Is this genuine leather?

[captain]

Having a terrible time trying to remove bleeding dye from this seat back. It's a cool piece and I hate to get rid of it. Trying to decide if it's worth the effort though

It just has such a strange look to it. The thought crossed my mind, is this even genuine leather?

Here are some closeups. Appreciate any input.

Confused by the dark lines on the lighter parts (they look the same wet and dry). I've scrubbed for hours with saddle soap and rags still come up orange. 

 

 

 

Edited May 24, 2023 by captain

[tsunkasapa]

Looks like real leather to me.

 

[captain]

46 minutes ago, tsunkasapa said:

Looks like real leather to me.

 

Thanks. I guess I'm a little worried the rough out part could be bonded leather. Very new to this and don't know how to tell genuine leather for sure.

Edited May 25, 2023 by captain

[Handstitched]

6 hours ago, tsunkasapa said:

Looks like real leather to me.

I second that  I have enough experience these days to tell the difference  .

@captain

The dark lines may well be  just sweat and/ or dirt  rubbed in .  You don't  want to scrub too much , otherwise any residue may come off onto clothing ...you don't want that . 

HS

[chrisash]

The term genuine leather is a marketing description and has no bearing on the quality or makeup of the leather, 

Chrome leather can be made from the whole hide as you may expect, but can also be sliced into different layers from the top layer to the layer below and the third layer, sometimes the middle layers are treated to a coating substance, all fall under Genuine leather as there is not international agreed code on what its called

Obviously the top layer is the best and what most people would expect to be buying, and the lower levels cheaper to buy

[lisanclark]

It can be difficult to determine if a piece of leather is genuine or not, especially when dealing with bleeding dye. One way to check is by examining the pores on the surface of the leather - genuine leather will have irregular and inconsistent pores while synthetic materials will often have consistent and uniform pores.

[Heartless]

imho, it is "genuine" leather, but it is not "top grain" leather..

it is a lower grade split that has been treated to look like top grain, as most commercial grade upholstery leather is

actually recently read something about the subject, just wish i could remember where I read it...

[tsunkasapa]

It looks like decent leather. "Genuine leather" is a boogie man that many like to kick around, without any real basis. What you are dealing with is upholstery that has seen hard use with no real care. It's probable that someone tried to refurbish it without any knowledge of what they were doing. I would clean it with saddle soap, rub it down good and give it a coat of Feibing's Leather Balm or Bee Natural's Leather Finish. I don't think you will ever get those lines and spots to look like the rest of it.

[captain]

36 minutes ago, tsunkasapa said:

It looks like decent leather. "Genuine leather" is a boogie man that many like to kick around, without any real basis. What you are dealing with is upholstery that has seen hard use with no real care. It's probable that someone tried to refurbish it without any knowledge of what they were doing. I would clean it with saddle soap, rub it down good and give it a coat of Feibing's Leather Balm or Bee Natural's Leather Finish. I don't think you will ever get those lines and spots to look like the rest of it.

Thanks! Would a balm/finish "seal" in the dye/finish that seems to be rubbing off with saddle soap?

[tsunkasapa]

With the two I mentioned, think 'car wax'. They will seal, but they are not permanent. I think the only way to stop rub off is to rub it until it stops coming off.

[TomE]

This thread has some useful information on refinishing upholstery.  @Wizcrafts mentioned this refinishing system https://www.wood-n-stuff.com/ that I'm thinking about trying on a faded red leather chair.

 

[captain]

Thanks for all of the input everybody!