What leather conditioner do you use?

[Sloan1874]

Should be our theme song:
http://youtu.be/0k-pWo8qrLc

Brilliant!

 

[avsmusic1]

http://www.leatherhoney.com
This has been great on my shoes boots and briefcase. Don't see why it wouldn't work for a jacket but was just wondering if anyone had used it

 

[Monitor]

Anyone knows where to get Obenauf's in Europe? eBay is useless, most sellers don't want to ship to EU and ones that do charge way too much for the shipping (twice the price of the product).

 

[Stand By]

http://www.leatherhoney.com
This has been great on my shoes boots and briefcase. Don't see why it wouldn't work for a jacket but was just wondering if anyone had used it

I used it on my ELC 1942 Patt. Irvin - with great success. The leather had that dried-out "aged" finish that never impressed me (and yet I loved everything else about the jacket) and I tried all sorts of conditioners on it and it just drank the lot of whatever I used and then reverted to its intended finish in no time.
So then I ordered some Leather Honey online and I warmed it (as per instructions) and applied it - and it completely and instantly nourished the jacket and gave it a semi-gloss finish, which I always wanted. It faded slightly in time, but the Leather Honey seemed to give the leather a base on which the Renapur I use could now settle and not disappear. So these days, I'm much happier with my Irvin than ever before - thanks to the Leather Honey. It has a nice, rich finish and doesn't look dried out anymore.
I took photos but have just realized that my camera is at home - and I'm on vacation in UT for a week as of today, so I'll post photos of the before-and-after images I originally took when I get back.
But Leather Honey is good stuff in my book.

 

[Monitor]

How come none of that good, natural stuff doesn't seem to outside of the US? I was reading today how Pecard, being petroleum based, actually eats away the leather fibers & ruins leather in the long run. So does mineral oil, apparently. Animal fat also isn't good but propolis is. Something I'm not entirely buying at but having no comparison of my own, I'd really love to give that Obenauf's a go to see what the difference is.

 

[handymike]

Obenauf's is good stuff, but it did leave a shine on my Redwing boots.

 

[Rabbit]

Oberauf's sell from their factory on bloody amazon.

How come none of that good, natural stuff doesn't seem to outside of the US? I was reading today how Pecard, being petroleum based, actually eats away the leather fibers & ruins leather in the long run. So does mineral oil, apparently. Animal fat also isn't good but propolis is. Something I'm not entirely buying at but having no comparison of my own, I'd really love to give that Obenauf's a go to see what the difference is.

I don't know, I wouldn't rely too much on hearsay like that. For one thing, Pecard, being a cream/paste, has to be a mixed emulsion (meaning both an emulsion and a suspension) based on water and a solvent. The water part is much bigger than the solvent part. Also, the petroleum stuff evaporates soon after application, much sooner than the water does. While it's in contact with the leather it might do something, but I doubt there would be any long term effects.
Hard wax, which doesn't penetrate beneath the top layer, is based on a solvent only; no water here. That can be petroleum stuff (Kiwi hard wax) or turpentine (Burgol hard wax), a natural product.

There doesn't seem to be a full list of ingredients available for most any of these wonder products...

I use Lexol for conditioning. It apparently contains no petroleum solvents or silicones. It's obviously a suspension, meaning based on water instead of solvents (or very little solvent, if any); that's why you have to shake the bottle before using it. Being water based, it penetrates fully into the hide, then the water evaporates fairly quickly. After 1-3 days under normal room temperatures and humidity, the water is all gone. If I want to do a thorough job of it, I add (after the Lexol is dried and polished!) Saphir cream and/ or a thin layer of Burgol hard wax, that's a carnauba wax in turpentine solvent. The hardest wax of all, apparently. It's very good for rain resistance.

I'm still curious if Obenauf's is really that good at preventing mildew as advertised.

 

[Seb Lucas]

How come none of that good, natural stuff doesn't seem to outside of the US? I was reading today how Pecard, being petroleum based, actually eats away the leather fibers & ruins leather in the long run. So does mineral oil, apparently. Animal fat also isn't good but propolis is. Something I'm not entirely buying at but having no comparison of my own, I'd really love to give that Obenauf's a go to see what the difference is.

I doubt that Pecards causes harm. Many have used it for 20-30 plus years and seen no break down of leather. I think this story stems from an almost superstitious fear of petroleum. Along with what Rabbit says above, the product is pH neutral which is critical to the safety of the product. I have seen mink oil and other natural products destroy stitching and go rancid in jackets. John Chapman uses ordinary Vaseline which is also petroleum based. And pH neutral.

 

[zebedee]

Renapur. Small tub lasts for ages.

 

[nick123]

I use Obenauf's but it definitely does darken the leather (will slightly lighten over time) and will leave it feeling waxy if overdone, which I always seem to do. But it seems to work well enough.

 

[Monitor]

Rabbit, thanks for clearing that up! My understanding of chemistry may be extremely limited but even I know that petroleum would evaporate very quickly - or at least that it should stick around long enough to do some profound damage to the leather.

For what it's worth, while it didn't have any significant effect on the LL jacket once it completely dried up/got absorbed, Pecard basically transformed my Chippewa service boots! After just one, extremely light application of the stuff, the boots appear much shinier, became noticeably softer and the grain/wrinkles in the leather really did appear! I've read of this happening but never quite got the effect until now. There was some white residue forming in the creases, which I wiped off & now the boots look better than ever.
To be perfectly honest, I think that Pecard simply evaporated from the LL Phantom completely and didn't really penetrate the extremely rough top coat of the jacket at all. The jacket was greasy for a few days and then the stuff was gone... It did clean it, though but still, I should try something else on that jacket.

