cowagonwheel

Thank you! I just want to save them so they don't fall apart, and I would be devastated if I did that while cleaning them.. For wiping it down, would you say just use some warm water and a sponge? And then add the neatsfoot oil lightly to just the cracking areas or the entire thing? For the parts that are severely degraded, is there anything you would recommend? Also, for storage purposes, where would be the best place to keep these? I live in CO, and we have such a variety of weather, so I thought in the house, but didn't know if they should stay in the plastic tote.

Hi thank you so much! It wouldn't let me add photos but I have attached ones in this reply. The last photo is the test photo and I also included the brown that was coming off as well as my products I'm using. There's still horse hair and hay from the last time they were used and so I don't know if I'm taking off leather or dirt. Thank you for your help!

Hi! They will definitely not be used, they are now soley for display! So sorry I should've mentioned that.

Hello everyone! After a death in my family, I recieved my family's very old draft team harnesses. Initally, I know they were stored in a basement in a darker area in a plastic tote. And honestly I don't know if they have ever been cleaned in their entire lifetime. Upon examination, it looks like they have white spots all over. After many hours of research and gathering my materials I started with 2 tests to get the white off, only on a very tiny spot. 1st: Using a hair dryer on low heat and far away from the leather I was trying to see if the white was fat spores coming up. Some did go away while other parts of the white stayed. 2nd: I used a vinegar and water mix and let it dry on it's own, then used saddle soap. After the cleaning step, my next step was to use pure Neatsfoot oil to condition then a neutral leather shoe polish with a horse hair brush and canvas. BUT during the process of cleaning I noticed the leather was almost "molding" and moving itself very slightly( as i touched it with my finger, my finger left a very slight indention.) Also, when I was dapping up some of the moisture from the saddle soap test, the rag had brought up brown. Again I don't know if its dirt or leather. On the test part, where I had originally seen very faint stitching had disappeared. I don't believe the stitching is gone but I did not want to go any further and risk the chance of So so sorry for a long explanation I just wanna make sure I explained it correctly. Is there other methods I should try? Or should I only condition them and leave them be? THANK YOU!