Preservation and maintainance of old stuff

[Drew Bedo]

I posted a question on another thread here asking about preserving the finish on antique brass lenses with a thin coat of wax.

I now have another question on preserving very old gear.

I have a set of Waterhouse stops in their leather pouch. If they are from the 19th century the set may be 120-150 years old. The stops are in good shape with little wear. The leather pouch is also in pretty good shape; intact, tight and flexible.

What should I do to keep this leather pouch in good shape? A shores wrangler recommended salad oil (really!) but I can't see myself doing that. What about "Neat's Foot Oil" or a shoe polish or dressing? What do museum curators use?

[Ron (Netherlands)]

Treating (old) leather bellows I use this so-called leather balm:

https://www.quality-shop.com/nl/saphir-beaute-du-cuir-creme-universelle-lotion.html?source=googlebase&gclid=CjwKCAjw5vz2BRAtEiwAbcVIL4equIghVGg2_UhbLV_feJaWvy1_ODFCmRc3CCoPDJiM5mkimldZkhoCCQkQAvD_BwE

[LabRat]

Lanolin based leather preparations are the most common universal use... These replace missing collagens that keep the structure strong and supple...

Other preparations that contain silicone seal off from moisture, but don't allow new treatments to be applied evenly in the future, or allow anything to bond to leather when making future repairs...

Neat's foot oil is used as a softener, such as stiff baseball gloves...

Steve K

[d.s.]

When I was 9 yrs. old I was given a new baseball glove for my birthday. It was so stiff I couldn't close it. A friend in my class told me to bring it to his families leather shop, and that his dad would know what to do for it. The shop was a 4 minute walk from my house. His grandfather was the only one there and as I was telling him about the "recipes" that some of the other boys said, like "put in in a bucket of motor oil", the grandfather leaned down, put his hand on my shoulder and said "son, never put anything on leather that you wouldn't put on your own face."

Show the pouch to a leather worker for the best advice.

[Ari]

New baseball gloves always got coated in Vaseline.
By day, we'd work the glove to make it softer and snappier, by night it went under the mattress to get it to close easily.

[Two23]

I wouldn't use something like salad oil as that will eventually turn rancid.


Kent in SD

[Mark Sampson]

Lexol has worked well for me. Meant for leather-bound books, It's also popular among people whose cars have leather interiors.

[Tin Can]

I use only https://www.obenaufs.com/leather-and-fabric-care-products-s/101.htm on leather

Many restore wood with new finish. In 500 years they may curse us

Cleaning is OK, Renaissance wax is OK

almost any bicycle, car, truck, motorcycle is worth far more as 'original survivor' than restored, even Tin Cans!

I try to not clean my lense's glass unless it really needs it

I have 50 to 120 year old leather bellows that do not need anything...so I just lightly dust them

[chris73]

I use baby oil on bellows and pouches. Not sure if it is a scientifically acceptable solution but i can not see any harm so far.

You may have to apply many coats until the leather is saturated. And then leave it to dry for many days before puting it back in any sort of case.
Your thoughts on that?

[Willie]

https://www.realmenrealstyle.com/clean-condition-polish-leather/

Some good information in the link above. Have used Saddle Soap on heavy leathers, like horse saddles. Works well. The light stuff we moved to the Lexol years ago.

Then treat with Mink Oil. Has worked for leather bellows now for a long time.

[Neal Chaves]

Try Balistol, any gunshop. Use on wood metal or leather. Invented Prior to WWI by the German Military as an all purpose oil for the soldier it was approved in Europe for internal and external use until a few years ago. Test on plastic sample first.

[Mark Sampson]

I have some Obenauf's, I've successfully treated my 30-year-old leather jacket with it. My sun-baked Brooks bicycle saddle, not so much, but I'm not giving up on that yet. When i had a Tachihara 4x5 with thin goatskin bellows I treated it with Lexol once a year, and that seemed to work well.

[grat]

Try Balistol, any gunshop. Use on wood metal or leather. Invented Prior to WWI by the German Military as an all purpose oil for the soldier it was approved in Europe for internal and external use until a few years ago. Test on plastic sample first.

How often did German soldiers need to be lubricated?

:cool:

[Drew Bedo]

Thanks for all the great suggestions!

My take-away is Lexol for the leather and a light wax on the brass.

I too do not clean the glass surfaces of my lenses. But I have recently gotten anold brass lens that could be 150-170 years old. The glass loolks to be untracked and unscratched, but has about that many years of grime and dust on the front and rear exterior surfaces. Any suggestions for that?

In the old days, I have disassembled any number of lenses from press cameras and just washed the glass elements by hand with dish soap followed by rubbing alcohol. I am leary of doing that. This isn't maintainance, it is restoration and preservation . . .curatorship and stewardship. I want to get it right.

[6x6TLL]

When I was restoring a classic Maserati a few years ago I did a lot of research on the topic to bring the original hand-sewn leather seats back to life.

More than a few specialists and owners who had restored multiple vehicles recommended against Lexol. The stuff I ended up using and that seems to be a standard in the restoration business is Leatherique.

http://www.leatherique.com/

Considering how well it worked on my leather interior, I would definitely look into it for any leather you want to keep in good shape or restore to good shape.