Adhesive migration – Glue migration

Leather stained by adhesive migration – glue migration

Glue migration occurs on various leather objects. Sometimes seams are fixed during the production process by glueing, or foam parts are glued to leather or imitation leather before stitching. Unsuitable adhesives or adhesives that are applied too thickly migrate through the leather over time, causing dark spots on the surface. This penetrating adhesive cannot be "cleaned" as the stains are not on the surface. They are inside the material. Objects that are affected by this problem can rarely be repaired.

Glue migration in a leather jacket.

Glue migration in pockets of a coat made of nubuck.

Glue migration on chairs, in a handbag and in leather furniture made of buffalo leather.

Glue migration in leather boots.

Glue migration in Mercedes S350.

Glue migration in sun visors of a Mercedes.

To avoid such damage, appropriate adhesives must be selected, and these should not be applied too thickly. Apply thinly, dry and then glue under pressure.

Repairing adhesive migration by colouring in the leather workshop

Professional leather repair shops can remove such stains. First, the stains have to be covered with COLOURLOCK Blocker. The blocker prevents the stain penetrating through the newly-applied layer of colour. As the stains migrate through the leather, they can also migrate through pigment based leather colours and become visible again. Thick colour layers make the leather plastic-like. Spraying thin layers of colour allows the leather to retain its natural grip.