Looking after leather ?

Questions and tips about taking care of the weapons we collect and shoot.

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dromia
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Looking after leather ?

Post by dromia » Sun Nov 30, 2003 5:47 pm

What do you guys use to look after leather slings and such like?





I'm a saddle soap sort of person myself as thats what we used for our tack on the croft.





I seem to remember reading some where that saddle soap and neats foot oil, only posh people used that when I was kid waaay toooo expensive, was ultimately bad for leather, gave it cancer or something.





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Strangely Brown
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Re: Looking after leather ?

Post by Strangely Brown » Wed Dec 03, 2003 8:38 pm

I have been given some stuff that the British Museum and the V&A both use. No trade name for it as I was given a small dollop in a medicine bottle, it has been very good.


I actually wrote a small article for Dispatches (LERA) about reviving old bandoleers after they had shrunk and recommended Neats Foot oil.


I believe that Neats Foot oil in it's old form actually rotted the stitching, in it's current form some of the oils have been replaced by modern chemicals (so it's only the user that gets cancer now!).


I will try and get the trade name of the Museum stuff for you.

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Re: Looking after leather ?

Post by Strangely Brown » Fri Dec 05, 2003 8:29 pm

I can not get the name of this stuff but it's sold in the British Museum, and apparently by book binders!


Best used if the leather is dry but if you just want to keep it supple than good old saddle soap takes some beating.

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Re: Looking after leather ?

Post by oklahomaman » Fri Dec 05, 2003 9:08 pm

I just <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>try</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> not to pee on my slings! lol





I really don't do anything to slings, I either use them or I don't and if their rotten to start with, I either chunk them or hang them up out of the way to make exact replacements of later. I have used both saddle soap and neatsfoot oil and they both work well and I know that neither are harmful to leather, especially neatsfoot oil, it's what the leather manufacturer uses when they make it.





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1bolo
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Re: Looking after leather ?

Post by 1bolo » Thu Feb 05, 2004 1:04 pm

You want a product called LEXOL.Best stuff there is for cleaning and preserving leather goods.

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jfw6265
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leather care

Post by jfw6265 » Wed Oct 20, 2004 10:23 am

The problem with neatsfoot oil is that not only will it rot stitching butit is very easy to apply too much, especially to already dry and old leather. The result is still stiff leather which oozes oil for the rest of its existence. Lexol is a water-based liquid, as are aoto-upholstery treatments and can also rot stitching; one needs to be careful when using them.


For old, antique leather, the best stuff is either the British Museum formula or the US-made Pecard's


antique leather formula. The first is a liquid, the latter a grease or dubbin. Both are designed as preservatives. Neither is really supposed to restore the leather to usable condition; they restore the moisture and oils to the leather, but can do nothing to restore its strength.


For usable leather, I use a light surface cleaning with a slightly damp rag (water and mud are the most common enemies of leather) and Castile Soap, followed by a well-rubbed-in (especially in all folds and bends) coating of Saddle grease (from the local tack/saddle shop), followed by another surface cleaning with a slightly damp rag and glycerine saddle soap. This last removes the dirt-catching grease from the surface of the leather.


CAUTION: This aproach is frequently identified as potentially destructive to old, antique leather as its components are not restorative/preservative. This caution especially applies to thin old leathers, such as the suspension systems in WW II German helmets.


Hope this helps some. Cheers.

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Re: leather care

Post by dromia » Tue Oct 26, 2004 4:05 pm

Thganks for that JFW most informative and useful. :D;

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Re: leather care

Post by m1 talker » Tue Oct 26, 2004 9:49 pm

I just wish that I had known of what JFW posted a couple years ago! Oh well, learn the hard way, I guess.





I went overboard on Neetsfoot Oil on a couple of leather ammo pouches and slings and still regret it each time I look at them.


Curt

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Post by sunray » Sat Jun 25, 2005 10:27 pm

Plain old warm soapy water works. Air dry, followed by regular shoe polish. Shoe polish has waxes in it that protect the leather and water proofs it. Saddle soap is usually used for getting sweat(both horse and human) salts off the leather. Neets foot oil is a water proofing for boots. So is dubbin and mink oil.
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