WWII Boyt sling care.

[Rick Cummelin]

On the other hand, I have leather items in good condition that date back 150 years. They were probably kept in dry locations. They may eventually turn to dust, but the WWI and WWII ones that I have treated with Pecards will be in better shape when they are 150 years old than the ones that are currently 150 years old. I'll enjoy them until then, or ......

I'm sure Pecard's would be pleased to know they have at least one staunch supporter of their product. I'm sure there are many others out there, but I'm not sure why.

I personally can't state that I ever noticed any difference whatsoever between leather I have left untreated vs. treated with Pecard's, EXCEPT FOR all the white stuff that oozes out that we have been discussing for several days, which again, I feel was much more painful (to me) than beneficial. My slings and holsters were just as stiff as they were before Pecard's and looked the same after the white stuff was wiped off.

If you just think about it, if Pecard's were truly "the great solution" to preserving old leather, everyone museum in the country would have a case of it, but they don't. Also, Pecard's claims to preserve old leather, not restore it. I'll be long dead & buried before anyone will know if the leather I applied Pecard's to has been preserved or not.

Old leather damaged from the rigors of use simply CANNOT be restored as there's no miracle balm out there for that (as Bodyman has pointed out multiple times already). The fibers break down over time, and no oil or treatment can repair that.

But hey, if you like Pecard's, and like what it does for your leather, I'm sure Pecard's will be happy to continue to sell it to you. I just know I'm done with it forever.

[Bodyman]

The point is that it is pointless.

For those who want more, when it comes to the conservation of these items there are a few rules that conservators go by. First; do no harm, and second; don't do anything that cannot be undone.

Arguably, all of these products (including Pecards) break both of these rules - they definitely cannot be undone and and many will actually have a detrimental long term effect and do not extend the life of the item but shorten it (though they make the item more useable while it is around - meaning anything that softens the leather is beginning to break it down ... you can add as much 'wonder-goo' as you want but you cannot rejoin those fibres and rebuild those cells ...). Also, like Pecards, they change the appearance by darkening the leather - irrevocably. On top of it, then to have all of that white crud reappearing over and over again (that even the most ardent supporters will grit their teeth over) is just frustrating.

The only thing that the curator at SANHS could give me is to keep them at a consistent humidity and temperature - cool and dry - and definitely do NOT get them wet, and then hope for the best. In a stable environment they may last for generations, while in the worst they may not even last half a year.

If you have already so treated some of your items with these products then it is what it is - I wouldn't use more. If you haven't, I wouldn't. I do nothing to any of them that I have any more. If you really want the things on your rifles or to own some of the other leather items, then make sure you get the best ones you can and then take care of them (as above). But do not grab a cheap one and think you can bring it back to life because that is EXACTLY what you will be trying to do (and if you buy into some of the sales-pitches, thinking you are doing ...) - bring it back to life - and unless you have some connections to the Almighty that you haven't clued us in about, you can't. This is the same across the board for all leather products - slings, boots, leather scabbords, leather cheek pieces, B3 bomber jackets and pants, you name it - the leather has a limited lifespan and use will use it up. But now who is going to use an original WWII sling in competition, anyway - you guys have nice new ones for stuff like that.

Other than that,

I know this isn't what anyone wants to hear but all I can do is apologize for bringing the bad news - sorry.

[RyanV]

One of the slings came on a rifle i picked up, i got a good deal and did not even realize the sling was anything till i later saw the Boyt 43. I am very tempted to give it some mink oil, it just looks real thirsty, i am not fond of how it looks.

The other one has a nice patina and i agree, will leave it alone.

Ryan

[Rick Cummelin]

One of the slings came on a rifle i picked up, i got a good deal and did not even realize the sling was anything till i later saw the Boyt 43. I am very tempted to give it some mink oil, it just looks real thirsty, i am not fond of how it looks.

The other one has a nice patina and i agree, will leave it alone.

Ryan

Hey Ryan, Please let us know if you think the mink oil helps or not. Again, I never tried it on an old sling - only on boots & shoes. After you rub it in, let it dry for a couple of hours, then buff it off with a shoe brush (does anyone have one of these any more besides me?) or old terry towel.

