Today, I'm honored to present an interview with a leather care man George Pavlisko Jr, owner of Leatehrique Restoration Products. Detailing-Community: Tell us a few words about yourself...? George Pavlisko Jr: My love of autos began as an apprentice to my dad who did ground up restorations of old pre war classics, including Auburns, Bentleys, Dusenbergs, Jags, Benz, BMW, and RR. I did all the most labor intensive tasks, including polishing bolts before replacing them. I learned to paint cars by using spray equipment to lay down a neat pattern with soap and water to wash the garage doors. The restoration of leather came about because of fierce competition in the car show circuit. There are always the guys who would “buy” their trophy by paying for new leather, and having someone else do the work. My dad did all his own work. Through trial and error working he formulated our products to actually restore the luxurious suppleness and deep clean leather as there was nothing on the market that could do that. The dyes were in response to my mom saying of the interior of our ’39 Bentley, “the car looks lovely George, too bad the interior is still that drab shade of brown. It would look much nicer a shade of green to match the paint”. So my dad formulated our safe water based dyes for leather when everything else was lacquer and set the industry standard for environmentally safe water based technology for leather restoration and color. DC: What made you start in the leather restoration business? GP: I became a chemist by education, but cars are my passion, and I always have a restoration or 2, or 3 or 4 that I’m working on and I love to help my friends with their cars. I can say that over my lifetime, I’ve owned or worked on just about every car out there. DC: How long have you been selling leather products? GP: Our business began unofficially in about 1960. By then my dad was sharing his leather Rejuvenator with close friends at car shows. The product was called “the silver can secret” because he shared the formulation in a sealed, lined silver can. As more people tried it and saw the dramatic results, they wanted more for other projects and shared the discovery with their friends. So a cottage industry was born within the car show circuit. The car enthusiast and car clubs have always been our biggest supporters and they know it takes time and love to get their cars looking their best so they will last for generations. We all know that with these fine classics we are only temporary custodians, and that in the future someone else will carry on the tradition of caring for them. Car enthusiasts always treat every car and motor vehicle they own like the prized possessions they are, and so we are always so happy to work with them. DC: What year did you start selling leather products? GP: Our business was official by the early 1960’s. In 1968 Adrian West, a dear family friend and beloved Rolls Royce enthusiast did a documented test of our complete process, and dubbed our products as “Simply the Best for Rolls Royce leather”. His results were published in the Flying Lady magazine and we still have copies of that original article. DC: What car do you drive? GP: I love to drive and presently am working on the restoration of several 928S Porsches. I was not able to find one with a decent interior, so besides the challenge of restoring the Porsches, I am working hard to get the interior looking it’s best. DC: How often do you clean your car? GP: It depends on how much time I have. DC: What leather restoration product do you like the most? GP: Our leather Rejuvenator is our signature item and has been amazing people with unmatched results for almost 50 years. Even if you are short of time and don’t do anything else for your leather, use the Rejuvenator 2-3 times year on new leather to maintain it and prevent it from becoming hard, dry and cracked, and on older leather. Older leather that has already become dry will require more coats. Also it is very important to keep the surface color intact on your leather finish. The surface color is there to present a stylish appearance, but it also protects the hides. Prior to about 1990, most leather had a surface sprayed lacquer finish. Newer leathers, by mandate of the EPA, have a safer, water based finish. The finish is water resistant, but not water proof, so it will easily absorb the nutrients in the Rejuvenator. There are areas of normal wear that you should look out for. These include the drivers bolster at the top and bottom which becomes abraded from sliding in and out, the arm rest from perspiration and rough fabrics from jackets abrading against them, as well as the bottom of the seat. These are areas of high wear and everyday fabrics like jeans and cords are like 600 grit sand paper rubbing against them. If you notice color disappearing from the surface, it is a simple matter to get a custom color dye to keep the surface fresh and intact. Also, prevent excess of water from soaking into your hides from open windows and sun roofs during rain. If your seals are becoming dry, it is cheaper to have the window and door seals replaced than to replace carpet, leather or to develop rust in your floor boards by moisture, snow, and rain from entering the cabin during driving. DC: Do you remember what was the first leather restoration product sell by you? GP: Yes, our world famous leather Rejuvenator. Can you tell us about it? It works because it is a leather specific complex of proteins and collagens that are absorbed directly into the hide. Our product does not sit on top of the surface and simply make the hides appear shiny as commercial stuff does. It will actually restore even cardboard leather to luxurious suppleness. From neglect, leather can get to a point where it mummifies and will disintegrate when you touch it, so it is important to start preventative maintenance of your leather as soon as possible. Even if you are addicted to the stuff