Hartman belting leather oil stain

[jrprottas]

Hi folks. I'm not sure what caused this staining on my Hartman overnight bag. Guesses range from water to sun tan oil. 

I'd prefer removing the stain and returning the area to closer to the rest of the bag.  Any suggestions?

Is there a treatment or approach that would make the stain blend in, possibly adding other dark areas  that would make this stain appear planned, with an overall mottled look?

Otherwise, I'm open to darkening the entire bag to match the stain. Do you have ideas for this approach?

Sorry to be so wordy for a post that could have read: how do I restore this?

Edited August 10, 2019 by jrprottas

[mikesc]

Without a photo of "this staining" you are unlikely to get many replies.. :)
What is "sustain oil" ?

[jrprottas]

48 minutes ago, mikesc said:

Without a photo of "this staining" you are unlikely to get many replies..
What is "sustain oil" ?

thanks Mike. took me awhile to find an app to reduce the photo size 

[mikesc]

"Sustain oil" ?
btw..If you are on a phone ( your mention of "app" suggest that you probably are ) the consensus , amongst those who post from phones, is that the easiest way to reduce the data size of an image is to email it to yourself.
re the mark I tend to think that even if you dyed the whole thing very dark, you'd still see it, and if it is oil ( what kind of oil ) the oily areas would probably not take up the dye as much as the rest, leaving you with a very dark bag, with a very visible stain.Camouflaging it might well work better if you cannot get it out.

[jrprottas]

6 hours ago, mikesc said:

"Sustain oil" ?
btw..If you are on a phone ( your mention of "app" suggest that you probably are ) the consensus , amongst those who post from phones, is that the easiest way to reduce the data size of an image is to email it to yourself.
re the mark I tend to think that even if you dyed the whole thing very dark, you'd still see it, and if it is oil ( what kind of oil ) the oily areas would probably not take up the dye as much as the rest, leaving you with a very dark bag, with a very visible stain.Camouflaging it might well work better if you cannot get it out.

great suggestion about emailing to myself!

will direct sunlight lighten or darken leather? Are there any magical reconditioning products that might make the color difference more subtle?

If not, looks like I'm back to testing some areas with sustain oil (suntan) and see what I get. 

[Rockoboy]

Is the bag lined on the inside? Does the stain originate from the inside? If yes to both, I would try some sort of cleaner or solvent inside the bag 1st.

If not, I would try some saddle soap on the outside to try to remove the oil on the surface. It might take several attempts, if you have any success at all, as the oil seeps out of the leather.

Once you have used cleaners and/or solvents, don't forget to rejuvenate the leather with pure neatsfoot oil or your choice of sealer.