Applying Obenauf's Boot Preservative to a leather jacket

[Marc mndt]

I recently acquired this Polo Ralph Lauren leather jacket. I think it's 15-20 years old but it might even be older.

It's hard to capture on photo but the jacket looked a bit pale. There were some scratches here and there but most of all it was a little bit flat looking overall.

@handymike suggestest to apply some Obenauf's to make the jacket a few shades darker. Obenauf's is a beeswax formula that was originally developed to restore and protect fire fighter boots. I did some internet searching and found testimonies of people successfully using it on their leather jackets too. Here's a guy who applied it to his RRL A2 jacket:

https://www.styleforum.net/threads/obenaufs-lp-on-an-rrl-leather-jacket.286264/

@handymike shared a photo of a Hercules jacket which most likely served as the inspiration for this Ralph Lauren jacket. The darker color on the original looks much better than my pale / yellowish RL. I was hoping the end result after applying a couple of coats of Obenauf's would look more like the original.

I was a bit worried that applying the Obenauf's would be really messy and that it would be hard to spread the stuff evenly. I've read somewhere that people used hairdryers to melt the waxes into the leather. We have heated floors so I guessed simply laying the jacket on the floor might be helpful as well.

To my surprise applying the Obenauf's was really easy. No additional heat sources were needed. I just used my hands to 'massage' the waxes into the leather and the jacket soaked it all up without leaving any stains.

I was really happy with the result I got right after applying the Obenauf's. It had easily become three or four shades darker. However, after leaving the jacket to dry for a day it lightened up again, almost back to its original shade. A day after the first application, I applied a second coat which had a similar result. First dark, then light again.

Here's the result. From left to right: Before - after first application - after second application.

Looks
Although I didn't get the shade I was hoping for, the jacket does look much better now. Before the jacket had pale spots and looked flat overall, not much color dept. After the treatment the pale spots were gone and the color had gotten much more vibrant. It now shows great color depth. One of the best leathers, if not the best, I've seen on a fashion jacket.

The leather shows some beautiful subtle patina which has developed over decades and I was worried the Obenauf's would remove some of it. I'm glad it didn't. It might even have enhanced it a bit.

Feel
I think I've used a quarter of the container's content which made the jacket feel noticeable heavier. It also made it slightly stiffer. Which is all good, it feels more substantial now. However, the jacket is also somewhat squeaky now. Buffing the leather with some cloth did help to tone down the squeaks but they're still there.

Final verdict
Although I didn't get the result I was hoping for, the jacket definitely looks much better now. Applying the Obenauf's was really easy and didn't take any skill or special technique. Would I use it on a top tier jacket? I don't think so. This jacket came out great but that's just n=1. It might not work as good on other leathers and since it's irreversible, there's definitely a risk to it.

 

[jglf]

Nice. I’ve been using obenauf on my heavy use boots and jackets for years. Good stuff

 

[handymike]

Are you going to give it another coating? It looks good, but I also figured it would get darker and stay darker. I think the bit of shine helps the jacket a lot.

 

[ton312]

I had this jacket as I mentioned before and I think your application helped it tremendously! The jacket I had was essentially yellow, which I really disliked. This looks like a much richer brown. Well done!

 

[Pandemic]

Interesting results. Ive only ever used Obernauf’s LP on boots and in some cases I was disappointed at how much they darkened them. Do you think it’s the jacket leather - it just isn’t porous enough to hold a lot of oil and wax? Or is it so porous that it is soaking it all in deep?

Either way, that jacket looks gorgeous!

it is a great product and isn’t the smell wonderful? So many leather products smell like chemicals and this smells like fresh honey.

 

[Marc mndt]

Are you going to give it another coating? It looks good, but I also figured it would get darker and stay darker. I think the bit of shine helps the jacket a lot.

I've thought about that but I doubt it will get any darker. I also don't want to risk oversaturating the jacket. Applying too much of the stuff leaves behind white residue.

 

[handymike]

Yeah, the white stuff... use the hairdryer to melt it a bit and soak it up with a paper towel. Best to stop if it’s getting the “bloom”.
I think it’s better looking, just a bit surprised too.

 

[Marc mndt]

Yeah, the white stuff... use the hairdryer to melt it a bit and soak it up with a paper towel. Best to stop if it’s getting the “bloom”.
I think it’s better looking, just a bit surprised too.

This white residue on the seams was easy to buff up but I don't feel like buffing up the entire jacket.

 

[Harris HTM]

Marc is this available in the NL?

 

[Marc mndt]

Marc is this available in the NL?

https://www.amazon.com/Obenaufs-Lea...d_rd_i=B0002X520S&psc=1&ref_=pd_bap_m_rp_1_sc

 

[yellowfever]

Obernaufs is great stuff, it certainly gives tired flat leather a lift. I’ve used pretty much every leather treatment in existence at one time or another on belts, footwear and jackets. Leather care product manufacturers all seem to claim their product is best and many warn against the ingredients used in other rival products.

e.g. Some claim petroleum spirits found in some products will damage stitching, others claim 'natural' animal derived fats like neatsfoot oil will go rancid over time and damage the leather.

Some claim thicker products don't absorb well and attract grit and then act like a grinding paste on seam stitching, others that thinner products saturate the leather and weaken it...

Some claim miraculous waterproofing from their products eg with silicone, others say that this is a terrible idea as it clogs the pores in leather that allow it to breathe naturally...

Hard to know what to believe. So I’d just tend to look at product availability and cost where you are, follow the instructions and don’t use too much.

