Please Help With Restoration

[72Malibu]

I have joined your forum from wanting to do one single project with leather.

Not to bore anyone with the backstory, but...  Gun scabbard was my Dads, who passed 01/2013. My Mom is now having to downsize, and in moving her, we decided to check attic above garage "just in case". We were blown away to find Dads various gun cases and scabbards.

This particular one I know for a fact is 45+ years old. It was his favorite and went on every hunt (large American game), hanging from his saddle.

It is all leather, the dark brown being of a heavy version. Inside is flock? It has been in the garage attic for probably 20 years, as it was about that time he could no longer put forth the physical effort such hunting required. He traded hunting elk with rifles to hunting elk with cameras. 

Scabbard was covered in dust, insulation, and lived thru the tempurature extremes attics have. It appears to have a some type of string lacing the dark brown to the blonde, instead of leather. String has mostly disentigrated and has broken. 

My personal OCD is detailing my cars, so I am familiar with leather in that respect, and would like to do this myself. If ya'll suggest a professional restoration is required though, then I will go that way. I want to keep it as close to the original colors as possible. As for what I think is flock material inside the scabbard I'm not concerned with keeping the same type of soft material, but whatever material I do use, I do want to keep the color as close as possible. 

My 22yo son has gotten into custom gunsmithing and is applying for his FFL. I would really like to do this and then give it to him. So with all that, what, where, how, with what, and where to get supplies, for bringing this this "heirloom" back to life?

I thank you all for your help.

[DanC]

There are a few leather "rejuvenateors" out there.

Including Mr. Neats' Foot Oil.

All of them are good, so it is a "depends".  But no matter what, the "look" is going to change.  It is dried out and any and every thing put on it will change it's look from old and dried out to "fresh".

Neatsfoot oil is the most color changing, but the most lubricating (not necessarily the best thing - personal decision).

 

 

[72Malibu]

Appreciate the answer  DanC. I fugured it will change some, just not wanting it to change too much.

I'll  look at Neats.

[DanC]

Mr. Neats' Foot Oil will probably change the most - try it on any piece of leather and only do half of it.  And that is good leather.

[chuck123wapati]

That's a beautiful scabbard and will be an awesome gift to your son. I would treat it just like a saddle in rejuvenating it. Get the leather cleaned up and re oiled then work on the lining and stitching. I would use saddle soap and nfo. read the directions on the cans. NFO will darken it as will any rejuvenator because you are putting the stuff back in that has dried out. But nfo will lighten back up a bit as it evens out in the leather.