 

[Rabbit]

Monitor, I haven't read the whole thread so I wouldn't know what the others had to say on Lexol, but you could give Lexol conditioner a try. It's cheap and sells in 1 liter and 3 liter canisters. Shake the canister, pour some stuff into a shallow bowl, apply with a painter's brush or something. It contains a lot of water, so it penetrates all the way but not through to the liner.
The smell it leaves behind is pleasant as far as conditioners go, and very faint.
If you have applied a lot of it, you can wipe off the excess and buff, then buff again after it's fully dried. If you apply it very generously, the leather will become very soft while it's still wet, so don't hang the jacket until it's dry. A thin coating should dry and buff pretty fast, a generous one takes more like 2 days to dry.
While it's wet, the hide will look almost like plastic. That's only temporary.

For motorcycle jackets with their rough top layer, the result may be the same as with the Pecard, though - it may not get past the hard finish. But Lexol has the consistency (and the appearance) of vanilla sauce, so it's really thin. It might get through, then.

 

[nick123]

More confusion! It seems like the consensus on this forum (a good one) is to not apply anything to jackets that will be stored and not really worn!

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/for...76185-conditioner-for-leather-flight-jackets/

 

[Smithy]

I have a couple of old jackets that need a lick of conditioner. I used RM Williams Saddle and Leather Dressing for donkeys years but it's not at all easy to get here and I'm buggered if I'm going to spend more on shipping than on the product itself so a question for those who have tried it. Any members experiences of Vaseline/petroleum jelly? I see John Chapman uses it so I'm thinking it must be pretty good if he thinks it's the go.

But interested if anyone here has used it and what's your thoughts/experiences. Does it darken the leather? Is it greasy, how much to use, etc?

Thanks,

Tim

 

[rdnzl]

Black Rock Leather N' Rich.

A little goes a long way. Recommended to me by a maker of fine USA made flight jackets.

Rub it in with your fingers and it leaves a silky sheen, with no waxy feel. And it doesn't seem to be affected
by temperature while applying.

I use it on my jackets and my boots. I have many of both. The ease of application is great.

 

[Dav]

Thought I'd give the Obenaufs a go on my Irvin the other day. There was some bits of fluff starting to show through in varoius places, which was concerning me, so I want for it.
The concern


Before

After

Not much defference really, apart from the fluff has now gone!

 

[Stand By]

I have a couple of old jackets that need a lick of conditioner. I used RM Williams Saddle and Leather Dressing for donkeys years but it's not at all easy to get here and I'm buggered if I'm going to spend more on shipping than on the product itself so a question for those who have tried it. Any members experiences of Vaseline/petroleum jelly? I see John Chapman uses it so I'm thinking it must be pretty good if he thinks it's the go.

But interested if anyone here has used it and what's your thoughts/experiences. Does it darken the leather? Is it greasy, how much to use, etc?

Thanks,

Tim

I've used RM Williams conditioner on many of my jackets, A-10 gloves and B-2 for many years and it's brilliant stuff. It does darken leather a titch at first, but it works an absolute treat making the leather deliciously supple and rich and it's not greasy, absorbs well and it doesn't separate over time in the tin like Connelly Hide Food will. I get it from where I get my Blundstones and always have some around as it's a proven and reliable product IMO. And it works great on my Blundstones too of course!

 

[eugenesque]

I am generally afraid of using leather conditioners as I don't want the colour of my jacket to darken by one shade. Used pecards for a while but they darkened the leather which annoyed me. Just bought leather milk but I haven't used it on my jackets yet. Have used it on other leather products with varying effects. A pair of tan leather boots darkened but became tan again after a day or two. A bag permanently darkened and has not reverted to its original colour.

 

[Recoil Rob]

I've been using Pecards for about 10 years now, both paste and creme. The Creme in the 1 lb tub is now go to as it applies easier and is absorbed easier, the paste (or dressing as they call it) can be sticky if not buffed off but the creme seems to absorb much more readily. For boots I usually apply the dressing and leave them in the sun or warm spot, they suck that stuff up.

BTW, I once called the factory and spoke to one of the family who told me the stuff is all primarily the same, some is thicker than others or has dye in it but the basic formula doesn't vary.

 

[dannyk]

I've been using Pecards for about 10 years now, both paste and creme. The Creme in the 1 lb tub is now go to as it applies easier and is absorbed easier, the paste (or dressing as they call it) can be sticky if not buffed off but the creme seems to absorb much more readily. For boots I usually apply the dressing and leave them in the sun or warm spot, they suck that stuff up.

BTW, I once called the factory and spoke to one of the family who told me the stuff is all primarily the same, some is thicker than others or has dye in it but the basic formula doesn't vary.

If youre referring specifically to Pecard's I can confirm this to be true. I have a few older jackets that are now in the need of a light conditioning and had heard great things about Pecard but they have original, antique, motorcycle, and didnt know which product was "best" or if there was any difference. Other than the formulas that have dye in them which are labeled all other formulas are exactly the same. They said there is no difference they label them as different to try and avoid confusion. Which for us who are so ocd about this stuff makes it confusing haha but for the normal public its easier. If you have moto jackets that need a conditioning an old leather antique, or what have you, youre going to want to see those mentioned on the label. If youre googling best jacket conditioner their products will appear. Its not to trick anyone but to let each market niche know the product will work for it. So as long as you dont buy their products with dye in them, any formula of Pecards can work on a jacket or boots.