1. GENERALLY
(IMPORTANT!)
2. DYING
3. CLEANING
4. CONDITIONING
5. COLORS
6. CONNOLLY
Leather is great, worth every
penny more. It has an astonishing ability to be revived..more than
you would ever belief possible before you try it yourself. AND, as it ages
and is well cared for, it garners more character and becomes more attractive
rather than less so, unlike cloth, vinyl or other faux leathers. These
days, many companies, including Morgan, offer pre aged leather, but nothing
beats the real thing. For that reason, every effort should first be made
to bring the leather back to life. 80% of the time, this will work. And
the leather will softly gleam again, re-attain its original colors. The
wrinkles, cracks and pores will close.
Understand the product. Leather,
having once been used to keep the insides of a steer from falling out,
is designed to pass moisture through tiny pores. These tiny pores absorb
human perspiration, dirt and whatever. As the water absorbed evaporates,
its leaves salt that eliminates the natural oils in the leather and the
hide shrinks and cracks like an overdone roast. The loss of oils within
the leather is the first step to hardening, cracking
and shrinkage. This accumulation
of salts and other grunge should be cleaned from the leather once a year
(or more if your climate and driving gives the leather more than its fair
share of leftover sweat and/or rain water). (Leather door tops and
dash bumpers are more prone to hardening and
shrinking as it is subjected
to a greater amount of destructive UV rays and heat concentrated by the
windshield.)
You can start with a number
of different leather treatments that will close and tighten and darken
the leather over a month or so or you can DO a full 
clean
and re-dye. I have had much success with all leather and re-dyes..either
as a touch-up or full treatment. Dye can be made to match your car. assuming
you wish to match the original color. Assuming you wish to match
the original color. you find a snippet that has not been effected
by the elements to send it off to a dye preparer as a sample, You buy a
cleaner, the dye and conditioner from the same place. As the dyes are water
based they dry in minutes. I use spongers to apply and they are a few tricks
that I will be happy to impart if you go in this direction. You DO have
some leeway on the color you choose regardless of original hue. For example,
near the end of the Connolly era, the Factory sent out some cars with "red"
leather that was, in fact, an unfortunate pink. This can be changed
to a true red or even an attractive Oxblood with dying.
1. So that is your first step to reviving or annually treating your leather. Cleaning it to remove the salts and reopen the leather clogged pores. If you have not cleaned the leather, then all you are doing is sealing the salt with a gooey surface coating.
Cleaning leather may be accomplished
by using a mild soap and water, or specifically designed leather cleaner.
Get something ph balanced, like
Lexol pH Cleaner or Dove.
All cleaners will re-hydrate the leftover salts and grime and wash them
from the leather fibers and re-open the pores that other leather products
have blocked.
Any cleaner should be rinsed
thoroughly from the leather. Use a damp cloth and repeatedly wipe down
the leather. Now let the leather dry thoroughly. It should now look terrible.
[This is the time to decide whether your old leather need a re-dye or repairs
or not.]
| WATCHPOINT: HARDENED
LEATHER: If the leather has hardened there are two products I know that
will fix it. One is made by a UK company called Nuera. (They also make
dyes for most of the leather used in the UK.) The other is called Surflex
Leather Softener.
These products are
made from natural and synthetic oils that restore the natural softness
to neglected leather. After cleaning the leather, apply a liberal coat
of either of these softeners. Allow it to penetrate the leather for 24
hours and then wipe off the excess. If it needs an additional application,
repeat the above. For really bad areas, cover with plastic and allow it
to sit for a few days. Once the
|
2. Once the leather is clean and dry, you need conditioners to restore lost oils and emollients. There are scores of leather conditioners on the market. Lexol Conditioner, Zymol, Leatherique conditioner. There are even conditioners that impart a fresh leather smell!
There are many who swear by Connoly Hyde Food. It is made from rendered animal parts, very thick and turns rancid in about two years. It has a distinctive cow smell). If Hyde Food hits your fancy, why not try lanolin instead? It is a protective wax that covers sheep's wool (and is removed when the fiber is processe) That makes it MUCH better form of emollient without Hyde Food's drawbacks. The only drawback to lanolin is that it can soften some leathers TOO much ..in the case of shoes and saddles. Great for car leather though. Like anything with leather, it is fine if it is one part of a range of products being used. Use it to deal with specific issues (to soften and replenish).
Avoid the greasy conditioners and stick with a few products that are easy for the leather to absorb. That is easy to test. After all, your hands are a type of leather. If it can be absorbed by your hands, it will be absorbed by the leather. If you are restoring leather, rub something in once every few days for 2-3 weeks. Do it until the leather tells you to stop.
Apply the conditioner to a soft cloth and work into the leather, allow it to be absorbed into the fibers and then buff off the excess. I put it on with my hands and wipe off the excess. The leather will tell you if you have applied too much or apply too often as the leather will just stop absorbing for that session..or finally it will not absorb any more at all.
PROTECTORS
Now you can use leather protectors
(cream or spray) until next year. Remember some leather care products clean
leather, others replenish its oils and some close off seal the leather.
If you are using only one product and process constantly your leather will
not respond as well to you varying the products that you use.
| WATCHPOINT: Do NOT use a vinyl products as cleaners or conditioners on leather. |
| WATCHPOINT: Avoid
silicone based products. Siliconed oils will dissolve out the leather's
natural oils and tend to make the leather sticky.
Silicone has a very high electrostatic attraction, and will invite every dust particle within miles to set up camp in your interior. |
This list is not exhaustive! (I am just starting this section August 2013. If it is missing from this list, please send me your Morgan leather color and year to preserve it for posterity..
