Is this water damaged satchel beyond repair?

[Noydini]

Hi folks,

I wondered whether I could seek some advice from users of this forum. My grandfather recently passed and we discovered my father’s old school satchel when we were clearing the garage. The satchel is over 50 years old and, as you will see from the images below, it is in an extremely sorry state; it’s been water damaged at some point and some of the leather panels are very hard and brittle. A lot of the hardware has rusted and some of the rivets and studs are literally disintegrating into rusty dust.

The item has some sentimental memories for my father so it seems a shame to just toss it in the rubbish. I said I would take it away and see if anything could be done to restore it.

I’m no expert but this satchel seems too far gone - I’m guessing no amount of saddle soap or neatsfoot oil is going to get this back to serviceable condition? I wanted to check with some experts before I make my next step. If it is beyond repair, I was planning on passing it to a leather crafts person to see if they can use the bag as a template to create a replica (or maybe even incorporate some of the salvageable panels into the new bag).

I would really appreciate any advice and many thanks in advance!

https://ibb.co/64NVyLy 
https://ibb.co/cQWVHKM
https://ibb.co/D4883qq
https://ibb.co/BnT6xBn

 

 

Edited October 17, 2021 by Northmount
Downloaded and posted photos

[bland]

Unfortunately that looks too far gone to ever be a serviceable satchel again.  Maybe clean it up as a conversation piece.   I think somebody could pattern it and make a replica.  I don't think there are even any salvageable panels.  Cool bag though.  

[Northmount]

@Noydini Please post photos here in the future.  Third party hosting often results in the pictures disappearing and renders the thread useless for future reference.  Third party hosts change policies, users delete photos from their account or close the account, etc.  I have downloaded your photos and pasted them into your post.

 

[Mulesaw]

The rusted rivets and the missing buckles for closing could be dealt with.

My suggestion is to clean it first with some saddle soap, then once it is dry again, give it a try with some neatsfoot oil or some other oil. The worst thing that can happen is that you have spent a bit of money on the oil and used a bit of time. 

It probably won't ever be as soft as the day it was made, but if it becomes usable with a bit of scars to reflect its age - well then I think it is worth doing it. I don't think it looks all that bad, but getting the grime of and giving it some oil will let you assess whether the leather is too brittle to continue with. 

Replacing the rusted rivets shouldn't be much of a problem, To me it looks like there is missing a strap to carry the satchel over the shoulder, and there's also missing two buckles to closing the front. The front "pocket" seems to need some stitching in the lower part, but that's about it as far as I can see.

Sentimental value is hard to valuate, but I would guess that a school boy satchel sees a lot more rough handling than the satchel of an elderly gentleman, so it might not need to be 100% as sturdy for your father to use now as it was 50 years ago. 

If you write in your profile where you are located, it makes it a bit easier if anyone is living near you that might have a chance of vetting the piece in real life.

Brgds

Jonas

 

 

[Squid61]

I'm in the same condition as that satchel but older!  I agree with Mulesaw, it's worth a little effort with saddle soap and oil, might never be usable but it should clean up enough as a memento.

[Noydini]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I think just getting it back into some sort of presentable condition would be a good result. It would have been nice if one of the grandkids could have used it when they start school but I think that is going to be a stretch!
 

We have the shoulder strap and buckles but unfortunately the leather on these parts is extremely brittle. I suspect those would need to be remade.
 

I have some saddle soap so will invest in a small can of oil and will have a shot at cleaning this up.

Will post some pics of my progress.

[Mulesaw]

Good to hear :-)

Good luck with the project. (I am sadly too far away from you geographically to be of much help)

[jcuk]

I think looking at the pics it can be cleaned up and possibly used again but having said that, it's hard to tell without seeing it for real, and i don't  know the quality of leather used to make it in the first place. As for cleaning it up - clean with saddle soap and with the neats foot oil, be careful - do not over use it because dry brittle leather will keep soaking up and before you know it will become saturated and then that would be hard to come back from. There are many other leather conditioners that can be used as well.
One other suggestion why don't you try and get it on the TV show The Repair Shop.

Hope this helps

JCUK

 

Edited October 17, 2021 by jcuk

[Handstitched]

Sorry to hear about the sad passing of your grandfather. 

Even after you've cleaned it up, give it a good soaking in NF oil, it may not be in ' usable' condition, but   it'll still  be a good display piece or keepsake  in memory of him . 

HS 

[Handstitched]

@jcuk Thats been on TV recently here in Oz . Can learn a few things from that show. 

HS

[jcuk]

7 minutes ago, Handstitched said:

@jcuk Thats been on TV recently here in Oz . Can learn a few things from that show. 

HS

Yes been on TV here a for a while here, you may want to note how the lady who does leather repairs will reinforce the more delicate repairs manly with pig skin better choice over there maybe Kangaroo leather a very tough and strong leather as you will know. 

[toxo]

I would say you've nothing to lose by giving it a go. I would start by dampening the whole thing and and packing it as much as you can while it's wet. Wooden blocks in the pockets and maybe stuffed newspaper or somesuch. Whatever it takes to get the shape right. Let it dry (even in the oven on a very low heat). Then clean it and get as much oil in it as you can. The rest you can do yourself. Saddle stitch isn't difficult to the standard that you'll need and think of the satisfaction you'll get. Priceless!

[Northmount]

Easy on the neatsfoot oil.  Too  much and it will become a soppy mess.  Add light coats, let soak in for 12 to 24 hours before adding another coat.  There are several posts here about having saturated leather and the person wanting to know how to remove the excess oil.  You can treat both sides of the leather.  It will look blotchy, but will even out as you let it soak in for a few hours.

