Caring For Leather Notebook Covers

[migo984]

I have several leather notebook covers, including some which are untreated and/or undyed. They are starting to age nicely but I'd like to treat them with a neutral leather conditioner so they don't get stained with grease marks and the like. I don't want to stop them darkening naturally though.

 

Has anyone got any suggestions as to a good product? Preferably one I can purchase within the UK

 

thanks

[Guest Ray Cornett]

Pecards is one depending on the leather.

[Polyhistor]

You should be able to pick up some beeswax leather balm (a mixture of beeswax, vaseline, and natural oils) locally, maybe you have a saddler or a cobbler nearby? It won't darken the leather much (if it will at all) and gives it a nice and durable surface as well as necessary oils to keep it from going brittle. Plus, the stuff smells just wonderful. :-)

 

As Ray said, not all conditioners are for all kinds of leather. Suede is a wholly different matter – you can use beeswax balm, but it will (probably radically) change the leather's color and feel.

 

Cheers

Adam

[migo984]

Thank you both.

 

I have a variety of types of leather covers but none are suede. They include kip (?) leather and cowhide (belting?) leather. Some are a fine texture and quite soft, others are thicker and more rigid and feel a little bit waxy. As you can tell from my question marks I really don't know much about leather. Two started off very pale cream but are darkening nicely as they age so I just want a conditioner to keep them supple and perhaps increase their resistance to grease. The leather balm sounds ideal. I do know a number of saddleries (my family live in The Valley of the Racehorse) so I'll try them. I didn't even think about doing that!

 

Thanks again

 

Thanks again.

[my63]

Hi migo984

I have to be honest I don't know the answer to your question but I know the people who do

 

http://www.leprevo.co.uk/finishes.htm

 

I would have thought Carnauba wax would do the job although it may darken very light leathers

 

I hope that helps

 

Michael

[migo984]

Hi migo984

 

I have to be honest I don't know the answer to your question but I know the people who do

 

http://www.leprevo.co.uk/finishes.htm

 

I would have thought Carnauba wax would do the job although it may darken very light leathers

 

I hope that helps

 

Michael

 

That's excellent. Thanks Michael

 

Marie

[my63]

The waxy stuff sounds like bridle leather and should only need a rub with a soft cloth, Kip leather is from a small cow the one with the hump on its back, Belting leather really refers to the area the leather comes from if I remember correctly back or shoulders you would not make a belt from belly leather as it will stretch even after tanning.

 

I would love to see pictures of your notebooks I plan on making some covers in the future.

 

Michael

[Glenn Atkins]

mink oil

[jimhughes]

Do you Milk the ink, from the mink like a cow or does it come from the Mink's anal glands? My neighbor has a pair of Minks, maybe I could get some from them. Jim

[inkypete]

I use Skidmores that I bought from Gfeller when I purchased my last covers. It is very good and highly recommended. I use it on all my leathers and have had great results.

 

http://www.gfeller.us/conditioners.html

[migo984]

I use Skidmores that I bought from Gfeller when I purchased my last covers. It is very good and highly recommended. I use it on all my leathers and have had great results.

 

http://www.gfeller.us/conditioners.html

Thanks - does look good. But as I said in my OP I'm looking for something I can source in the UK. I expect shipping costs from US will make this Gfeller conditioner too expensive.

[Polyhistor]

Thanks - does look good. But as I said in my OP I'm looking for something I can source in the UK. I expect shipping costs from US will make this Gfeller conditioner too expensive.

 

There are also some Tandy Leather stores in the UK, I think. You should be able to get a variety of conditioners there as well. Tandy sometimes gets a bad rep for the quality of their tools, knowledge of shop assistants, etc., but I guess with conditioners it's not that much of a minefield. Haven't tried any of them though, as there are no stores in Austria.

[Glenn Atkins]

Do you Milk the ink, from the mink like a cow or does it come from the Mink's anal glands? My neighbor has a pair of Minks, maybe I could get some from them. Jim

Ha. I have never tried to milk a mink, but I know their oil, wherever it comes from, works great on leather shoes.

 

Glenn

[gmax]

Search for Collonil products on Amazon UK. They produce balms to keep leather supple, and gel for waterproofing.

 

Lord Sheraton leather balsam is also very good.

[Sleepyside]

The best conditioner/preservative ever was Fredelka. The formula was sold a while back and I could never figure out how to buy it. But the next best thing is Effax Lederbalsam. This product is German, so should be available at any tack store. I think Passier makes something similar but I haven't used it, so can't vouch for it. I cannot recommend mink oil. And above all, do not use neatsfoot oil. You want a product that contains lanolin. And bear in mind that a little goes a long way.

[MarneM]

I rather like the look of mine as it gets more dinged up and damaged. I occasionally put a little of my sspinning wheel oil on it, to keep it supple, but that's about it (the same oil I use on the leather parts of the spinning wheel). Here is a picture of how it looks day one, compared to now (about a year later):

[sotto2]

Do you Milk the ink, from the mink like a cow or does it come from the Mink's anal glands? My neighbor has a pair of Minks, maybe I could get some from them. Jim

 

I believe the proper protocol is to ask politely. Most minks I know are very accommodating.

[jimhughes]

That sound reasonable. I'll drop by with a bag of Mink Chow to smooth the waters B4 I ask for a donation. Wonder how much oil you can get from one mink?

[Inkysloth]

Do you Milk the ink, from the mink like a cow or does it come from the Mink's anal glands? My neighbor has a pair of Minks, maybe I could get some from them. Jim

It's neither, the oil is made from their fat, which us underneath their skin. It's a byproduct from the fur industry.

[jimhughes]

So you have to kill the poor things to get the oil. OOH, That's not something my neighbor would go for. His Minks are like members of the family.