How Do I Restore An Old Leather Belt?

[Flask]

My favourite belt is an 1 1/2" leather belt, I have been wearing it almost daily for 20 years or more.

After so long I guess you may be able to picture what it looks like.

I am wondering how I can restore it to make it look closer to what it looked like when I bought it.

What about taking a sanding block to it and sanding it down to the original leather and starting all over?

Is there some kind of chemical that I could wipe on it that would clean it?

Thanks for any help and suggestions.

Flask

[Troy Burch]

A pic would help.

[byggyns]

It really depends on the type of leather and if you are just trying to refresh the leather or re-color / dye it.

If it is a latigo, you will have a hard time getting dye to soak into the leather. Latigo is a "stuffed" leather, There are waxes and oils that are forced into the leather structure which will resist attempts to dye the leather: even 20 years later. I have several latigo belts and the only product that has been able to put any color on them is a surface treatment like edge kote- which I use to refresh the edge color. I haven't tried using any acrylic paint on them because I'm afraid that would crack too easily.

If you are just looking to refresh the leather, something like lexol would help to get it more supple and shiny.

Sanding should not be done on the top / grain side if it is a full grain leather. You would irreparably damage the structure of the leather. Denatured alcohol can be used to strip off surface sealants, but can have adverse effects on the existing dye. I've heard of people using acetone to do the same thing, but that seems a little too harsh for my taste and I haven't personally tried it. After stripping the finish off of a veg tanned belt, it would be able to accept dye and oil and then can be re-sealed with resolene or some other surface sealant.

[Flask]

Thanks for the advice, and taking the time to respond, much appreciated.

Flask