Use pure NFO, not NFO compound.

[billybopp]

I agree with much of the above - I'd probably try to bring it back to life first, but if that doesn't work and you like the design, I'd probably disassemble it to make a pattern and re-create it!   i like the design.

- Bill

[ScottWolf]

Noydini,

                    I'll offer up some advice in addition to what others have already mentioned. 

CLEANING: Saddle soap has been mentioned but that is a generic term and what one saddle soap has in it can and does differ from brand to brand. In your case, an older, damaged and stiff piece of leather needs to be brought back slowly over time. A simple damp cloth wipe down should proceed anything. Get the surface dust and grime off and then actually clean it. This can be done with something as simple as Dawn dishwashing soap, a soft brush and or a rag. Dawn is pH friendly to leather and won't dry the leather out any more than it already is. You want to avoid drying already damaged leather out even more during the cleaning.Multiple gentle cleanings may be needed. 

It's really important that during this cleaning and subsequent handling that you don't bend or flex any of the stiff leather pieces/portions of the bag while cleaning and later on, conditioning, until such a time as the leather becomes pliable again. Granted there will be some movement but don't try and overly bend/flex portions of the bag while cleaning it initially.  Once you've wiped it down and have moved on to washing it, wetting the leather will cause the leather fibers to swell and regain some flexibility while they are wet. This would be then time to carefully reshape or remove any creases on/in the bag. Once you've cleaned it, allow it to air dry at room temp, don't use heat, natural or otherwise, you don't want to damage the leather any further. The leather will become stiff again after drying out, but it should now be less brittle for a day or two after. This is when you want to start conditions it, so it doesn't become brittle again.

 

CONDITIONING: The key with old and dried out leather is that it lacks the fat and oils that were put into it during tanning that act as lubricants between the leather fibers. You want to slowly over days, maybe even longer, re introduce those fats and oils into the leather and allow it to absorb in and re lubricate the leather fibers. So several applications of one or more leather conditioners will be needed. I know neatsfoot oil has been mentioned already, but I would caution against using it on your bag initially, as there are better alternatives out there that will do what your leather needs, and thats re introduce fats/oils into the leather. There are several commercially available products out there that use natural ingredients, many/most also used during the tanning and finishing process. Products that use ingredients like Cod liver oil, castor oil, lanolin, tallow, beeswax, etc(just a few examples, not all encompassing ) or a combination of them will reintroduce the fats that the leather needs to become lubricated and soft again. Once the leather is soft, pliable and supple again, then I'd consider using something like neatsfoot on it, but not before then. I see you are in the UK, but I'd imagine you can obtain or make something similar to this commercial product, which has ingredients your leather will need to become soft again. See the ingredients list in the FAQ's section in the link below. This is just one example product of many that can be used that have the fats and oils in them that your dried out leather will need to bring it back to life. Hope this helps and check back in with your progress, as it looks like it is a nice bag and worth restoring.

https://coloradoleatherbalm.com/pages/frequently-asked-questions

[Noydini]

Hi,

For anyone that is still interested, I (finally!) made a start on this project so thought I would put a quick update up with a few photos.

Progress so far:

- gathered materials: I bought a small can of pure neatsfoot oil and followed @ScottWolf recommendation to get another initial conditioner. I went for a product available in UK called Renapur leather balm (which is beeswax and jojoba oils). I will start with that and work up to the neatsfoot.

- removed rusty rivets, studs and hardware. All of these were badly corroded and jagged edges so, rather than risk picking up tetanus, I removed them with a bradawl. Most came out ok without causing any leather splitting. I’ve saved the hardware so I can source replacements.

- did a basic surface clean with shoe brush and wiped down with damp cloth. It looks quite a bit better already!

To do next:

- deep clean with saddle soap using applicator brush. I’ll try and reshape the pockets at this point.

- assess straps and leather fixings. As you can see, some of these have split so I will have to get some pieces remade (if the satchel can be restored to a reasonable standard). I’ll probably test the conditioners on the damaged ones to see what works.

Then I will move on to the conditioning. I’m feeling a bit more optimistic than I did first time round. Thanks again to everyone-  I was very close to putting the bag in the bin!

[ArkieNewbie]

On 11/14/2021 at 11:23 AM, Noydini said:

Hi,

For anyone that is still interested, I (finally!) made a start on this project so thought I would put a quick update up with a few photos.

Progress so far:

- gathered materials: I bought a small can of pure neatsfoot oil and followed @ScottWolf recommendation to get another initial conditioner. I went for a product available in UK called Renapur leather balm (which is beeswax and jojoba oils). I will start with that and work up to the neatsfoot.

- removed rusty rivets, studs and hardware. All of these were badly corroded and jagged edges so, rather than risk picking up tetanus, I removed them with a bradawl. Most came out ok without causing any leather splitting. I’ve saved the hardware so I can source replacements.

- did a basic surface clean with shoe brush and wiped down with damp cloth. It looks quite a bit better already!

To do next:

- deep clean with saddle soap using applicator brush. I’ll try and reshape the pockets at this point.

- assess straps and leather fixings. As you can see, some of these have split so I will have to get some pieces remade (if the satchel can be restored to a reasonable standard). I’ll probably test the conditioners on the damaged ones to see what works.

Then I will move on to the conditioning. I’m feeling a bit more optimistic than I did first time round. Thanks again to everyone-  I was very close to putting the bag in the bin!

Compared to the first pictures this looks amazing! Did you ever get this project finished up?