Best (green, bio, fair priced) leather conditioner

[Luftwaffe-Jacket-Wanted]

Saw hundreds of posts here about leather preservers and treatment , soap, cream, etc.
Best best I experienced so far were:
N# 1 : Virgin olive oil... no stains no white traces ... perfect for all leathers old and new.
Can be applied with a natural sponge or piece of thick cotton.
Dries away in hours.. no smell no worries... leaves a great patina effect...
Dont thank me but the old Romans an Egyptians... and all all cultures from then onwards.
N#2 : Simple body lotion... or baby oil...to be found as a complimentary take away in all good hotels... but you can also have it in all DS.
Easy to be applied and results are stunning... but a bit chemical...but still perfect,...

Sorry I just want to help/assist and not ruin the duck brands business...
Please try it out...
Thx
Rgds

 

[handymike]

I've heard Olive oil can go rancid.

 

[Monitor]

Body lotion did good on some of my leather jackets, that I can testify to. Or at least it didn't do no harm. Olive oil I've been thinking about giving a try, but never got around to it as the stuff is so greasy it always figured would leave serious stains on the jacket. Duck's really good though it takes ages for the jacket to soak it up.

What I'd like to know is what could I use to make the matte oil shiny?

 

[Luftwaffe-Jacket-Wanted]

Yes! right,
but not if concealed...The leather structure will "gulp it in."
In the leather it will be concealed...
Just try it...
Cheers

 

[Luftwaffe-Jacket-Wanted]

Shiny!
Oill and cotton fabric to polish it up...
thats the best way.

 

[Luftwaffe-Jacket-Wanted]

BTW, the good thing about olive oil is you can soap wash it away with almost a paper tissue ( if you dont like it).
Try it out!.... Best treatment ever since 2000 years!

 

[Luftwaffe-Jacket-Wanted]

Best treatment... proven in some museums showing Roman or egyptian leather components...
...plus...all zips/buckles are properly lubricated and protected against rust and corrosion..

 

[Edward]

A shoe repair guy once suggestedd I try butter on a pair of roughout boots.... I bought dubbin instead because I didn't want to risk it!

For jackets, I really find you can't go wrong with Pecards. My Bootlegger got forgotten about over the Winter, lying in direct sunloightg in the spare bedroom, and there were a couple of spots that were a very tiny bit dry. I've been at it with the Pecards, and the result is superb.

Another product I would highly recommend for a black leather jacket that has lost its colour is simply called Black Leather Jacket. It's a professional dye product. Works like shoe dye - paint it on, leave to dry, buff it off. Quite stunning results. Used it a few years ago on an old jacket I used to wear - much better results than ordinary black boot polish (which I have used to surprisingly good effect in the past, but it takes a lot of work).

Body lotion is an interesting idea.... presumably it can't be abrasive or acidic if it's designed to be used on human skin(!)....

 

[Luftwaffe-Jacket-Wanted]

Hello
nothing wrong with the " Duck " brand as well as others...
Iwas just trying to bring in very very efficient alternatives...
BTW, in 1940 the British Exp. Corp. used French pig fat to shine the leather equipment...and it worked...
I have a few items from that time perfectly preserved.
On the other hand a 1973 USAF F-4 WSO Vietnam War Colt holster ( from Dad.) was totally " f..ked up"
He only used what was given to him in that period of time.

Olive oil saved it a lot.
But again...only my opinion and try to assist.
Cheers

 

[devilish]

Olive oil can oxidize if exposed to light. That's why if you buy it in a clear bottle you should cover it with an opaque bag of some kind. On leather this could be possible but maybe not once absorbed. I've used a product called Renapur for many years and recently tried the suggestion from another thread or forum of 100% pure lanolin. Renapur is awesome absorbs quickly, no smell, no white residue and no squeaking. So far I like the results of the lanolin. It worked really well on the cape and goat skin jackets. Not surprising really as it's pretty much their natural fat.
P.s. It also worked nicely on my own dried hide.

 

[navetsea]

body lotion seems like bad idea, they have vitamins, acid, something that hasten skin cell replacement, something that keep the skin from getting oily, alcohol, preservatives.
all things useful for living skin with ability to absorb nutrient, replace its cell, and not a dead dyed & painted animal skin

virgin olive oil, tried that once on a cheap riding gloves, it made my hand smelled like salad
but if its other property like you mentioned to bring patina to a leather, then it means it ages the leather not preserves it
probably roman used that since that was the only thing available at that time, and their leather were thick armor or straps, rough leathers, need to be oiled to make it more flexible and wearable, they didn't think about preservation of their leather gears.

I wouldn't risk to DIY ing leather jacket conditioner, since there are more products specifically made for that purpose, and they are not that expensive

I use lanolin based conditioner on my jackets, and mink oil to soften the areas where more flex is needed on my thick heavy cow jacket (like the inside of my elbow & biswing gusset)

 

[Monitor]

Yep, if you spent $1000+ on a jacket, it only makes sense to buy a decent leather conditioner, be it the Duck or something else. Besides, that 32oz can seems to last forever.

 

[Seb Lucas]

I had olive oil go rancid on one of mine - smelt like a wet dog. Pecards has never failed me. Petroleum jelly works too - that's what John of Goodwear uses. The other issue with natural products is that the acids can weaken the cotton stitching. I used neatsfoot oil and the seams of my jacket started to split.

 

[navetsea]

my opinion is:
anything with expiry date is not a good idea. since they can't stay preserved themselves how could they preserve things they are applied to

 

[Seb Lucas]

my opinion is:
anything with expiry date is not a good idea. since they can't stay preserved themselves how could they preserve things they are applied to

I like that. Catchy.

 

[navetsea]

the thing with our habit is, we only start getting creative with alternative usage of these stuff when we still have plenty of them in the bottle while their expiration date is approaching

I imagine in museum they break open a fresh bottle of olive oil and then treat all the leather stuff at the same time, so the oil is fresh and would be totally evaporates before it goes rancid, while at home we pick half used bottle already open in the kitchen without calculating how long its expiration date vs its evaporation time once applied to the jacket, if we miscalculate that chances it goes rancid before it completely evaporates.

 

[MacAero]

If using olive oil just remember to do so within the first twelve months after buying it. After that the risk is high it goes rancid...

 

[Peacoat]

If Pecard is good enough for the Smithsonian, Pecard is good enough for me. And, as Monitor said above, a tub will last forever.

 

[pawineguy]

If Pecard is good enough for the Smithsonian, Pecard is good enough for me. And, as Monitor said above, a tub will last forever.

Exactly - This is one case where I don't see the need for a short cut or cost cutting. If we were hobbyists putting olive oil on $5 wallets, maybe. But on $1000 jackets I think I will stick to one of the readily available, reasonably priced, task specific products.

 

[Big J]

Exactly - This is one case where I don't see the need for a short cut or cost cutting. If we were hobbyists putting olive oil on $5 wallets, maybe. But on $1000 jackets I think I will stick to one of the readily available, reasonably priced, task specific products.

Olive oil is for salads, not jackets.