you swear by that makes your leather shiny and has a smell you like, still take the time to use the Rejuvenator 2-3 times year to preserve the hides. Remember that leather is actually in two stratas, the actual hide which is a spongy tangle of protein based fibers, and then the top colored surface which protects the leather. The first step is to keep the hides supple as this is what gives the upholstery it’s strength when you sit on it. This is the strata that starts to crack as it becomes dry. The top surface is there to protect the hide. You should keep the color intact to protect the hide. DC: Can you describe the first experience of leather restoration? GP: My dad’s boat tail Auburn speedster, the leather appeared good as the older cars used nice thick top grain leather, but was hard as concrete when you touched it. It took about a month of applications, but we got the leather like new, and with a little work, the car won first place at Hershey against a guy who had spent thousands of dollars on a brand new interior. The 2-3 points we got for originality were what put us over the top with maintaining and preserving the original leather intact over the new non-original hides. DC: How many hours did it take for you to make your longest leather restoration project? GP: About a month for full absorption and restoration of the leather that was cardboard hard, most projects are not that severe and will only take a few days or a week to achieve luxurious suppleness and good health. DC: What does it take to be a very good detailer? GP: You must love your car, regardless of the year, make, or model, you must love your car and be willing to spend the time to learn about it, and care for it. A story my dad told was that he was always a motor head even as a kid. He served in our military in the motor pool, keeping our humvees humming. He was young, and enjoyed drinking and having fun with his buddies. One day as he and his buddies were walking into the local pub, the owner pulled up in an immaculate Packard. My dad admired the car and started a conversation with the owner about the mechanics of the car. Dad sad “someday I’d like to own a car like that”. The bar owner told him that he would never be able to do it if he continued to squander his money on liquor in taverns, and that while he appreciated my dad’s business, dad would need to sacrifice to save for what he wanted in life. It was a great life lesson, and my dad passed it on to me. So a nice car, like a good marriage, a nice house, a rewarding life, loyal friends all require work and sacrifice. You have to be willing to give up having so much fun and goofing off to spend time and treasure on what is important to you in life. If you want a nice car, you need to make the time for it just as you make time for your family, honey do list for your home, and fishing with your friends. DC: What should a newby do to become a good detailer? GP: Become educated on what different cars are made of. If your business is detailing, learn all you can about different cars. Cars have evolved over the years, and are made of different things. I spoke with a detailer recently who had no idea how to polish real chrome on a bumper of an older car. Also learn and be knowledgeable about aircraft, boats, and other items that you can detail in your business. You may be surprised that the guy who asks you to detail his car, may be so impressed with your knowledge of fine leather he may ask you to restore his leather furniture, motorcycle, or aircraft. Learn every day, as much as you can, and be patient. Also learn how to ask questions from the right people to get the detailed answers you need. For example, I work with people every day who ask the car sales man what parts of their new car are leather. The salesmen don’t know. You need to learn to call the manufacturer and speak with the engineer who designed the interior of the car, or who specified the details of the car to answer your questions in detail. Also many parts now are plastic or fiberglass and need to cleaned with more care than metal parts. DC: Do you think steam wash and waterless wash are benefice for the car? GP: Yes, waterless wash is great for car shows, quick detailing and as a way to save water in our environment. Steam wash is the only way to remove some heavy road grease without damaging paint and is great for dirty motors. DC: What other activities do you enjoy doing when you are not restore leather or selling products? GP: My life is almost totally about cars, restoration, and my family and friends who thankfully share my enthusiasm. Also to relax I enjoy working on my model train layout that takes up most of my basement. It is a work in progress, and I’ll be changing, upgrading, and adding scenery for years. We have a train club here in town and we meet once a week to run trains. For Christmas my family bought me an Xbox, so I’m enjoying many of the historic battle games, and CSI. DC: The care you like is ..... because ..... GP: I love them all! They are all different. DC: The car you like to clean the leather .... is because .... GP: The European cars, BMW, MB, RR, Bentley, Ferrari, Porsche, Volvo, and anything older and classic because the leather is excellent quality. DC: What do you like to restore the leather the most from: a everyday car or a super car? GP: They are all worthy of looking their best, and we should be proud of even our daily drivers as they speak to who we are and the confidence we have in ourselves and our lives. DC: Ferrari or Porsche? GP: I have owned and driven both, and they are both wonderful. DC: If you have something more to say, please do..... GP: I have enjoyed visiting with you, and am here for any specific technical questions. Kind regards, George Thank you George!
A very interesting read, thank you for posting! It is always cool how many of these companies came out of a personal need that could not be filled by the offerings of the time.
