Need Help With Restoring An Old Leather Jacket

[byggyns]

Hi all, I wasn't sure where to place this, but I figured it would get the most traffic here. I have an old piece of family history: a USMC flight jacket that belonged to my grandfather. It is from somewhere in the Korea / Vietnam era, so I'm not sure if it is horse hide or cow hide.

Any of you with knowledge into military issue items from that time, can you shed more light onto what the leather used was?

The issue is there is mold / mildew on the jacket and it is rather stiff & dried out. I recovered it from a closet in the old farm house before they tore it down. What would be the best way to clean the mold / mildew off of it and then oil / treat it to make it wearable again? I have a cousin that could fit it and he would probably like to have it.

My thought was saddle soap to clean and some olive oil to refresh the leather. I know that neatsfoot would probably darken it more than I would prefer. Would this work, or should I look into other options?

[camano ridge]

Take the jacket outside (so you don't spread spores in the house. Wearing a dust mask and gloves use a nylon bristle scrub brush to brush of as much of the mold as possible. Using a solution of equal parts water and alcahol wipe down the jacket with a cloth or sponge dipped in the solution, then wipe again with a damp clean cloth hang out of direct sunlight and allow to dry. If mold is still there use a mild anti bacterial soap and wipe again then wipe with damp clean cloth as a rinse. Again let jacket dry completely. I would not go with oil I would go with a leather conditioner such as Feibings Aussie leather conditioner, Picards, or the one I use the most Skidmores Leather Cream.