how to take care of leather?
 

Hi everyone!

So my uncle passed away awhile ago and he left me with some of my grandfathers WWII stuff including his original leather bomber jacket along with a remake of it down to the stitching and inside tags of the jacket. I however, have no idea how to take care of it; if i need to put a special oil on it? keep it in a dark cool place? how often should i oil it if at all? any help would be much appreciated as I would HATE to see my grandpas original bomber jacket dry up and die.

Thanks in advance!

Re: how to take care of leather?
 

Find out what kind of leather it is. If it's authentic, it's probably sheepskin. Find a good saddle soap, amd clean it with that. As long as it's compatable with porous leather. Store it in a cool, dry place on a padded hanger. There's lots of home recipes for making stuff that should protect the leather. Or ask someone who deals in leather what's good.

Re: how to take care of leather?
 

awesome thanks!

Re: how to take care of leather?
 

I would condition it with lexol or leather honey conditioner every 4-6 months. Just put some on a soft cloth and wipe it down.

Re: how to take care of leather?
 

Sounds like some good advice above. For car leather, you definitely need to oil it and I do so about once a month. If you don't, it will fade and crack. It's apples and oranges as a comparison I grant you as cars get exposed to sun and high temperatures. Also, the leather in my car I wouldn't really call leather so it's not near as durable as real leather.

My take away would be periodic gentle cleaning using a micro fibre cloth and a good leather conditioner would be appropriate. You could probably get what you need on Amazon. I can't recommend a conditioner as I'd be hesitant to use the ones I use for my car, Meguiar's Gold Leather Conditioner, unless you get some real leather expert to OK it's use.

Re: how to take care of leather?
 

Drop a note to the Smithsonian and see what they recommend. IIRC, they use Ballistol...

Re: how to take care of leather?
 

Here are some forum posts that seem to say you may be fine with Meguiars
http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums...er-Jacket-care

Test a small section first as one post complained his leather turned greenish on Amazon.

Re: how to take care of leather?
 

awesome thanks for all the help guys! My grandfathers jacket will definitely stay in good condition now thanks to you all!

Re: how to take care of leather?
 

Just make sure you do a little bit at a time more often and not cake it on thick at once. It'll take a little bit of time until it's all absorbed. I personally use beeswax leather conditioner but YMMV.

Re: how to take care of leather?
 

Call or write Langlitz leathers. They make about the best leather products around and are often involved in restorations and the making of movie gear.

http://www.langlitz.com/