What do you use on your leather?

TheIndifferent1

TheIndifferent1

CGN frequent flyer
EE Expired
Rating - 100%
5   0   0
I read the thread about cleaning leather slings and wanted to get some more opinions.

I went to the local tack store today (Peterborough Tack, excellent store with great prices) and talked to one of the ladies there. Under her suggestion, I picked up some Fiebings saddle soap and a half liter of Lexol conditioner/preservative. I also picked up a bottle of pure neatsfoot oil, but she cautioned against using it, saying it can make the leather much darker and has also been known over time to rot stitching. She said that everyone has their own opinion on neatsfoot, and just wanted to let me know.

Here's the website for Lexol: http://www.lexol.com/lexol.html

I want to condition my Ross bayonet scabbard/frog as it has gotten quite hard and has some cracks starting to form. I also have my No 7 bayonet frog which has dried out and started to crack as well. Besides those, I also have some leather belts and a ka-bar leather sheath to treat.

What did they use back in WWI for leather? Should I use the Lexol or the neatsfoot oil? Any reason not to clean these pieces with saddle soap first? I don't want to damage anything obviously, I just want to keep the leather from degrading.
 
Oddly enough, I've had good luck with the Tama leather paste-wax they sell at Aldo stores for use on Doc Martin shoes. It's all natural and doesn't appreciably darken leather. It's a PITA to put on though and you have to buff it off again.

Most museums use pecards.

I would avoid neatsfoot oil. I've heard too many horror stories.
 
I'll take a look for some Pecards.

What have you heard about neatsfoot oil Claven? rotting stitching or other stories?

I'm going to try out this Lexol on my kabar sheath and see how it does. If it doesn't turn out well on there I'm not particularly concerned.

Any idea what the troops used in WWI and WWII?



Edit: Just used the Lexol on my Ka-Bar sheath. It had been over a year since it was last oiled and was kinda try (it's not broken in, so the leather's stiff anyways). The Lexol has the consistency of milk and went on very easily. The leather soaked it right up - less than a minute and the leather looked try. I'm sick at the moment so I cannot comment on the smell. I'm going to let it sit for an hour or so and then go over it with a dry cloth. If it turns up dry I'll put more lexol in it and see how it looks tomorrow. The sheath is light in colour but there has been no appreciable change in tone of the leather once the stuff dried.
 
Last edited:
Actually Pecards will cause a build up. Almost like a wax.

There is no magic cure for leather, and that is the curator's dilemma.

Vaseline is safe to use on children's skin, and that's all leather is, dried skin. It will add a bit of moisture to most leather, however understand that you can never reverse any damage that has been done.

With any type of preservative use a small amount and work it in by hand, then let it soak in, days if neccessary. Continue adding small amounts until it won't disappear any more. Again wipe off any excess.
 
koldt said:
Actually Pecards will cause a build up. Almost like a wax.

There is no magic cure for leather, and that is the curator's dilemma.

Vaseline is safe to use on children's skin, and that's all leather is, dried skin. It will add a bit of moisture to most leather, however understand that you can never reverse any damage that has been done.

With any type of preservative use a small amount and work it in by hand, then let it soak in, days if neccessary. Continue adding small amounts until it won't disappear any more. Again wipe off any excess.
Click to expand...


I find vaseline leaves things tacky and lets them attract dirt. Never used it on leather though. I do understand the cracks that are there will not go away, I just want to keep them from getting worse (they aren't bad at all, very superficial) and hopefully return some pliability to the leather which has gone hard.

I'm assuming it'll take a lot of applications with whatever I use to restore the moisture to these pieces, as they are quite dry. I can't even remove the scabbard from the frog because the leather moves so little.
 
I heat the leather to 120 F then I rub in vaseline. I repeat this process until it will not absorb any more vaseline.
The exsess vaseline can be rubbed off.
This works great as a waterproofing on leather boots.

I have also been told that mineral oil will work as well
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom