Leather care

[johnnygeep]

Hello,

I posted this in response to a member asking how to care for his artillery rig leather. I am not an expert but have some experience with this. Feel free to comment or add your own thoughts and experiences.

Regarding the leather care, first and foremost, all leather care products are bad for leather. Initially they may clean it up and make it look good but long term they will cause faster deterioration. Mink oil, saddle soap, neatsfoot oil, gun oil, petroleum distillates (the worst),etc…all bad.

A few years ago I managed to get in touch, by phone, with a restoration person at the Smithsonian. She confirmed this. Her basic comment was "do nothing". She was very insistent on this. When pressed a little she said that on very fragile items they use a product (can't remember the brand) that contains a silicon or acrylic base. Apparently it is very thin and soaks into the leather to bond the fibers together. This preserves the item but basically renders it unusable. Of course, it was probably unusable to start.

Another point, oil evaporates. Not very fast but it does. The oils used to tan leather will evaporate and leave the piece dry, stiff and subject to damage if used. Even unissued, never used leather items will dry out. So if you want to use it then the oils need to be replaced.

Now having said that, from my own experience I have used two products that seem to work well and do minimal harm. One was a product called “ British Museum Leather Dressing” by Fisher Scientific Company. They don’t make this anymore.

The other is Pecards Leather dressing. Pecards seems to be the best choice and used/recommended by most. It is a very thick paste. It will darken leather. Some stores carry it or you can buy it online. Unless you have a garage full of old leather buy the small container. A little goes a long way.

When working with your leather items first scrub your hands to remove oils and acids. Or, better, wear surgical gloves. Two techniques I use are as follows. One is for the outside of the leather, the other for the inside/backside.

Lightly warm the leather dressing container in a bowl of warm water to soften it. Not hot, this will cook your leather and it is ruined. Touch it to your wrist. If it feels hot it is too hot.

For the outside leather rub a small amount of dressing onto your hands. Then lightly rub over the outside of the piece. If you use only a small amount it will not significantly darken the leather.

My personal preference is to apply the dressing to the inside of the item. This will add the oils but not darken the outside. Again rub a small amount of dressing onto your hands. Now apply to the inside of the item.

With both techniques you will want to try to get into every crack and cranny. Don’t worry about this. You will end up putting too much dressing in these areas and causing a dark color mismatch. The oils will soak and spread out.

An added note...I have also tried a product called “Leather New Deep Conditioner, Replenisher/Restorer”. I found this at a tack shop. It says it has no petroleum distillates and is all natural. I wrote the company to find out the ingredients but they only gave a vague reply stating that “it has no petroleum distillates and is all natural”. Thank you very much! It has a mink oil smell to it and is a thin oil. I have used it as is out of the bottle and have tested mixing it with the Pecards to thin it out. Is it “good” for leather? (remember…according to the expert everything is bad long term) I don’t know, but it seems ok. Again, apply it lightly using the same technique above. Don’t pour it on your leather!

Remove any excess dressing. There really shouldn’t be any if done right. Remember, small amounts, lightly applied. Now, walk away. Let the item naturally absorb the oils. This could take days or weeks. If you feel you need to add more dressing or touchup some spots you missed wait a few days between applications. Several light coats are better than a couple heavy coats.

Again, all leather care products are bad over the long term. And my legal disclaimer is to recommend doing nothing as was recommended to me by the expert at the Smithsonian. But if you want to use an item and follow the techniques above you should only cause minimal damage. Will collectors two hundred years from now curse you…maybe, but it is yours to own and enjoy. The choice is up to you.

[wlyon]

I think I can hear Jerry Burney lurking in the bushes. Bill

[lew1]

Maybe having a stroke.

[lugerholsterrepair]

I used to spend untold hours writing thousands of words countering people's ideas about leather care. I find it is a hopeless task. If a person actually cares there is plenty of information out there to search for..plenty on this Forum actually. Then you have to decide which way to go.
One good piece of advice from Johnny's article. Don't put anything on it if possible.

[johnnygeep]

Hello,

Well in the interest of everyones health....Feel free to remove this post. Last thing I want to do is cause wailing and teeth gnashing, much less a stroke. }:>P``` (There's the tongue hanging with a little drool)

I will add this, though, why would anyone actually want to use their original pieces when there are so many cheap and pretty decent repros out nowadays. Realize that when I started collecting "stuff" there were no repros unless you made it yourself. So we used the originals.

Well..nuff said... I am going to go cry myself to sleep.

[cirelaw]

The reason this 106 year old holster look so good is because it never was treated by chemicals or other abuses and this lived through all of world war one. PS I never have seen a reverse upside down strap!

[lew1]

Originally Posted by johnnygeep

Hello,

Well in the interest of everyones health....Feel free to remove this post. Last thing I want to do is cause wailing and teeth gnashing, much less a stroke. }:>P``` (There's the tongue hanging with a little drool)

I will add this, though, why would anyone actually want to use their original pieces when there are so many cheap and pretty decent repros out nowadays. Realize that when I started collecting "stuff" there were no repros unless you made it yourself. So we used the originals.

Well..nuff said... I am going to go cry myself to sleep.

I used Pecards once. Then I learned.

So don't feel bad. The purpose of the boards is to help each other out. And unless questions are asked or matters are posted, such cannot occur.

And there is levity between members. My reference to a stroke was merely an attempt to have some fun with Jerry. I do apologize as I should not have done it with someone who is new.

[cirelaw]

Looks like I will need more than one! IN 2003I fell in Jaco Beach Costa Rica, bashing my head in my majogany bedframe resulting in 3 month of deep coma.My present wife Debbie prevented my second from pulling me of life suport and collecting $300,000. in life insurance. Now all of that had to happen for me being here hanging with You my friends! We are all very lucky. Yes The Dear Lord has a sence of Humor! At least my lugers survived one divorse!