Reviving old leather

[Sarah_K]

Hi,

my sister and I have just been up in my parents loft to get a few things down. While up there we've found an old leather headcollar of ours. God knows what it's doing up there and not at the stables. It's not in bad condition (complete, no weak stitching) but the leather is hard. Whats the best thing to try and revive it? Will try anything as we've got plenty of other headcollars so it's not that important if it gets ruined, changes colour etc.

Thanks

 

[Ibblebibble]

oil i use neatsfoot. to keep it supple once it's soaked i use renapur balsam

 

[OldNag]

I wouldnt use oil, personally.

I'd try something like Ko-Cho- Line and do it gradually.

 

[RuthM]

Atrixo! Or any uber functional, non fancy intensive hand cream. Oooops! Did I say that outloud?

 

[cremedemonthe]

It is unadvisable to oil tack, especially with that awful neatsfoots oil.
Any substance/product (leather conditioner/food) with tallow, beeswax or lanolin or all 3 if possible is by far the best thing for leather. If oil is used it tends to make the fibres of the leather go soggy, it can rot out certain types of thread used in stitching too. IF you must use oil (very lightly and use Cod Liver Oil), then use it VERY sparingly on the flesh side of the leather (under side) here the fibres of the hide are much more open, allowing the oil to soak in far better than the grain side. Oil will not conditioner leather either, fat does which is found in a leather food or conditioner.
Oil tends to darken leather too, another reason you shouldn't use it if you have a lighter coloured leather.
PS I've just hand dressed 12 full size hides using my own leather conditioner I make, some of the leather is 25years old but still as good as new using this method.