Care and preservation bayo leather?

[Havenot]

I've been spring cleaning my modest collection of antique/surplus arms. Of course this means dragging out the bayonets for inspection too.

Anyhow I have a couple WWI dated P1907 bayos and scabbards plus a P1887 MH bayo and scabbard. All British bayonets and leather scabbards(excepting a Remington P07 bayo).

The P1907 scabbards are fair/decent shape and leather seems ok I have oiled them with leather oil before. The P1887 leather seems ok but the scabbard is dry....and I'm not certain how to maintain the pressed leather grips on the bayonet itself.

So what leather treatment is recommended for British scabbards?....How to best conserve leather bayonet grips?....What about preservation of old shark skin sabre grips?

Thanx..HT

Information

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[browningautorifle]

You're going to get the phone book on this one, there are very deep threads concerning... We can't seem to agree. One thing I found out about sharkskin or ray-skin is once you get it wet, it turns soft and like it just came off the creature again. Careful there... Whatever you've used in the past for leather worked, so why change? There's this thought that some things destroy outright and others over time(like the next hundred years) but none so fast as we can see... Your grip scales should be good with whatever you have for the scabbards.

[Havenot]

All I've done to the P1907 scabbards is rub them with 'Huberd's Shoe Oil'...good stuff if you can find it. The P1887 probably got the same stuff...but looks like it needs more. The P1887 is a Nepal cache refugee

The shark/ray skin handle is on US Navy officer's sword that probably dates to the 1930's or so. My father in law's father's sword. I think the grip looks like it's aging and dry...plus it's a long way from the ocean in Oklahoma! I searched around online sometime back and found about nothing on shark skin grips care and preservation...

[Peter Laidler]

To preserve leather stuff, our instructions were use what was called DUBBIN. To shine it....., not quite the same as preserving it, use beeswax polish or KIWI parade ground shine!

[HOOKED ON HISTORY]

Anhydrous lanolin works wonders on dried leather handle disks and leather slings.

[Brian Dick]

Any lanolin base leather preservative is the way to go. I'm suspicious that DUBBIN may well be that too but I could be wrong. Pecards antique leather dressing is what I use.

[HOOKED ON HISTORY]

Any lanolin base leather preservative is the way to go.

Now I feel smart.
Or just lucky.

When I first researched this subject it seemed a natural non petrochemical product was the logical way to go.

[Havenot]

I worked some neatsfoot oil into the old P1887 scabbard....seemed to help it a bunch. The leather grips just seemed to soak the stuff up! However who knows how long this old bayonet set on a pallet in Nepal?? I will look for the Pecards product...I've heard of it before

As far as the officer's sword handle....I decided to simply leave it alone since I don't know anything about maintaining shark or ray skin.

[gew8805]

Whatever you use, go lightly, do not drown the leather. The best products are the above recommended lanolin, or PURE neatsfoot oil.

At all costs, avoid anything that contains petroleum products such as mineral oil, that includes most of the modern leather "preservatives". Check the contents - they will be plainly printed on the label. I'm afraid that includes all of the variations of the Pecards products. Neatsfoot oil COMPOUND is also to be avoided, it contains the same petroleum products to reduce cost.

[mrclark303]

I use leather beeswax oil. I tested it on a pair of 18 century bellows that the leather diaphragm had gone rock hard on.

After a few treatments, the leather came back to life and supple.

That was 10 years ago and it still looks good today.