Product Overview
Aniline Waxy Matte Leather Dye Refinishing Kit AM7.cl by Leather Doctor degrease, acidify, clean, rinse, hydrate, fatliquor, dye, seal, and condition waxed leather.
Aniline Waxy Matte Leather is a full-grain chrome-tanned leather known for its soft hand and transparent aniline-dyed color that enhances its natural beauty. The dye penetrates through to the reverse suede side, creating a rich, natural look with a subtle Sauvage effect. Its fine waxy matte finish is achieved through an emulsion topcoat, which is further protected with a non-stick, rub-resistant conditioner to minimize finish wear.
As an amphoteric material, Aniline Waxy Matte Leather is pH-sensitive, requiring leather-safe products with a pH between 3 and 5 to prevent potential damage. If exposed to alkaline substances, it must be pH-balanced back to its neutral state (iso-electric point or pI) to maintain its integrity. Additionally, aniline leathers are more UV-sensitive, making periodic hydration and fatliquoring essential for preventing dryness, reviving color vibrancy, and maintaining suppleness to avoid stiffness and cracking.
Kit AM3.cl requires 1435g (1.6 quarts) of distilled waterto be mixed and filled before use, and products are available individually as refills to complete your project.
Kit AM3.cl Product Summary Includes:
Degreaser 2.2
Soft 3.8
Rinse 3.0
Acidifier 2.0
Hydrator 3.3
Aniline 21
Fatliquor 5.0
Adhesor 73
Dye 21
Matte 21
Protector W
Brush 1
Foam 2
Towel 5
Eraser 4
Sand 2000
Leather Degreaser 2.2 by Leather Doctor® is a professional-grade, water-based solution formulated to remove body oils, grease, and sweat from leather surfaces.
Deep-Cleansing, Leather-Safe Degreaser for All Leather Types:
Degreaser 2.2 Key Benefits:
Ideal for use on headrests, armrests, collars, cuffs, handles, and steering wheels, this powerful cleaner penetrates deep to lift embedded grime while maintaining the integrity of the leather.
With a pH value of 2.2, Degreaser 2.2 is leather-safe and prevents common issues like dye bleeding and surface damage. Unlike harsh solvent-based alternatives, it cleans effectively without drying out or weakening the leather structure.
Suitable for all leather types—including absorbent and sensitive finishes like Nubuck and suede—Degreaser 2.2 is an essential tool for restoring and preserving leather’s natural beauty, softness, and longevity.
Leather Soft Cleaner 3.8 by Leather Doctor® is a leather-safe, pH 3.8 mild cleaner formulated to effectively emulsify and lift general soiling without causing common side effects.
Soft 3.8 is among the mildest of cleaners with a lower cleaning power than Strong 4.3 and Super 4.9.
Why Choose Soft 3.8?
Soft 3.8 is the mildest among the Leather Doctor's range of cleaners which is safe for all leather, nubuck, and suede.
Always test clean with Soft 3.8 and evaluate the result to your satisfaction before progressively increasing the cleaning power to Strong 4.3 or Super 4.9.
Accumulated soiling may require the next level of Prep 4.4 preparatory cleaners.
Penetrated body oil, grease, and sweat requires Degreaser 2.2 and is rinsed with Acidifier 2.0.
Provides the “just right” strength—a balance between under-cleaning and over-cleaning.
Part of a holistic leather-safe system: always follow rinse with Rinse 3.0
Soft 3.8 Key Benefits:
Gently Cleans Without Harsh Effects – Maintains leather’s natural integrity
Works Seamlessly with Prep 4.4 and Prep 7.7 – Allows for after cleaning of sticky residue
Prevents Rings & Browning – Ideal for pH-sensitive leathers
Residue-Free with Rinse 3.0 – Restores leather’s pH balance for long-term care
Leather Rinse 3.0 by Leather Doctor is a pH 3.0 leather-safe rinse formulated to remove suspended soil and restore the pH balance of leather, ensuring its structural integrity and long-term durability.
Rinse 3.0 Key Features & Benefits:
Removes Suspended Soil – Lifts and extracts emulsified soiling for a clean, residue-free finish.
Neutralizes Alkaline Residue – Restores pH balance to prevent damage from alkaline overexposure.
Prevents Tackiness & Dye Bleeding – Stabilizes the leather structure, reducing unwanted texture changes.
Enhances Leather’s Ionic Charge – Recharges the leather with a positive (+ve) charge, improving its ability to bond with negatively (-ve) charged tanning agents, dyestuff, and fatliquor.
Preserves Suppleness & Durability – Helps maintain the leather’s softness, preventing stiffness and cracking.
Leather Acidifier 2.0 by Leather Doctor® is a pH 2.0 acidic rinse designed to control, neutralize, and restore leather’s natural pH balance.
