Semi-Aniline Leather

“A leather in which the base coat of the finish contains finish but later coats contain only dye, or contrasting pigment, to give a two-tone appearance, designed to imitate aniline leather”

Pros Natural in appearance if produced well Prestigious Imitates Aniline Improved maintainability Improved light fastness Less colour variation

Cons Less natural than aniline Commercially difficult to produce well Two tone colour can wear away in high use areas.

Identifying Semi-Aniline Leathers

The Magnifying Glass Test

Looking at a semi-aniline leather through a magnifying glass will look quite similar to an aniline. The hair follicle holes are slightly visible (as indentations) but you will notice a thin pigmented coating covering them. Some semi-anilines have thicker coatings than others and so the holes may not always be identifiable.

The Absorption Test

Drip a small amount of leather cleaner or water on to the semi-aniline leather. It will sit on the surface so dab it with a piece of cloth to absorb the liquid. You will notice that the leather will absorb a very small amount of this liquid, this shows by a slightly darker patch. It can take between 3 – 4 minutes for a semi-aniline to absorb a drop of cleaner.

The Touch Test

Semi-aniline feels quite natural and soft to the touch. The finish is often smooth and you can feel the lacquered surface, which makes the leather semi slippery compared to an aniline.

The Visual Test

The colour of a semi-aniline will look quite uniform, not as varied as aniline and not as uniform as pigmented. The grain pattern will be natural looking as only a thin pigmented coating is applied. You may be able too see natural markings, but you will have to look closely to spot them. A semi-aniline is often two toned but this two tone effect can sometimes be very slight and so hard to spot.

If you do not maintain the leather using the leather protection cream, the top coat of colour can wear off in high use areas. To make the leather last longer, apply the protection cream once every three months to reduce friction and so, stop the colour wearing away as quickly.

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