You better check what material the side panels are before you try anything. If they are vinyl like most of the Corbin seats, it won't take the dye or polish like the leather does and then you will have a two-tone seat. Which might not be too bad either though!

 

 

If u try to darken it, do a small part of the underside first. That way you can see if the vinyl will take the dye and what the color looks like. Hey, if u try it and it sux, you can always have it recovered!

 

The mink oil is the way to go. But it will not do anything for the sides. My gunfighter is only leather on the seating surface Mink oil if you ever oiled a ball glove you will know what to expect. GL

 

Thanks for the replies gents. I heard mink oil will also not fully absorb and end up leaving the seat oily. There's a couple of local horse and feed type stores around that sell saddles. Maybe I should check with them? I don't know for sure if the sides are vinyl or leather so I might have to find that out first if possible.

 

Was getting ready to say the same thing. The sitting sections of the seat are leather but the panels in between are vinyl and won't absorb the leather dye and you will end up with a two tone seat.

 

True ..

 

It is very difficult to apply a rub on polish and get leather to darken evenly. If the side panels are vinyl, then any color will sit on the surface and not penetrate as it will on leather. It takes a lot of effort and care to darken leather using pastes or oils. It usually takes 4 or 5 coats to get it dark enough that the blotches start to disappear.

My advice:
1. Learn to love the color, it will darken naturally with just general applications of leather care products.
2. Talk to Corbin. If they tell you how to do it, do it that way.
3. If you do it yourself, you probably will not like the result
4. Get it recovered, which is what you will end up doing if you try and darken/change it yourself.

This is why black is so popular, it is the same, if it darkens it looks the same, if the dye is uneven it still looks the same.

Brown leathers look good, but only when they are matched and new. They age poorly (color matched wise) There are thousands of shades of brown and any two panels, unless from the same animal will dye differently unless vat dyed. Leather takes brown dyes unevenly, so expect streaks, spots, and places that just seem resistant to color change.

I have attempted this in the past and while I got it to barely satisfactory, next time I will get it recovered and end up saving myself time and money and have a better looking and lasting product.

 

I polished boots and shoes for many years. Changed colors for folks many times. Leather and vinyl are 2 different materials They will react differently no mater what. Leather seats in the most part has a coating, called sheen. It will allow chemicals to penetrate as where vinyl will do it less.
In other words you may end up with a 2 tone color.
If mink oil is staying oily you applied too much. Use small doses at a time and allow it it sink in. I use a liquid mink oil for saddles. The paste is a pain to get to soak up good. It will through time though. It takes heat. Like sunshine.
Personally I would not do anything, it will darken through time anyway.

 

I think the color looks good as well. If you want to darken it I would use a leather dye. Tandy has some gel type that goes on pretty easy.
http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/e...ye.aspx?pg=all