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Hello, I bought a big box of 2- ½-6 oz. Wickett and Craig English Bridle leather scrap to use for practice. By mistake, it got left out in my 90 plus degree, high humidity garage for almost a month. It was now stuck together, dye leaching out of the grain side in places and splotching on the flesh side, and the fibers unraveling on the edges. I cut away the bad parts and saved 90 plus percent of it. I gave every piece a light oiling of Neatsfoot oil rubbed in with a cloth and now wondering if that was a mistake. It seems like the temper is now maybe a little softer than it was? More like a chrome tan bag leather. I cant bevel the edge on the flesh side. It just pulls the fibers up from out of the gum paste. It doesn’t seem like it is going to edge burnish very well either. So are those the normal characteristics of lighter weight English Bridle leather or is it ruined? Thanks in advance

Hey all, I’m a novice who’s getting back into crafting now that for the first time ever I have a dedicated workshop. I’m working on a breast plate that I cut from leather I’ve actually had for a couple years. It’s dyed with water stain and finished with Fiebing’s leather sheen and today I noticed that the part that bends around my sides has tiny, discolored cracks or wrinkles. I’m wondering, is the leather too old, did I put on too much sheen, can this be fixed?

I am trying to remove smoke from a leather jacket. So far I have hung it it a well air environment exposed to sun light. I have also cleaned it twice with glycerin soap, what more should I do?

Greetings from California! I am currently deciding between two different pairs of boots that are available to me. The only difference between the two sets, is the leather type. Both are full grain leather. http://hypebeast.com/2011/9/red-wing-shoes-6-moc-olive-mohave-boots - An Olive Rough-out pair of boots. http://hypebeast.com/2010/10/ronnie-fieg-x-red-wing-ashy-grey-6-boot - An ultra rare pair of Grey Oil Tanned Boots The boots I buy will be accompanying me up mountains (with Crampons strapped on), through forests, down into jungles. I spend a lot of time backpacking and traveling through different climates. What I'm looking for in these pair of boots, is something to be as durable and long lasting as possible, able to handle diverse climates and situations. While I realize that nothing lasts forever, I would like these boots to last my adventuring days at least. Right now I'm leaning towards the Rough Out leather, based on the information I've been able to find about its durability. My questions are as follows: Would Oil Tanned Leather out last Rough Out Leather, if kept maintained? Does Rough Out leather eventually wear down to the Corium, and then eventually the Top Grain? If it does, do you condition the deeper layers to prolong them? How would one go about dying Rough Out Leather? Specifically, if I wanted to dye the Olive Pair to a Grey. (I'm completely new Leather Dying) If I want to stiffen up the boots, specifically for mountaineering and putting on crampons, how would I do this? Would Boiling the leather have any side effects? Any comments or information I might find useful is welcome, as well, thanks for any responses and help I get!

I have a pair of Wolverine Wellington-type boots, in some sort of slightly-napped leather (nubuck, I think, though I'm not 100% sure). One of the things I like about them is that due to the nap, etc., they don't show scuffs and scratches easlily. They're getting a little dingy looking, though, and I need to do something to restore the appearance some. What do I do with this? I experimented once on the heel with a little mink oil, and got the result I expected - it slicked everything down, making it look almost like full-grain leather. (Which is interestingly what has happened on the heels, where the hems of my pants rub when I walk.) What sort of conditioner works on this stuff - and do I brush it? Thanks!