What to do about oxidation fading
Another one of the more common conditions
of use that is common to suede and leather is oxidation fading.
Oxidation fading occurs on suede and leather in normal wear and
even in storage because the dyes used to vat dye the skins in
the tanning process are faded by exposure to both natural and
artificial light.
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In many instances the nap can be parted
and the original color seen down toward the base of the nap. It
is similar to when women frost the tips of their hair. On a
leather garment, if it is a dyed leather, there is no nap and
the oxidation is then on the surface of the skin.
The problem of oxidation fading occurs on
all colors including white. Most colors can be restored
satisfactorily when slightly faded. However, some colors prove
to be more difficult to restore. Pastel colors, lime, powder
blue, light pink, pale turquoise or pearl grey are almost
impossible to restore to their original color by normal
redyeing techniques.
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However, you need to know two very
important characteristics of dyes.
First, all
dyes are transparent and therefore
can never cover anything. That includes oxidation fading!
Second, dyes
will mix with the color in the skin. Therefore, whatever color dye is being applied
to the yellow taupe color, it will mix and form a color that is
a blend of the two.
As an example, suppose an oxidized garment
was originally blue but after normal wear and exposure to light
it has extensive areas of yellowish taupe oxidation.
Now we attempt to restore the blue color
by applying a blue dye. You would expect to end up with a blue
garment.
Right?
Wrong!
Anybody who knows anything about colors
will immediately realize that when you apply blue dye to the
yellowish oxidation the two are going to mix on the surface of
the skin and you are going to end up with a garment with
various shades of green — and an irate, crimson-faced
customer!
Symptoms and remedies
The customer who brings in a garment that
has developed oxidation fading might assume that the yellowish
taupe color on the garment is some form of soil that you will
remove in the cleaning.
This impression of course must be
immediately corrected at the counter before the customer leaves
the premises.
Oxidation fading with all its
ramifications must be explained to the customer and the garment
accepted only at customer risk, with the understanding that you
will do your best to restore the garment which includes
possibly dyeing in a shade darker to try to correct the
customer’s problem.
Oxidation fading can be readily detected
when the garment is accepted by examining areas that have not
been exposed to light in contrast to those that have.
For instance, if you raise the collar on most
jackets you will see the original color of that garment and can
readily show the customer the difference between that area and
the areas immediately adjacent that have been exposed to light
and have oxidized. Other areas that are not normally found to
be oxidized are inside the pockets, under the arms and inside
seams.
White suede or naked leather has
traditionally been made white by bleaching in the tannery. The
reason for bleaching is that there is no such thing as a white
dye in the world of science. So to achieve a white suede or
naked leather, bleaching has been traditionally used.
These skins are also susceptible to
oxidation fading due to exposure to light. In this case, dyeing
is not even a possibility for correcting the oxidation problem.
One technique that has been developed in
recent times has been the use of white powder on the surface of
the suede. This technique has been used in lieu of bleaching on
new skins. It can also be used as a technique to whiten
bleached white suedes that have been oxidized.
In both instances, the white powder tends
to rub off of the garment and this cannot be considered a
desirable technique of coloring white suede.
Another method of coping with oxidation
fading is to use the technique of abrasion. That is, abrading
off the portion of the nap that is oxidized using emery cloth,
sand paper and lava rock by hand or by using sand blasters and
sanding wheels
The first technique is highly labor
intensive and may cost more than the customer is willing to
pay. And it may not be entirely successful if the oxidation is
deep enough in the nap
The second technique requires
investment in equipment and an accomplished operator or the
garment may be worn out and damaged in the process.
Finally, on naked leathers, the oxidation
may be covered by recoloring with a pigmented leather finish or
paint.
This technique can be successful in
covering the oxidation but the down side is it will change the
look and feel of the naked leather so that it is more like a
dressed or painted leather. That decision would have to
be made by the owner of the garment before it is painted and
after they have had the opportunity to see and feel what a
painted leather is like.
Frank Lucenta is president of Royaltone
Co., Inc., a firm that manufacturers the products he developed
to make it possible for any cleaner to safely AND profitably
dryclean, wetclean and finish any suede, leather, fur and
trimmed cloth garment. He also wrote related instruction books
that document the process, entitled “Handling Leather and
Suede” and “Cleaning and Finishing Leather and
Suede.” He also teaches small groups of plant owners and
managers how to identify, accept, spot, dryclean and wetclean,
press and recolor suedes, leathers, and furs using his
Royaltone procedures and products. The next Royaltone Leather
training sessions are scheduled for April 11-12, June 6-7, and
Sept. 12-13 at the Royaltone Suedemate Leather Cleaning Center
in Tulsa, OK. For more information on training sessions or on
spotting charts in either English or Korean, call (800)
331-5506, (918) 622-6677, fax (918) 665-6017, or e-mail frank@royaltone.com
Infofmation is also availbale
on the Royaltone web site, www.royaltone.com.