Acidifier 2.0 prevents leather from denaturing, which can lead to bleeding, streaking, tackiness, and structural weakness due to alkaline overexposure.
Leather Hydrator 3.3 is a leather-safe pH 3.3 aqueous solution formulated by Leather Doctor® to hydrate, relax, and restore the leather’s internal structure during cleaning, conditioning, and restoration processes - in line with its tannery science-based function:
It mimics the hydration stage of tannery pre-conditioning to prepare leather for deeper structural rejuvenation.
Hydrator 3.3 Key Benefits:
Rehydrates dried, stiff, or collapsed fiber structure
Restores moisture to the leather’s protein fibers, relaxing them so they can regain flexibility.
Essential before fatliquoring (with Leather Fatliquor 5.0) so fats and oils can penetrate deeply and bond properly.
Displaces and flushes out impuritie
Helps suspend and wick out residual body oils, sweat, soiling, or alkaline contamination that may have penetrated the leather.
Balances pH and readies leather for further treatments
The mild acidic pH of 3.3 re-aligns the ionic charges of the leather structure, making it receptive to fatliquor and protecting against pH damage.
Helps reduce stiffness and restore suppleness
When used alone or in conjunction with fatliquor, Hydrator 3.3 is critical for achieving uniform softness, without patchiness.
Tannery science basis
In professional tanning and retanning, hides are hydrated before fatliquoring or coloring to ensure that treatments penetrate evenly and bond effectively.
Leather Hydrator 3.3 replicates this essential tannery hydration step at the restoration stage, particularly for dried-out, stiff, or aged leather.
Aniline Staining Dye 21 by Leather Doctor® is a new-generation, water-based transparent staining dye based on tannery science principles designed specifically for absorbent semi-aniline leathers.
Aniline 21 Key Features:
Transparent:
Water-based, transparent, penetrating dye that behaves like traditional tannery stains
Brilliant Staining Effect:
Enhances the natural beauty, depth, and character of the leather grain or nap rather than concealing it
Lively, rich color:
Produces more vibrant and vivid results compared to most conventional liquid dyes
Superior lightfastness & fade resistance:
Offers better UV stability and longer-lasting color than standard liquid dyes.
Water-based & leather-safe:
Compatible with Leather Doctor’s tannery science-based care system, ensuring no harm to the leather’s structure or pH balance when used as directed.
Flexible color shading:
Can be diluted with distilled water or Leather Hydrator 3.3 for lighter, custom color shades
Application Methods
Applied using lint-free towels, foam brushes, varnishing brushes, or airbrush (recommended) for best control and evenness without over-wetting.
Leather Fatliquor 5.0 by Leather Doctor® is a leather-safe pH 5.0 emulsion of fat, oil, and water designed to replenish the original fatliquor content of leather’s fibrous structure.
It restores leather’s internal lubrication, flexibility, strength, and resilience—mimicking the essential fatliquoring stage in professional tanning and retanning processes.
Fatliquor 5.0 Key Benefits:
Lubricates and nourishes the leather structure
Fatliquor 5.0 deposits fat and oil molecules that bond to the amphoteric protein fibers.
These lubricate the fibrils, allowing them to slide over each other without stiffness, brittleness, or cracking.
Reinforces tensile strength and elasticity
Proper fatliquoring prevents fiber embrittlement and maintains leather’s natural strength and softness.
Restores suppleness and prevents future damage
Leather loses fatliquor over time due to aging, heat, sunlight, alkaline exposure, or cleaning.
Replenishing it prevents shrinkage, stiffness, and cracks.
Provides long-term structural protection
Maintains leather’s dimensional stability and ability to flex without damage.
Tannery science basis:
In the tannery, fatliquoring is one of the final and most critical stages after tanning and dyeing.
It ensures that leather stays soft, strong, and flexible as it dries.
The fats and oils form a molecular film around the protein fibers, acting as internal lubricants.
Leather Fatliquor 5.0 brings this same process to leather restoration.
It ensures the leather is not just “looking good on the surface” but structurally rejuvenated from within.
Leather Primer Adhesor 73 by Leather Doctor® is a compact resin primer designed to smooth, seal, and enhance adhesion before color coating.
Adhesor 73 is formulated and designed to:
Smooth and seal leather surfaces.
Enhance adhesion for color coating.
Build uniform surfaces over rough or abraded areas.
Assist in removing deteriorated finishes.
Reactivate aniline dyestuff to some extent.
Aniline Waxy Matte Coating Dye 21 by Leather Doctor is a next-generation transparent surface coating dye that provides excellent color coverage with a waxy matte.
This vivid and bright dye coats the leather surface rather than penetrating it, offering enhanced color intensity and uniformity. It can be applied over existing bronzing-stained dye effects, such as Aniline 21, or over existing finishes to enrich and revitalize the leather’s appearance.
