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Marty
Tinkerer
Username: Marty
Post Number: 1
Registered: 11-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, November 09, 2008 - 08:05 pm: | 
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I've been accumulating old cameras, mainly from the late 1880's on up to 1920, since 1967, but so far I've never run across the "perfect leather restorative-preservative." Neatsfoot Oil is messy and greasy, Lexol is good, but not real effective, shoe polish tends to be sort of "gummy looking," well... you've probably all been there.
Has anybody else tried this? http://www.flomatonantiqueauction.com/leather.html If my link doesn't work, it involves the "overuse" of "Kiwi Suede and Nubuck Protector." I've only tried it once or twice, but it seems to possibly help hold old leather together a bit without gumming things up too much. |
Steve_s
Tinkerer
Username: Steve_s
Post Number: 135
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, November 10, 2008 - 11:33 am: |
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It looks as though it might be a useful product. I'll give it a try if I can get it in the UK. I have yet to find anything that would actually soften old leather. I've always used the "leather balm" products available from saddlers' stores on my camera cases, though most of these are much newer than yours. These are based either on lanolin or neatsfoot oil, and most include beeswax, which polishes up nicely.
However, though regular application probably will preserve the leather in its existing condition, I don't believe they really do much to soften dried-up leather. I have a nearly "mint" looking early 1950s camera case where the leather has gone as stiff as cardboard. I've been treating it about once a year for the last 10 years, and I still can't detect any softening!
Incidentally, the instructions for many of these leather balm products suggest that for badly neglected leather you can apply a generous coating and leave it overnight. This might work on something as solid as a saddle, but NOT for something as fragile as a camera case, and definitely not for leather bellows. In the morning you will be left with a horrible gooey mess, and the only way to get it off safely is to apply lots more of the balm as a solvent! Little and often is best. |
Marty
Tinkerer
Username: Marty
Post Number: 2
Registered: 11-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, November 10, 2008 - 05:40 pm: |
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I've only used the stuff on a couple of old cameras with REALLY dried out leather, so it's hard to say if it really does much for flexibility. It may help sort of bind flaky leather together a bit though. I'd think it MIGHT help with dried out bellows, but being sort of chicken to find out on something nice, I figured I'd run it through here...
I'm sort of cautious with such things, and will let an old camera sit for years before taking a chance on something. I'd suppose like most guys, something has to be sort of special for me to buy it with crappy leather, and then, since it's special, I get a little timid about trying something new. |
Steve_s
Tinkerer
Username: Steve_s
Post Number: 136
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, November 11, 2008 - 02:51 am: |
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You're right to be a bit cautious. Being a product intended for shoes, the long-term results might not be considered too important. The auction company which posted the page on your link presumably is mainly interested in making the item look good in the show-room, rather than preserving it for posterity!
Still as I said, it must be worth a try. You've probably already found this thread https://kyp.hauslendale.com/classics/forum/messages/2/12705.html from earlier this year. |
Marty
Tinkerer
Username: Marty
Post Number: 3
Registered: 11-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, November 11, 2008 - 04:34 pm: |
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Yes, I've checked out that thread, but thanks for the link. Funny, I've been collecting old cameras for 40 years, and saved up cheaply printed mail order publications, bought books, and now surfed the net, (which didn't even exist for a long time after I started,) but I've found very few real advances in leather restoration, at least available to amateurs. Maybe leather is an old material and not much new research is being done on it.
It DOES pay to be cautious when trying something new... I figure if an old camera has lasted around a century, I'm better off playing it safe just preserving it than trying something risky. I probably oughta buy more cheap junkers to experiment with and cannibalize parts off of... |
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