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Old 10-01-2007, 11:44 PM
Bell Charter Oak Holsters Bell Charter Oak Holsters is offline
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Linda;
There are at least two or more (definitely more ) different views concerning the conservation of leather objects. In particular holsters and other militaria.

Saddlers traditionally oil harness and other leather tack that are exposed to weather, as a preservative. It was once quite common to see "Eureka" oilers in a harness shop. This was a commercially made galvanized tank with a large basket attached to a line on a pulley. The tack was dipped in the oil and left to drip in the basket. The preparations used would vary from commercial harness oils to homemade preparations, usually, based with PURE Neatsfoot oil, not Neatsfoot COMPOUND. The latter contains petroleum distillates.

Really dried out and cracking leather is usually beyond help. Antique leather objects found in that condition are best treated with Pecards. Oils will promote further deterioration over time. Serious cavalry enthusiasts I've spoken with, some of them chemists, have offered these same opinions regarding the museum preservation of military saddles, tack and other leather accoutrements. They offer a very sound perspective from a technical standpoint, which I am not remotely qualified to refute. The Society of The Military Horse website has archival threads concerning this and might be worth a visit.

On the other hand, my experience has been that conservative use of any quality conditioning preparation on leather that is not dried out or cracking/crazing will help to extend it's service life.

Here's "before and after" photos of a McClellan Model of 1904 I restored.





As for holsters. I believe field or service gear (military/sporting) can be preserved or conditioned much the same way. Leather that is destined to receive substantial exposure to the elements or rough field condition benefit from conditioning, as a preventitive measure. Repeated wet and dry cycles, and extended exposure to sun weaken the elasticity and suppleness of leather. Tallows and waxes, called "liquors" absorbed during the tanning process by drum immersion are lost through exposure to the elements. The cell fibers breakdown or deteriorate to a dry rot state. When this has happened, it's usually too late to restore. Preservation is another issue and in my opinion only speaks to stabilizing the objects present condition without alteration in order to prevent further deterioration. Old military or similar type holsters can benefit from some modest attention. But I'd be conservative with any oil. A preparation called "British Museum Wax" (or paste) is touted as one of the best and most expensive preservation compounds, but I've no experience with it. Pecards is a good choice after gentle cleaning of any soiled object and is available from many retailers. Glycerin soap in most cases will gently remove old surface wax and soiling. In some cases it will soften brittle leather but may over soften if used excessively. Horseman's One Step is another cleaner and conditioner that works well. Murphys oil soap, which I (and an awful lot of horse people) use on very dirty tack or saddles before conditioning will deglaze the topcoat to a dull finish. Application of good quality harness oil followed by Feibings Bag Kote (the traditional sealer and finish used by saddlers) will restore the finish. It is water based and contains no petroleum distillates. I hope this is useful.
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