M1 Restoration of old dried up Leather (Bayonets & Slings)

[imntxs554]

gew8805. ( THIS IS A PAST POST HERE WHI.E I WAS LOOKKNG WHAT TO USE)

08-01-2013, 03:41 PM

I'm sorry Jim, I have to disagree. Pecards is one of the worst things you can put on leather, it contains petroleum distillates which will damage leather. Peter's recommendation of lanolin is good and personally I will recommend nothing but pure neatsfoot oil, which has been used for hundreds of years and still is, both in tanning and preserving leather. WarPig, be careful of neatsfoot oil compound which is commonly available, it, like Pecards, contains petroleum products and will damage leather so, like Pecards, you do not want it. Use the pure neatsfoot oil only. Pure is harder to find and more expensive but is worth it in the long run.
Too bad that your grandfather and everyone since allowed the leather in the kidney belt to dry out, it is permanently damaged now and all that can be done is lightly apply natural products - lanolin or neatsfoot oil - in small doses until you are satisfied with the flexibility - not softness - of the leather. Do this after cleaning with a good quality saddle soap. Applying anything to a dirty item will only do more damage. When the belt is almost dry from the cleaning, apply the oil to the flesh side (that's the rough side) and you will have done all you can. After the treatment, do what should have been done for the last 80 years; keep it clean and at a comfortable temperature and in a consistent humidity of 60 - 70% and do not allow it to sit in direct sunlight for extended periods. A well ventilated room is essential. If you box it up for storage, be sure to avoid acidic paper and store in the above temperature/humidity conditions.

Remember to everything in stages, don't drown the leather when you apply the oil, it will clog the dried out pores and cells causing them to swell in their damaged state and further damage the item.

Remember, keep Pecards, mink oil and other goops like snow seal for your work boots and other user grade items, they all do fine for those things but should not be used on items you want to preserve and pass on to others who come after you.

Thanks goodness we seem to finally be getting away from the claims that used to be made for Pecards, that "it is used by the Smithsonian Institution" and other museums - it most certainly is not. If you want to know what real museums and antique curators/collectors actually do with leather to be preserved see:

National Park Service - Museum Management Program

No offense taken the better knowledge i get it benefits me, but i was going tbrough some post here about restoring leather if you go to search box and put in it restoring leather you will see this and btw i agree with the baseball oil but read this and theres alot more

---------- Post added at 05:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:07 PM ----------

I got this information from a thread about restoring dried up leather like im trying to do something about my dried up leather bayonet,

Frank

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