That said, Obernaufs is probably my pick for general treatment and the beeswax smell is nice (better than some others). The LP goes on well enough, but you can also get Obernaufs leather oil which soaks in easier and good for very old dry leather. Like you said though, don’t put too much on or you’ll saturate the leather. Thin coats are best (repeat if needed) giving it time to let it soak in then buff off any excess.

For motorbike leathers (where we should also care about maintaining the crash integrity of the leathers and seam stitching, not just the looks) then I’d be careful and follow the leather manufacturers recommended treatment and products (eg for Vanson wipe down with damp cloth, use vanson’s leather balm) or a product specifically designed for motorbike leathers. For example Gliptone liquid leather GT12 and GT15 cleaners and GT11 and GT13 conditioners. I’m not sure, but I think BKS’s leather care products are made by Gliptone (BKS are a UK high end bespoke technical motorbike leather makers with a focus on safety who made the world’s first CE certified motorbike leathers, so they should know). [edit - Gliptone were also recommended for home use by https://www.scrubbersleathers.co.uk/ in an interview they did about leather care a few years back in a bike magazine. Scrubbersleathers professionally clean and condition motorbike leathers including for racers and they make their own bespoke cleaners and conditioners for this purpose, so, again, I guess they should know!]

I also did some research on darkening effects of various products. Many products give warnings about the risk of darkening leather, especially lighter coloured ones. And some products get negative reviews online for unwanted darkening of things. Like you I had a jacket I actually wanted to darken a bit so I tried these out. Honestly despite picking the products most often claimed to darken leather, I found what you did - initially darker then gradually lightening back to pretty much where I’d started... so if you really want to darken leather to any significant degree I think dyes and polishes are the only real option... (unless it’s natural nude leather which darkens over time anyway).

 

[Marc mndt]

Some claim thicker products don't absorb well and attract grit and then act like a grinding paste on seam stitching, others that thinner products saturate the leather and weaken it...

I've also applied the Obenaufs onto these Red Wings. They really didn't absorb it as easily as the RL jacket but they came out much darker.

I guess the result really differs from one leather to another.

 

[Cornelius]

Thanks for taking the gamble here with your jacket & sharing the results. I agree it looks better afterward, more depth to the surface even if it did not darken as much as you might've liked. An inadvertent bonus: you have likely also now improved the jacket's water repellency.

 

[Marc mndt]

Thanks for taking the gamble here with your jacket & sharing the results. I agree it looks better afterward, more depth to the surface even if it did not darken as much as you might've liked. An inadvertent bonus: you have likely also now improved the jacket's water repellency.

Plus I had fun and learned something new

 

[Mrfrown]

Thanks for documenting and sharing! The color depth does look much nicer after treatment.

 

[Coriu]

I recently acquired this Polo Ralph Lauren leather jacket. I think it's 15-20 years old but it might even be older.

Final verdict
Although I didn't get the result I was hoping for, the jacket definitely looks much better now. Applying the Obenauf's was really easy and didn't take any skill or special technique. Would I use it on a top tier jacket? I don't think so. This jacket came out great but that's just n=1. It might not work as good on other leathers and since it's irreversible, there's definitely a risk to it.

Great post, and thanks for sharing. I use Pecard's leather dressing and have had good luck with it consistently darkening. Might be worth a try. It is similar in consistency to the Obenauf's. Pecard's makes an oil which is essentially the same product, but it is less messy and soaks in much quicker.

For rejuvenating old leather and bringing out its character, Saphir Renovator is the best I have found. It's expensive, but a little goes a long way. It does not darken. I follow that up with Saphir's leather cream. If I want to cover up some scratches and spots, Saphir offers a number of different cream colors for matching. One can apply multiple coats, buffing between coats. The end result is impressive.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

Based on my experience with Obenaufs, I'm surprised the jacket didn't darken more. It does look better after the application, though.

 

[navetsea]

end result looking much healthier at least, hopefully it will cure somewhat so when worn your body heat won't melt it again and transfer to things you sit on, quarter pot seems a lot, here my mink-oil also comes in balm like form, but it has sponge applicator I twist around over the balm surface, and apply to the leather object, I use so little with every treatment the content in the pot maybe only dropping 1mm after a single treatment over a leather jacket.

 

[Monitor]

The jacket came out great but what I never understood about TFL is why don't we discuss RRL jackets as much as any other brand because in all honesty, from what I've seen by owning a few and by looking at all the photos online, these jackets consistently look really fantastic and actually are made quite much nicer than many brands that are being talked about here.

I mean, look at this jacket. Great hide, fantastically made, really cool vintage style... I dunno, looks as good as anything to me.

 

[Marc mndt]

The jacket came out great but what I never understood about TFL is why don't we discuss RRL jackets as much as any other brand because in all honesty, from what I've seen by owning a few and by looking at all the photos online, these jackets consistently look really fantastic and actually are made quite much nicer than many brands that are being talked about here.

I mean, look at this jacket. Great hide, fantastically made, really cool vintage style... I dunno, looks as good as anything to me.

It seems to me that RRL / Ralph Lauren is not 'TFL approved'. As @Monitor mentioned, they are not being discussed and when people do show their RRL jackets, they don't receive much praise. Some time ago I had one listed on the classifieds section. No interest at all.

I've easily handled a few hundred Ralph Lauren jackets. Some are really really bad but others are absolutely great. This Polo Ralph Lauren Hercules copy survived for 20 years and judging by the patina, it has been extensively worn. There must be something good about this jacket to survive this long, right?

I agree that RRL jackets in general are overpriced. They're not worth their MSRP imo. But what jacket is? Is a Himel worth it's price? Some people would disagree, yet we do discuss Himel here on TFL.

Is there a 'negative hype' around Ralph Lauren that I don't know about?

What's not to like about this jacket? Honest feedback is more than welcome