Aside from that, I'm like Bodyman, as I give up on trying to convince people to not waste their money on "snake oils" and other costly but virtually useless balms and salves.

Have fun out there......

[RyanV]

Ha, took me a while to catch enough Minks. LOL Hope the pics work, before and after, i like what the Mink oil did. Not sure about doing this to a primo example but this sling needed some moisture.





Ryan V Presidents 100, Distinguished, HM

[bearhunter]

Balistol will clean and replace the missing moisture in the sling. It doesn't harm the sling in any way but it will darken the leather as it soaks in. It will also make the leather waterproof.

[rayg]

My experience, right or wrong, this is what I did with old CW leather that was dryed out and hard to the point that you could not bend it. Like a cartridge box flap. The ones I worked on were hard as rocks. My thought was to try to re-insert some moisture into the fibers to help perserve them from eventually drying out and turning into dry rot and dust.

As a side note, I was told that leather from cattle that were well fed lasted longer then that from less fed animals apparently because of the amount of fat and health of the animal. Probably why some leather lasts longer through the years even without modern climate controls.

Anyway, I applied a heavy coat of Pecards to the hard leather and did what some knowledgable leather folks tell you not to do. That was not to use heat on leather, but I did. I heated the leather to speed up the soaking in process. In my case I used a hair dryer to heat the leather until all the Pecard soaked completely into the leather. I found that even the hardest/dryed out leather after a few coats of Pecard applied in this manner will soften the leather where it becomes flexible again.
I still have some CW leather items I did this too over thirty years ago and there has been no further visible deteriation of the leather and they still remain flexible and certainly are in better condition then before I did it. Who knows, maybe a thousand years from now they might not be,

Note, as mentioned, Pecard will darken the leather as almost all other similar products will.
Ray

[jmg257]

I bought a fairly high end baseball mitt a few years ago, and on the tags, Nokona recommends good 'ole Petroleum Jelly - period - on their nice leather gloves, for treating them, keeping them soft, etc. Their literature gave an example of 'boxes old gloves being found in their factory, and the ones treated with vaseline were still in great shape', yada, yada.

I have used some on a couple 1907 slings, and while they appear to "stain" it darker in some places at 1st while trying to get a somewhat even coverage, by the next day or so all is well and the color doesn't change much at all. Just did a nice 1917 a few weeks ago...no issues so far and it certainly improves the condition of the leather.

Edit: found this:
"Nokona Baseball Glove and Mitt Care
Proper care will provide longer use. Because the leather is of the highest quality, a Nokona glove is pre-oiled naturally during the tanning process. Although many sophisticated leather care products are prevelant, plain old petroleum jelly is the only recommended way to re-treat a Nokona glove. To best apply petroleum jelly, rub it into every area including the laces and inside the glove where cracking can take place. Unlike liquefied oils, petroleum jelly won't soak through the padding. "

[jarrodeu]

Just found this thread and have found it very interesting.
I put some Pecards on some leather slings a few months ago and I have not yet had any white stuff appear and I am in Colorado. I will report back in a few months.
I found that putting it on leather that was already dry did not seem to do anything. However putting it on a nicer 1918 sling I have did soften it a bit.
Has anyone had a sling deteriorate because of the pecards they applied?

Has anyone else used the "Balistol" or "Petroleum Jelly"?

Thanks,
Jarrod

[bearhunter]

I've used Ballistol on several slings and other leather equipment, including shoes. It is an all around product, developed before WWI. It works well on wood, cloth or leather. As mentioned above, it does penetrate and it does darken anything it is applied to.
It permanently water proofs leather and seals wood. It will stop cloth slings from deteriorating but will darken them as well. It will preserve and stop deterioration of stitching on belts, slings, holsters, saddles, shoes and wood products from drying out/cracking/shrinking. Good Stuff.
I will throw one caveat out there. Ballistol is great stuff, IF and only IF, you are planning on using the articles mentioned. It will help them to maintain useful functionality for prolonged periods of time under extreme conditions.

If you are planning on keeping a sling or other leather accessory, for collection purposes, I suggest following the museum curators advice. Leave it alone and keep it dry as well as far away from temperature extremes.