Hints & Tips The first thing to keep in mind is that you will be trying to repair a surface that has been damaged. A repair will always be just that...a repair...but that shouldn't stop you from trying your best to make the damaged area look like it was never there. You'll know it's a repair... but your friends won't! Some damage simply can't be repaired for several reasons, the area is too large, a big piece of material is completely missing.   You'll need to judge for yourself..."Should I try to repair this damage or should it really be replaced by an upholsterer?" See our before and after pictures (at the bottom of the page) to help in determining some of the extent of damage that can be repaired. Feel free to ask for our opinion if you are unsure. Seams---our repair compound will not repair seams. Meaning it will not work on the stitched part of the seam. It will work on cracking that goes right up to the seam. Tech tip: You can repair the actual seam with Super Glue. It's tricky though. Because Super Glue dries incredibly fast, you'll need to first practice pressing the two sides together so you know exactly where you want the sides to grasp on to each other. Once you've determined that, you apply a thin line of Super Glue on only one side of the seam then quickly press and hold the two sides together. It should be completely dry in about 10-15 seconds. If you can find "thick" Super Glue, we recommend using it because it takes longer to dry and will give you a little bit of extra positioning time. Depending on the extent of the damage you have whether its a tear, cigarette burn, cat scratch or wear spot, each repair may turn out differently. Most of your repairs will turn out so nicely that you'll never know that there has been a repair. Others you may be able to see when you look closely. Color-Flex will dry darker or lighter than the color you see in the bottle. Be sure to shake the bottle for at least 1 minute to completely mix the color. Also, we recommend that you test the color by applying a small amount on an inconspicuous area before you decide that you ordered the wrong color and send it back for an exchange. This will save you time, money and aggravation in having to return the color. Since the color you ordered may not be exactly the same as what you are trying to match (but if it's close), we recommend that you lightly blend the surrounding area. This painter’s trick allows your eye to be fooled into seeing one consistent color. Keep in mind, color tends to look a bit more intense when applied to a small surface. We recommend blending an area at least 12" around the repaired area. The more you blend the area, the less your eye will be drawn to the actual repair. Ideal working temperature is between 75 - 85 degrees. If working outdoors in cooler temperatures, warm the item that you are going to repair with a blow dryer. If your repair is in a vehicle, turn on the heater and warm up the inside so that the surface you're going to repair will be warm. DO NOT allow your vehicle to run in a closed in area like your garage without opening the large garage door.  On an 80 degree day, Magic Mender repair compound & Color-Flex dry to the touch in about 10-15 minutes, and cure completely in 24 hours. You can accelerate this time by using a blow dryer, but do not let the heat get closer than 18 inches to the surface. Allowing the heat closer than this will result in the surface cracking.  If you have a repair that has a fiber or foam filling but it is missing, you can use a small piece of cotton as a filler, before you add your sub-patch. Fine Mist Sprayer: Used to apply a final "mist" coat to your repair. This is an optional step in the repair process, but it does make it a bit easier to blend in colors. Please keep in mind this is not an aerosol sprayer so the mist will not be quite as fine. However, for most purposes it works quite adequately. If you are repairing a fairly large area and would like to use a sprayer, we recommend using a" Preval" sprayer. Preval sprayers can be found in most hardware stores. They will screw right on to our Color-Flex bottle. About aerosol sprayers: Unfortunately due to new strict FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) regulations, we have decided that we will no longer offer aerosol sprayers as an option to our kits. Many people still don't know that it is illegal to ship aerosol sprayers by air and we felt that it would be in our customers best interest not to sell them. The problem arises when an aerosol sprayer is returned. If you would accidentally ship it back to us by air, and it is discovered during shipping, you can be fined---a sizeable fine. The minimum fine is $250, the maximum is $27,500 per occurrence. You read that correctly, that's twenty-seven-thousand-five-hundred! We don't want to see that happen to anyone, so we figured it just wasn't worth the risk for you or us. We're sure you'll understand why we've made this decision and hope that it won't be an inconvenience for you. Aerosol sprayers do an excellent job though and if you would like to use one, they can be found at most hardware stores. Preval sprayers will attach right to our Color Flex bottle.   Sprayer clogging? If the spray tip clogs, clean it with rubbing alcohol. Sometimes there is too much pigment in the bottle of Color-Flex making it impossible for the color to be drawn up into the sprayer tube. This can be remedied by adding 1 tablespoon of either water or rubbing alcohol to the bottle of color. If your Color-Flex seems thick after it has been stored, you can add a little rubbing alcohol to it, 1 tablespoon should be enough. DO NOT mix Color-Flex with any other coatings or paint!  Color-Flex is a specialty product and adding anything other than water or rubbing alcohol will turn it into something resembling mush. If your leather is dry, before you attempt any repairs, we suggest that you first give it a good cleaning and conditioning.  Using a wash cloth, clean with liquid soap and water. Allow the conditioner to penetrate for at least 24 hours. Repeat this process again if more absorption is required. It may be helpful to first sand the dry areas with 320 grit sandpaper to open up the pores and to smooth any previous coating that has dried out and cracked.