Conditioning Leather Gifts

[Deraj828]

I recently found myself making a half dozen bracelets for my in-laws, as sort of an "In memory of" trinket. The bracelets are already sent off, so this is more for future reference, but how could I best preserve the leather in something I'm giving away to people who have never given leather the first thought?

Given the repetitive tight flexing nature of wristbands and the burning Arizona environment, I fear these memorial bracelets won't last long. I wanted to put some sort of conditioner on them, but everything I found was supposed to be reapplied every month or so, and most of them were wax-based, which I don't imagine would work very well through an Arizona summer anyway. And I can hardly talk the recipients into buying and applying conditioner themselves when I'm not around. Is this a lost cause and we'll just see how long the bracelets last, or is there something I could do next time as a one-time durability enhancement?

Edited October 3, 2013 by Deraj828

[Cyberthrasher]

You can seal it, but that's not going to condition the leather. Remember, leather is an organic item that once produced its own natural oils. Now that those oil producing glands are gone, it HAS to have oils reapplied in order to thrive. It's the ONLY thing that will keep it alive.

The wax based products will do fine in the heat. They're not really coating it in heavy wax, it's just a thin layer to offer some protection like waxing your car (which I'm assuming people do in Arizona). And, for conditioners, monthly is really too much and will cause pre-mature rot. I prefer Montana Pitch Blend for conditioning and water resistance. It will need re-application, but I usually recommend every 6 months or so.