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Couple Boyt slings sort of fell into my lap, a 43 and 44. They are dry, but in decent shape. Is there a standard dressing that is put on vintage collectible leather like these? Was told Pecards, looked it up and would have to order. Any thoughts?
On a side note, does Gus Fisher still hang out here?
Thanks,
Ryan V
I use Pecards. Apply it with your hands. The heat from the friction will work the Pecards into the leather. You my need to apply several coats. But wait 24 hours between coats. Than wipe with a 100% cottom rag.
I have a Boyt but I can't see the date. It has brass frogs so it is 1942 or earlier.
Mine was in bad shape. Dry, cracked in areas, vertigris on the brass. I got it all cleaned up and applied Pecards. I had read about Pecards Bloom but decided to apply it any way. Last month I did notice some white powder aka The Bloom. I wiped it off and haven't seen it return. Some will tell you not to apply Pecards or anything, but I disagree. No one knows what this white stuff is so no one can really say it is bad. I saw one post that speculated that it was Pecards causing the salts from the tanning process to come to the surface. Who knows, but now I am not so afraid to touch the sling since I was concerned it would break.
Sorry, but I must strongly disagree in that the "white stuff" definitely results from using Pecards on your leather slings. I must have owned 20-30 or more leather slings over the years, as well as a number of leather WWII pistol holsters. The "white stuff" ONLY appeared on those items treated with Pecards. Untreated items never oozed the white stuff - repeat never. I can also say that IMHO, treating old leather with Pecards did not seem to do much for the leather, EXCEPT cause it to ooze the white stuff. After figuring all this out over several years, I simply gave away all the remaining Pecards I had. I no longer treat my leather with anything. BTW- here in the dry climate of Colorado, the white stuff has to be wiped off every 3-4 months, and it isn't real easy to get off either - takes lots of rubbing with an old towel.Quote:
Originally Posted by paul1440
Wow, thanks for the thoughts, somebody else who's opinion i respect told me mink oil. Seems like the slings are thirsty for something, but maybe not.
Ryan
IIRC from an old post, the white stuff that appears after the use of Pecards is caused by the Neatsfoot oil that was used in the past to dress the leather. Neatsfoot oil is basically animal fat which eventually causes the leather to rot.
RBruce is correct. I have more than a few slings. And not a single one has any white stuff on them. All have been treated with Pecards. And yes the neatsfoot oil will also destory any stitching.
Mink Oil will likely replace some of the natural oils in an old sling, and may also make it look better. I have used mink oil on many different pairs of hiking boots, but I haven't tried it on slings/holsters. I don't recall any long-term bad effects either, and no oozing of the dreaded "white stuff." LOL!Quote:
Originally Posted by RyanV
Whatever you choose, do NOT use Neatsfoot oil! As the other posters mentioned, it eventually rots the leather. Neatsfoot oil was used by virtually all GIs because it softened the leather by breaking down the fibres (essentially rotting it from the get-go). It's bad stuff.
Rick,
What is the white stuff? Without knowing what it is, there is no way to tell if it is bad. And I wiped off the white stuff easily with a cloth, and it hasn't come back. I also treated a new Turner sling at the same time as the vintage sling. New sling - no white stuff, vintage sling - white stuff.
I never personally figured out what the white stuff is composed of. Perhaps RBruce is correct that it is some sort of chemical interaction between Pecard's and old neatsfoot oil. It seems harmless, just ugly and a PITA to have to clean off every few months.Quote:
Originally Posted by paul1440
I live in Colorado, which has a very dry climate. This may have had something to do with the white stuff coming back every few months. Again, I didn't research it. However, I was a member of a military collectors club, and we all peaked on our use of Pecard's at about the same time. Once the white stuff started ooozing out from everyone's old leather, we all stopped using it. Pretty soon you couldn't give it away. LOL!