Care and feeding of leather items

[rikibeth]

Okay, so when I shoveled the slush my Docs and my leather jacket got soaked through.

I know I'm going to wonder balsam the Docs this weekend. They're mostly dry now. I may saddle soap them first just to remove any new flour or other work goo they've gotten on them in the past couple of days (yes, I wore them to work wet, I didn't bother finding other shoes and I didn't want to pour hot sugar on my toes if I only had sneakers on).

My jacket is dry now, and slightly stiff. Also, it seems to have residue of road salt or something else I suspect isn't very good for the leather showing in white rings.

Should I give it a cleaning with saddle soap? Is Doc Martens Wonder Balsam good for leather jackets, or should I oil it with neats-foot oil instead? Is there some other solution I haven't thought of?

All knowledge is contained in my friendslist, so help me out, please?

Comments

[goddessfarmer.livejournal.com]

My recipe for abused leather is this: clean throughly with soap and water, yea, real soap, like dish soap. THEN - lather well with glycerin - $0.99 for a bar at tack shops. work that in well, fingers work best. If anything is still stiff after that's all dry, then add as much PURE neatsfoot oil as it will take. To keep clean after that treatment just use a damp sponge with the bar glycerin. I don't consider my opinion on the matter to be humble at all, mind, I've got horse gear that's older than me and still in use thanks to this kind of care.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

one small problem, no tack shops near me. got a spare bar I could buy from you if you're going to be at Hot Foods tomorrow?

[goddessfarmer.livejournal.com]

Don't know if I have a 'spare' here, but if not, I'll pick some up,, sure.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

I just picked up some liquid glycerin at the pharmacy, will that work?

[goddessfarmer.livejournal.com]

yes, just fine.

[cestunreve.livejournal.com]

FYI - there is one in Middlefield, if you drive from Washington Street in Middletown headed out towards Meriden. It's in a plaza on the right, next to Guida's.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=484+Meriden+Rd,+Middlefield,+CT+06455,+USA&sa=X&oi=map&ct=title

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Definitely clean with saddle soap. Let it dry, then rub well with neatsfoot. I had a jacket which was in a barn for a year - stiff as a board and completely dry - took me about 10 applications of NFO, but it's good as new now.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

luckily I have a very big bottle of NFO that I bought when I was breaking in my jump boots.

[la-directora.livejournal.com]

Another option is to take it do a dry cleaners. When my car was swallowed in a flood in '95, when I lived in Houston, I had left my leather trench coat in the trunk. By the time the waters receded, and I was able to get anything out of the car that was salvageable (which did not include the car itself), the trench coat was not only stiff but COMPLETELY coated in mildew. It was disgusting. But it was a REALLY nice trench coat. So I took it to a cleaners to see if MAYBE they could do something about it. They did, and it came back to me as good as new. Seriously, as good as new. Better than it looked when I put it in the trunk of the car. It was in such great shape that, 6 years later, when I was no longer wearing any leather, I gave the coat away to someone else who STILL wears it.

I don't remember what it cost for this minor miracle. I only remember being SHOCKED at how LITTLE it was. (Something is telling me it was in the $20 range. And my coat was in WAY worse shape than what you're describing.)

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

I think because mine's NOT in such dire shape, I'll see to it myself. I'm already planning to take it to a tailor come summer to get a new lining put in, since after 16 years that's starting to go, but if I take it to a dry cleaner now I have to take it there, and remember to pick it up, and worry about losing the ticket, and I've pretty much quit going to dry cleaners since I discovered the wonder for sweaters that is Dryel.

[kitwench.livejournal.com]

Clean with saddle soap, followed by oil with neat's-foot - but expect some mild color change.

[fairylogic.livejournal.com]

If you have a Harley shop near you, they make an awesome leather care kit with a cleaner and a conditioner. That's what I use for my leather jackets and it works really well.

[mrpet.livejournal.com]

soap - no
neatsfoot - no

You need the salt off first and foremost; it is eating the leather (the white ring is the clue. White vinegar is what we used at the cobbler shop to do this. Dab, do not rub to get the salt into solution and off of the leather. Once the leather is dry you need to condition it. If you wouldn't use it on your hands to soften your skin you shouldn't put it on your leather. The stiffer the leather the stronger the conditioner you can use. I personally use Tenderly from www.urad.com for garment leather and Lexol for the heavier shoe leather.

Oil tanned leather cannot be polished and you need to use a grease, my favorite is Hubbards, but Bear Grease and I assume Wonder Balsam is just fine. I wouldn't use it on garment leather since it is way too heavy.