Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Found at a swap meet

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Nice ad. Haven't seen that one Roscoe.

There was an ad along the same lines in 54 by the same firm that showed the seats of a 54 'bean along with I think a Pontiac. Most noteworthy in these photos and well preserved original cars was how SHINEY the leather was. Seems you can not get that finish on leather anymore. Thanks for posting that.

The leather in my 400 still has a lot of the "shine" left. Totally different from the leather in my new car.

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Ross, yesterday I tried to read up on this subject. After 20 minutes I started to feel that this is an ambitious scheme and I watered the bonsai to add a certain spice of learning. 15 minutes later I knew this project was simply laughable. Leather processing is a combination of art and craft. It needs an expert to talk about.




picture source: www.einrahmung-guntermann.de

Perhaps they also don't make cows like they used to!

Perhaps they don't have the ready skilled labor anymore -- or no one wants to pay for that step.

There was a "How It's Made" or similar show on leather mfg and one of the last steps mentioned in the procedure was how they get a shine on quality processed leather. Have to burnish it under a heavy moving glass rod. Believe it compressed and tightened or closed the pores. Showed a machine rapidly moving this thick rod thing back and forth with a guy sliding a hide around under it. Said that it took an "artist" to know when enough was enough and each hide was different. Too much in one spot and the hide was damaged, not long enough and a different finish in the midst. No mention whether any chemical means are used.

HH, I suspect you're right about not enough people being willing to pay for the high gloss-finished leather; people tend to pick from stock colors and take whatever finish it comes with. But if you go the route of special order leathers, for example for special colors, the gloss finish can be had and that's what I bought in blue and copper for my Carib.

My feeling is the new leathers have the color on the top of the hides the older leather seemed to penetrate into the leather. if you scuffed the old leather you would still see color now it seems to be a coating . The older cars when new when you opened the door you could smell the leather now no so to me. I also preferred the shine on the leather now it no gloss. Most of these things are no doubt do to the new regulation to protect us by big brother

The color on top vs throughout is the difference between spray dyed and vat dyed leather - if you just look at the back of the hide you can tell the difference as vat dyed is colored on the back. Both types still are used. I believe that all automotive leather in new cars has a protective coating applied - that's what controlls the gloss.