CONNOLLY LEATHERS UTILIZED BY MORGANS
* NOT ON HIRSCH CHART
1. WHITE (4169)
2. PARCHMENT (3672)
3. MAGNOLIA (3997)
4. FLESH (3099)
5. SADDLE (3218) [4208]
6. BISCUIT (4104)
7. TAN [CINNAMON] (846)
8. TAN [DARK TAN] (4134)
[4178]
9. *NATURAL (1936)
10. *BROWN (1937)
11. *COUNTY TAN (4139)
12.* RED BROWN (4223)
13. BROWN (891)
14. DARK BROWN (890)
15.* STONE (1914)
16. LIGHT BEIGE [STONE]
(3234) (4177)
17. DOESKIN (4152)
18. BEIGE (847)
19. SADDLE (3218)
20. GREY/TAN (4184)
21. GREY (3393)
22. GREY (4136)
23. *GREY (4272)
24. BLUE/GREY (3244)
25. BLUE/GREY (4161)
26. BLUE/GREY (4137)
27.*TURQUIOSE (3276)
28. LIGHT BLUE (4213)
29. LIGHT BLUE (4135)
30. *BLUE (1938)
31. DARK BLUE (4133)
32. DARK BLUE (4141)
33. DARK BLUE (1371)
34. OLIVE GREEN (3655)
35. *GREEN (1939)
36. DARK GREEN (4212)
37. DARK GREEN (3655)
38. BRIGHT RED (8300)
39. RED (3171)
40. DEEP RED [HOUSE OF
LORDS] (3195)
41. *DARK RED (1935)
42. MAROON (3086) (4162)
43. CRIMSON (8290)
44. BLACK (1560)
46. BLACK (8500)
47. STONE (1914)
48. LIGHT BEIGE (3234)
49. BEIGE (847)
50. DOESKIN (4152)
51. BISCUIT (4104)
52. CINNAMON (846)
53. TAN (4134)
54. NATURAL (1936)
55. BROWN (1937)
56. COUNTY TAN (4139)
57. RED BROWN (4223)
58. BROWN (891)
59. DARK BROWN (890)
60. WHITE (4169)
61. PARCHMENT (3672)
62. MAGNOLIA (3997)
63. FLESH (3099)
Morgan's also used some Rolls Royce colours.
Red VM 3086, 3171, 4270,
4211, 3195 (dark red)
Light Beige VM 3234.
Tan VM846, VM 4134
U
Brown VM 3199. VM890
Blues. VM3281 Surf blue.VM4135.
VM 4133. VM 3209.
Blues VM3791
Greys. VM 3244.& Blue/grey,VM3393,
VM3428. VM3209
Mushroom.VM4136
L/green VM3230. d/green
VM3124 green
Parchment. VM3672
VM 3120 greeny grey
Magnolia VM3672. VM
4688
Dark Red VM 3186 - 'Under
Reds'
Rolls Royce/Bentley, 1951,
VM 3186 Maroon (put under 'reds')
Rolls Royce, Magnolia, VM3997
Rolls Royce, Cream/Beige,
VM3309
Rolls Royce, 1975, VM 3209
Dark Beige
Rolls Royce 1970 Vm 3393
L'Khaki
Rolls Royce 1969 Khaki
Rolls Royce 2007 Cara Silk
Rolls Royce 1986 4136 Mushroom
Rolls Royce ? Conndly 3086
Rolls Royce 1990's Bottle
Green
Rolls Royce 1976 Surf Blue
Rolls Royce ? Bluey Green
Rolls Royce 1996 4226 L'Grey
Rolls Royce ? Vm 3428 Matt
Grey
Rolls Royce 1990's Silverstone
Grey A4181
Rolls Royce 1988 Pembroke
Grey
Magnolia (A 3997)
Porpoise Slate Grey
Anthracite
Newmarket Tan
Connolly Leather was the principal supplier of leather to British (and other European) car manufacturers for over 125 ears. The term is also used to describe a particular brand of leather itself, when fitted to a car. It gained such prominence in the world of luxury travel including private jets and yachts, that it was selected for such high profile projects as Concorde and the luxury liner, Queen Elizabeth II.
The company also sold leather-care products (e.g. the notorious Connolly Hide-Food and even restoring leather is sometimes known as "Connollising", thanks to the reputation of the company. Although "Connollising" is somewhat shrouded in secret, it basically involves scrubbing down the leather with a cleaner/soap while using a stiff brush (such as a nail brush) or slightly abrasive sponge which thins and removes most of the original surface color & finish. The leather is then moisturized and recolored, bringing it back as close to original condition as possible. But connollising involves the leather surface more than the leather itself.
Sadly, the poor quality and inconsistency of its leather as well as the damage caused by its care products belied its reputation. Despite having been in the leather tanning and curing business since 1878, Connolly Leather ceased trading in June 2002. By that time, a goodly percentage of its hydes were being returned by top name car makers like Jaguar and Rolls Royce. (The returned hydes were often sent to Morgan!)
Sadly, the original reputation lives on. Connolly Hide-Food and their Leather-Cleaner were sold or licensed and have returned to the market. Owners and dealers still user them..to a dubious benefit to the leather they are applied to.
The Connolly system was not a common sense approach. Firstly, you made it hard and dry with the cleaner. Then harder with a solvent based dye that weakened the already worn stitching. Finally you had to try to soften the leather with a thick paste that cannot penetrate the dye. The result was that the leather soon cracks and returns to a shabby state.