Aniline Finish Topcoat Waxy Matte 21 by Leather Doctor® is a water-based sealing topcoat formulated with fine particle-size urethane waxy resins.
Matte 21 provides a matte luster and a distinct waxy feel, perfectly suited to preserve and enhance waxed aniline leathers while maintaining their natural aesthetic and soft texture.
This wax-enriched topcoat is ideal for upholstery, handbags, garments, and saddlery, offering superior durability, flexibility, and resistance against friction, oxidation, and dye migration.
Matte 21 Key Features:
Matte finish with a waxy feel of hand.
Tough and flexible urethane resin formulation.
Seals and protects aniline dyes.
Retains the natural look and softness of the leather.
Recommended for professional-grade refinishing and rejuvenation.
Leather Protector W by Leather Doctor® is a matte, soft, waxy-feel, non-stick, rub-resistant conditioner designed to enhance and protect leather while maintaining a refined, natural appearance.
Features & Benefits:
Matte, Waxy-Feel Conditioning - Provides a soft, luxurious touch without an artificial gloss
Non-Stick Formula - Shields against sticky soiling and prevents dirt buildup
Rub-Resistant Protection - Reduces friction wear, scuffing, and stretching for extended leather durability
Refined Appearance - Enhances the leather’s natural beauty with a finer, non-glossy finish
Offers the same benefits as Protector W, but with an added luxurious leather scent
Step-by-Step Application Guide
How to Identify Leather Stains?
Stain identification is crucial for effective treatment and is based on six key factors:
Appearance, Odor, Color, Feel-of-Hand, Location, and Buildup or Absorption.
Appearance
- Observing how the stain looks can indicate whether it is a spill, rub-on, penetration, or surface deposit.
- Some stains may cause dye or finish damage, revealing changes in the leather’s color or texture.
Odor
- Smelling the stain can help identify its source.
- Common odors include:
- Moldy (fungal growth)
- Smoke (fire or cigarette exposure)
- Putrid (decaying organic matter)
- Ammonia (urine contamination)
Color
- Color provides a clue to the staining substance but can change over time due to oxidation.
- The leather’s natural color may also influence how the stain appears.
- Red stains: Could be from wine, blood, lipstick, nail polish, or beverages.
- Blood stains: Can oxidize and shift from red to tan, then to black.
Feel-of-Hand
- Touching the stain helps determine its type:
- Sticky: Likely from candy, beverages, or sugary substances.
- Brittle and stiff: Could be nail polish, paint, or shellac.
- Greasy smear: Often caused by lipstick, oils, or butter.
Location
- The stain’s location on the leather provides hints about its origin.
- Headrests & armrests: Usually stained by body oil, sweat, and grease.
- Seat cushions: Often show food or beverage spills.
Buildup or Absorbed
- Stains can be surface-level (built-up) or deeply absorbed into the leather.
- Built-up stains (common on pigmented leather) include paint, food residue, and ink.
- Absorbed stains (common on nubuck, aniline, and unfinished leather) include wine, tea, and coffee.
- Combination stains: Some stains contain both absorbed and surface elements, such as lipstick, ink, and mustard.
- Protein-based stains: Examples include blood, dairy, and egg-based spills.
- Oil-based stains: Often come from grease, butter, and lotions.
- Colloidal stains: May require specialized treatments.
Additional Considerations
- Sweat stains can chemically alter leather, causing tackiness (when dry) or sliminess (when wet).
- Dye stains may show up when wiping with a white towel—this indicates color crocking.
- Fatliquor leaching (spew) appears as a milky film and causes leather to become stiff and prone to cracking.
By carefully identifying stains, you can apply the appropriate Leather Doctor® solutions to restore leather to its original beauty.
How to Use this Leather Problem-Solving Matrix?
This matrix categorizes common issues with Vachetta into five groups:
Soil,
Stain,
Odor,
Structure, and
Finish (listed in the left column).
Corresponding recommended products are displayed across the top row.
Each number within the matrix indicates the steps required to address the problem holistically.
For example:
If a leather issue involves an unknown compound that combines soil, stain, and odor, follow the sequence across the matrix, combining necessary steps from each category.
The process should always conclude with:
- Hydrator 3.3 to rehydrate and relax the leather.
- Fatliquor 5.0 to replenish lost fats and oils, restoring suppleness.
- Protector W conditioning the leather for ongoing durability.
Technical Help and Support?
- Technical help and support are available free from the link below:
- https://www.leathercleaningrestorationforum.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?5-Leather-Upholstery-Forum
Your opinions, insights and review are precious and will help us to solve your leather problem more efficiently.
Edited: March 16, 2025 |July 31, 2025 by Roger Koh.