What leather conditioner do you use?

[Forrest]

Old Horsehide: Any way to stop the cracking and creaking?

Hey Loungers, just wanted to pose a question to those more experienced than I. My awesome Sears Hercules halfbelt is in such terrific shape, but I'm noticing that the more I wear it, the more it is exhibiting tiny cracks in the surface layer of leather. I've already treated it once with Pecards, and I'm not really wanting to apply more so soon. Any thoughts as to how to minimize the cracking?

Also, this horsehide leather creaks loudly like no other. Any way to quiet it down?

Thanks much.

 

[shanghaitan]

Try Lexol. I had an old A2 that soaked up 6 applications of the stuff over a couple of weeks and it regained its old russet color (matching its color under the collar and pocket flaps) and the leather is now soft and supple.

 

[Mojo1975]

Dr. Jackson's Hide Rejuvenation is a lanolin-based colorless, odorless great way to bring old or new leathers back to life. We have to worry about killing 1940s cotton thread so we never try to use Lexol or anything else that I've heard questionable results with. You can get this above-mentioned stuff at Tandy Leathers and I'm convinced that it's the VERY BEST stuff around, whether it's for a new Aero, a 1940s Buco, a 1980s Vanson, or, really, anything leather...even if it's stitched with cotton thread (a few of the "new" jacket manufacturers still use cotton thread for authenticity...it might be cotton-wrapped polyester)...

 

[Philalethes]

Humidifier?

Here's an idea I would like to float to be reviewed by the experts: put your jacket in a small room (like a bathroom) with a humidifier on high for about 2 hours. I did this a couple times with an old jacket, and it helped loosen it up immensely. However, don't leave it in too long: I left it in overnight with the humidifier on low, and the jacket became musky smelling (fortunately, some leather conditioner took this out). Curious what others think.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Pecards only

Pecards is the stuff you don;t need any other form of dressing or treatment. They use it in the Smithsonian Inst for antique leather to stop it cracking.

A further thin coat then heated with a blow dryer to get it into the leather ought to do it.

Old leather is strange stuff. If the jacket had dried out for years the cracks may only show on wearing. You can't reverse cracking but creases are your friend.

For peace of mind it might be best to seek the advice of a leather restorer

 

[PADDY]

Used this on my leather car seats and jackets. Great stuff with wonderful leather aroma! My little secret and very like the old Connollys Preserver. Ignore the somewhat naff "boy racer / cheap sexy deodorant look to the bottle! It's the contents that matter.

 

[PADDY]

Admin - Threads merged. Paddy.

 

[scotrace]

Pecards. Period. And don't direct a blow dryer at anything made of leather.

 

[Forrest]

Thanks for merging the threads. I have since treated the jacket a second time with Pecards and it made a huge difference. I 'm trying not to apply too much conditioner at once. The creaking has gone away almost completely, and the Pecards has sunk into the cracked surface. How often is too often for treatment? If it starts cracking again in a few months, should I apply more conditioner?

 

[Evian]

I use baby oil and sometimes Vaseline Petroleum Jelly. It softens and shines my vintage jackets.

 

[Peacoat]

I use baby oil and sometimes Vaseline Petroleum Jelly. It softens and shines my vintage jackets.

See Scot's post above (#128).

 

[Sillyrib]

Been trying different products and here's my findings so far.

pecards antique leather dressing- leaves a sticky residue and a white film after use. The effect rubs off. It is a waxy type conditioner. It protects the leather and does a good job at water proofing. Good product. I think many people over do it with this stuff though. People say the smithsonian uses it. I would take that with a grain of salt. I believe the quote was something like we use a very light application of it on a few things.

Lexol leather conditioner- very watery conditioner that can easily soak through a leather jacket and stain the lining. Be sure not to overdo it. I dont like that it is so liquid though, kind of like the opposite of pecards. It isnt oily at all and while it does moisturize, I'm not sure how lasting the effect is.

Neatsfoot oil- oil made from cow hoofs I believe. It is basically pure oil and puts a nice shine on leather and moistens it. Been used forever on leather products. Beware that most of the stuff out there is synthetic. Get only pure natural neatsfoot. The other stuff can damage the threading in your coat. However, it has an awful smell that lasts a few weeks.

