Silverd Report post Posted June 13, 2019 Hello All I'm attempting to recondition an antique suit case. This case is all leather wrapped and needs to be reconditioned. I have no issue with doing this work but the client does not want the leather to darken. Is there a recommended conditioner that will not darken (very much) the leather? Saddle oil or mink oil appear to cause the light color leather to darken too much. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Silverd Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bikermutt07 Report post Posted June 13, 2019 1 hour ago, Silverd said: Hello All I'm attempting to recondition an antique suit case. This case is all leather wrapped and needs to be reconditioned. I have no issue with doing this work but the client does not want the leather to darken. Is there a recommended conditioner that will not darken (very much) the leather? Saddle oil or mink oil appear to cause the light color leather to darken too much. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Silverd If it's all dried out then it will be much lighter than it should be. You can't take a bath without getting wet. Tell them you make no guarantee that it won't darken. Think about dry skin. It is whitish looking until you put lotion on it. Then it returns to it's conditioned color. Leather is skin. Just educate your client. They will either understand or allow their item to continue to deteriorate. It's up to them. That being said.... Hide rejuvenater does really well at bringing things back to life. . Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Silverd Report post Posted June 13, 2019 Hi Thank you for the response. I agree and understand what you are saying; it only makes sense. I guess I was just making sure somebody didn't have a miracle solution I haven't heard about before proceeding. I have used the Hide product works really well and I've also used Pecards which I've had good results with on very old equestrian tack. Thank you again. Silverd Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
johnv474 Report post Posted June 26, 2019 Mink Oil, Neatsfoot Oil, and Neatsfoot Oil Compound seem to be the worst offenders for darkening. Lexol Conditioner is quite good. If you apply it to a damp cloth or sponge and wipe it down with an even, thin coat, let it soak in for an hour or so, and then repeat, then let it sit overnight, you should wind up with leather that looks, feels, and smells better but should return to its original color after soaking in. At first it looks a little deeper in color just due to the added moisture. Note: this is just for conditioning, not waterproofing. For waterproofing you may want to use a spray (not as long-lasting) or a soak-in version such as Dubbin or Sno-Seal, which are beeswax-based. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chrisash Report post Posted June 26, 2019 (edited) I have used Effax leather balm on very thin natural goat veg tan, and whilst it darkens a lot when applied upon drying it seems to go back to its original colour Being so soft and near runny, it also seems to sink into the leather very well Edited June 26, 2019 by chrisash Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rockoboy Report post Posted June 29, 2019 On 6/26/2019 at 10:37 PM, johnv474 said: Neatsfoot Oil, and Neatsfoot Oil Compound You should be aware of the difference between these 2 products. I believe the NFO Compound has silicon added to it, so it behaves differently and subsequent coatings (of different products) may not give desirable results. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
