on so not to make the holes bigger and add further to your leather repair. I also look to see how close I am to the stitching which is something you don’t want to damage. If needed lay a strip of tape over the stitching while sanding, and sometimes while putting your compound on. This will eliminate the chance of fraying the thread when sanding and while applying the compound will keep you from filling the stitch holes. One of my biggest pet peeves is when a leather repair is done over a seam… ugly!
After prepping and cleaning your leather seat for repair, dry the leather with a hair dryer. You want to start by sanding dry leather. Once dry grab your 120 grit sandpaper, this is a pretty heavy grit which will help to get you there a little quicker. Sand the leather paying attention not to fray the stitching, I know it kinda difficult on the edge like this but take your time. Sand the leather until its as smooth as possible, you will be sanding for bit and your arm will get a little tired but well worth the effort. Gradually move up to a finer grit until you end up using something like a 400 to 600 grit, this will smooth the leather out and give you a better work surface and less area having to be filled.
Once sanded as smooth as you can without making a hole, it’s time to seal the leather and fill the remaining damage. I use Viper Products Deep Crack Fill which is a low heat compound and works really well for larger damaged areas and for the holes that occur in these cases. If the wear line has no holes and I’m able to sand it pretty close to smooth then I’ll use my air dry compounds. But which ever compound you choose to use keep it out of the stitching. If by chance you do though which it will happen, I usually keep an awl close to scrape it out on poke the holes back.
During the filling process if you spray or wipe a little of your water based dye as you go it gives you a better feel of where you are in your leather repair and also mixes with your repair so when there is traffic and wear on the repair area your compounds won’t show up as much.
Granted the first picture up is of a different worn leather seat. Kinda got a habit of forgetting to take a before shot. I get into a repair and after I have already started I think of writing about it, but you guys get the gist. If you have any suggestions or comments about the wear line on a worn leather seat feel free to post them or even join the Repair Forum and post them there.
Talk to ya soon,
Mike “TIG”
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