I wrote a post a while back about how to repair a worn leather steering wheel and have gotten a lot of traffic to it but to be honest with you it ___ ___ ___ ___ 0 So today I'm gonna write it a little different and give the right way to repair a worn leather steering wheel.
All the leather It is not only safer for the environment, which we all know is really big right now, but it & # 39; s also more flexible and better for the leather itself.
My last post I wrote I saved you a quick fix using a solvent based would be a bad thing, but like I said it & # 39 ; sa quick fix, nothing you would really want to have a customer that & # 39; s expecting a long lasting repair.
The basic & # 39; s are the same as far from the instrument panel, and the prepping is kinda the same too. But what I do not show the right way to do this.
So with that said here we go.
After you 've stepped wheel, wrapping it around so that no over spray will get will you get, you take a scotch brite pad and my prepping solution and clean the leather steering wheel really good When you see stealing wheel it is repaired and all they have done done is repaired the front. When you look through the windshield from the outside what do you see, umm the back of the steering wheel, so clean all the way around.
Once you have it clean, it & # 39; s time to address the wear that has been done to the leather .
If the leather has frayed then that frayness (not sure if that fits) needs to be sanded down smooth. You do this with a combination of the use of different grits of sandpaper, dry and wet sanding, and the use of leather filling compounds.
The prepping solution will will break through the dye that is already there and actually Then move up to a finer grit like 400, and do the same. If it & # 39; s not as smooth smooth as you want then move up to an even finer grit sandwich like a 600. At this time you can still use the wet sanding technique or you can dry it and this will depend on the amount of damage your dealing with.
Once you have the area fairly smooth, you need to seal the leather I do not have a good idea to make it easy to make your repair easier to work with my last longer. small amount onto a folded wet paper towel then wiping it over the leather steering wheel .
After you have sealed the leather it & # 39; s time to break out your leather repair Compulsions that I use the most on leather steering wheels is the old Leather Crack Filler or I 'll use Viper Products Leather Extreme Fill. Both work really well with applying it with your finger and both stay put really well too. I mostly use the Leather Crack Filler first then if I need to fill smaller imperfections then I 'll use the Leather Extreme Fill. I found it Leather Crack fill just works the best, it sands out nicely as well as places put when sending too.
The biggest thing to remember in repairing a worn leather steering wheel is to get it as smooth as possible, the less amount of leather repair It's a better chance of the dyes sticking in the end.
The other person I can give you is on the chrysler leather steering wheels and it 's on the steering wheel look Take a terry cloth towel and some lacquer thinner and rub the dye off with the I will take it right down to the leather and smooth. Sometimes you will have to sand a bit after wards to get the raw leather smooth but you will surprised at the time and energy this will save you . Once your done you can fill and seal the raw leather then dye to match.
After all the imperfections are sanded, filled and smooth, you will need to prep leather for dye. I will wipe the leather steering wheel This ensures the dye will stick and does not come off next later down the road.
Now it & # 39; s time to apply your water based dye to match.
I almost always spray my dyes, it just seems to look better in the end and less dye is wasted, but that I have found it & # 39; s easier to also run the vehicle while your dying the leather steering wheel Because you can not position the wheel where you need it and your not trying to dye with your gun upside down. Remember the back of the leather steering wheel too :)
Some people after dying will stop and call it good, which is OK anything else. But I like to topcoat all my dyes with a clear water based topcoat, to me it just I use a low gloss topcoat applied with a spray gun just like the dye.
This is a little trick I came up with kinda on my own. I found that some of the leather steering wheels What being is repaired and dyed just felt dry and did not look natural a leather wax or chap wax. What this does is only restore the oils lost in the repair process but make the leather steering wheel It just makes the leather look and feel factory. The wax also protects the leather from water and lotions.
Viper has a higher performance dye and compounds then any other I & # 39; ve used before. So go check them out, I really think you will be impressed!
Well I hope this helps more then my last post on how to repair a leather steering wheel. Just remember to take your time when doing any repair and use a water based dye on the leather , not only is it safer for you and everyone else but I promise you it will look better looking in the end and last and last awesome what is what you wanted in the first place.