Blackmagic leather conditioner- used for leather car seats. I would stay away from this stuff since I think it has some UV protectants in it. It also makes leather slippery like wax.

Olive Oil- used to use this on saddles and worked fine. Some people say there is a danger that it will go rancid. I think if you live in a dry climate you dont have to worry. It will darken the leather though.

Hydrophane leather darkening oil- works to darken the leather but the color does come off I found when using a leather cleaner. Otherwise it is an oil based conditioner.

Leather CPR- cream based conditioner. Almost like hand lotion. Does a very good job of moistening leather . Beware that this stuff is also a cleaner and will really take any artificial/surface color off of leather. fine for your basic chrome tanned. Not the best idea with heavily tanned black jackets either.

My conclusion is to use a cream based conditioner to start with on a dry leather jacket.(Leather CPR). Wait a few days, apply again. Then put on a coat of Pecards. Let sit over night and use an old t-shirt to wipe away the excess and buff the jacket until it has gotten the look that you want. If you use the Leather CPR again after that, it will wipe away the Pecards surface and you need to reapply. Also, for really dry jackets you will shocked at the amount of stuff they will absorb. I think I almost doubled the weight of one really dry jacket!

 

[Trust But Verify]

Leather Care & Conditioning Re-Up

Hi - I thought that a fresh thread with a consolidation of some leather care-related resources might be in order.

Leather conditioners worth trying:
- Pecard Leather Dressing
- Dr. Jackson's Hide Rejuvenator
- Zymol (cleaner and treatment)

Links to some (hopefully) useful articles (just remove the underscore in front of the links below):
_http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Clean-Vintage-Leather-Apparel&id=3659459
_http://www.mademan.com/mm/how-clean-vintage-motorcycle-jackets.html
_http://www.helium.com/items/849317-how-to-care-for-a-leather-jacket
_http://www.ehow.com/how_2086288_care-leather-jacket.html
_http://vintageclothing.about.com/od/alterationcare/a/leather_care.htm

Since the process of tanning leather removes a lot of the natural oils and moisture, you always want to use cleaners and conditioners that are not solvent-based. Anything solvent-based will just accelerate the leather drying out more.

And remember that treated/coated leathers, waxy leathers and totally untreated (naked) leathers, all have different maintenance and care needs.

Under no circumstances should a product like Armor-All be used - this will destroy your favorite new or vintage leather very quickly.

I hope that these resources prove helpful!
Cheers!

 

[aswatland]

This has been discussed many times before. Here's the relevant thread, which has much useful information in it.

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?44676-What-leather-conditioner-do-you-use

 

[scotrace]

Thanks aswatland for saving me the trouble of looking it up.

 

[Trust But Verify]

Kiwi leather protector, Cole Haan leather protector, or the like should do fine. The Kiwi is aerosol and the Cole Haan pump sprayer, both will protect and make your lamb easy to clean. Apply according to instructions. To clean, just wipe with sponge or microfiber towel damp with distilled water (no minerals that would harden leather).
I use a regimen tha involves leather protector, lanolin based lexol cleaner, and lexol conditioner(when necessary). Your leather garments will age gracefully.

Cole Haan possibly, but I'd avoid Kiwi, since it is solvent based. If you're hooked up with Lexol or another lanolin regimen then you're fine. Anytime you do a cleaning phase you should also do a conditioning phase.

 

[Jaguar66]

This has been discussed many times before. Here's the relevant thread, which has much useful information in it.

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?44676-What-leather-conditioner-do-you-use

This link takes you back to the beginning of this thread, (as a result of threads merged).

 

[aswatland]

This link takes you back to the beginning of this thread, (as a result of threads merged).

Sounds quite logical and sensible to me.

 

[HDRnR]

I've had great success with Montana Pitch Blend, I've used it on boots and jackets. I think its one of the best products out there and is all natural.

 

[Dixon Cannon]

URAD leather creme. http://www.urad.com/DetailsListEng.cfm?ID=1

-dixon cannon