What is reconditioning?
When leather is in it's raw state the color is added to the
leather and the skin has all of it's natural oils. Over about 1
or two years the leather begins to dry out due to wears and tear , or
artificial heating. At this point all the artificial color
begins to fade as the leather loses it's natural oils. At
Leather Garment repair, we rejuvenate the leather with a series
of oils, . Liquid which soaks deep into the leathers pores,
secondly we apply a thick leather paste and we find that the
combination of oils completely saturates the leather and the
artificial color comes back to life. All of this done with
natural based oils that are reintroducing moisture to the
leather.
Additional benefits!
Not only does much of the color return to the leather but
by applying natural animal oils the leather is left with a
protective surface that naturally repels moisture. As we know
oil and water don't mix so the rain will roll off the leather.
Similar to scotch guarding cloth the leather becomes resistant
to moisture. Not waterproof but water resistant so the leather
will withstand some abuse by unfortunate spills and some harsh
weather conditions.
Healthier leather!
In some cases the leather will not come back 100% but even in
those cases the introduction of renewed moisture will make the
leather healthy again and at the very least stop the
deterioration from continuing.
Doctors orders!
I use an example when selling this service and basically the
gist is that the doctor advises you that smoking is bad for your
health. Now we know this is true and the Doctor advises you to
stop smoking! This doesn't mean that you will stop. In the same
vain all leather needs to be reconditioned on a regular basis in
order to stop the breakdown and eventual deconstruction of the
leather item. Whether it be a jacket that is loosing surface
skin or a purse handle breaking off , all these ailments are due
to the lack of moisture in the leather. I suggest that all
leather should be reconditioned but that doesn't mean you have
to take my advise. Sometimes it is hard to justify the cost
compared to what you originally invested into the item and how
long you realistically plan on continuing to use the item.
No discrimination!
No matter how much you spend on an item whether it be $2000 for
an Hermes purse or $250 for a jacket in the garment district,
all leather dry out and breaks down. So remember to recondition
all your leather every year or two and you will double the life
of any item you own...
Do
it yourself!
You can purchase the oils and do it yourself but please be
advised that the oils we use are professional and there are some
risks of spotting and staining the leather if applied to slowly!
General costs!
The costs for us to recondition your leather can range, see grid
below for price range. Please note that the cost variance is due
to a few factors. 1. Leather color 2. Age of leather 3. Size of
item
If the leather is light in color the risk factor is increased
and the time to apply the oils is usually more. If the leather
is older it will absorb larger quantities of oil and take longer
to apply. If a jacket is full length as opposed to waist length
the amount of materials will increase and the time will increase
as well.
