Leather case care

Chuck Fields said:
Use either Lexol, or another product I like is called Leather Honey.

Stay away from anything with petroleum products. ;)
Click to expand...

Chuck,

Do you think it's necessary? I have a Justis from 1995, a number of Flowers from the 1980's and a 100 year old fly fishing case, all just tanned leather. I keep them protected from the sun and heat, don't use products on them, and the leather is still quite supple. I've often wondered if these "conditioning" products really do anything other than surface treatment.

Chris
 
Last edited:
TATE said:
Chuck,

Do you think it's necessary? I have a Justis from 1995, a Flowers from the 1980's and a 100 year old fly fishing case. I keep them protected from the sun and heat, don't use products on them, and the leather is still quite supple.

Chris
Click to expand...


This is exactly what I'm saying.
This endless babying for all things leather is vastly over done.
 
For any leather care I use Obenauf's Heavy Duty LP, it's a great product and has taken care of many quality leather items for me. I use it on all my boots: Alden, White's, and Red Wing. I also occasionally treat the leather on my Filson briefcase with it and I've used it on cue cases as well.

Boots take a beating in the Wisconsin winter and absolutely need regular care to remain nice. A leather cue case is treated very gently in comparison and I don't think it's really necessary to get overly concerned with treating it, but it also can't hurt to do occasionally if you're so inclined. It's certainly something I would do every couple years or so, it will help keep the leather supple and prevent cracking which can happen.
 
I recently purchased a Rusty Melton case and contacted him directly about care. He recommended Bick 4 leather conditioner - which was good since I already had some for other leather items. Works great on anything that I have used it on.
 
There are any number of good products out there. At the bare minimum you can use olive oil and apply a light coat at least once a year. It is important to keep the skin moisturized. Do blot on something else before trying on the leather. Do use light coats. Do clean your case before conditioning it. Do not use alcohol.

Look on youtube for plenty of videos describing how to clean and preserve leather.

I like Dr. Jackson's from Tandy. However there are literally dozens of good compounds out there. Figure out what type of leather you have and use what's recommended for it.

No matter what though at LEAST once a year you should condition it. Twice is better.

Here is a video I did where I demonstrated using Lexol for our cases.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nl8xKZFcyGY
 
You may not consider this credible but it assuredly is. I have used Huberds shoe grease. http://www.huberds.com/ ( in the can ) on ALL of my leather stuff from my leather bomber jacket to my old instroke case for literally years. It is the best leather conditioner I've ever seen. Rub it in and wipe it off. NOT greasy. My case is a very early Instroke. Here's a picture.
 

Attachments

  • Instroke and Madden 004.jpg
    Instroke and Madden 004.jpg
    95.1 KB · Views: 153
  • Instroke and Madden 006.jpg
    Instroke and Madden 006.jpg
    97.2 KB · Views: 150
The coloring on that Instroke is beautiful! Looks a little nicer than their current stuff (which is still decent, I just started using a new black 3x7).
 
TATE said:
Chuck,

Do you think it's necessary? I have a Justis from 1995, a number of Flowers from the 1980's and a 100 year old fly fishing case, all just tanned leather. I keep them protected from the sun and heat, don't use products on them, and the leather is still quite supple. I've often wondered if these "conditioning" products really do anything other than surface treatment.

Chris
Click to expand...

Depends on a lot of things, how its cared for, and the temperature and humidity playing important roles. Ideally you should add some moisture back into the leather at least once a year. If you live in a dry place, twice a year. The thing is to not overdo it, which can be as bad or worse than not treating the leather.

If you think about your own skin for a moment, you have a constant supply of water inside you, as well as moisture from bathing etc , and if a person uses lotions etc. your skin stays moist and soft. Leather is dead, no internal source of nourishment, so it only has a few directions it can go from there. Dry out and get brittle/crumbly (unless you add moisture back in), or rot from too much moisture, mold etc as well.

So to answer your question, no you don't HAVE to, a case can last at least 30 years from no oil as I have personally witnessed. But the leather is going to dry out as it ages, to the point that it will eventually fail. Could be a few years, could be 50 or 100. That part depends on the climate, how it was cared for etc etc etc. Think about old baseball gloves that don't get oiled. Your cases don't see that type of use, but the same thing applies.
 
Chuck Fields said:
Depends on a lot of things, how its cared for, and the temperature and humidity playing important roles. Ideally you should add some moisture back into the leather at least once a year. If you live in a dry place, twice a year. The thing is to not overdo it, which can be as bad or worse than not treating the leather.

If you think about your own skin for a moment, you have a constant supply of water inside you, as well as moisture from bathing etc , and if a person uses lotions etc. your skin stays moist and soft. Leather is dead, no internal source of nourishment, so it only has a few directions it can go from there. Dry out and get brittle/crumbly (unless you add moisture back in), or rot from too much moisture, mold etc as well.

So to answer your question, no you don't HAVE to, a case can last at least 30 years from no oil as I have personally witnessed. But the leather is going to dry out as it ages, to the point that it will eventually fail. Could be a few years, could be 50 or 100. That part depends on the climate, how it was cared for etc etc etc. Think about old baseball gloves that don't get oiled. Your cases don't see that type of use, but the same thing applies.
Click to expand...


Thanks, good info.
 
bbb said:
if you use lexol on a leather wrap
would it feel "greasy"?
Click to expand...

I used 303 Protectant.on a cue I had wrapped with brown leather. It worked out real good. Apply ...let dry...wipe gently..leaves no residue
 
I received the Leather Honey and Lexol today. I used the Lexol because it was easier to apply. (Spray). My new Jay Flowers Tribute case needed some treatment. I looked dull and dry. Was from 2013 so it has been sitting. Looks richer and slightly darker. I like the way it finished up. Thanks guys. Frank
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top