taking care of leather

taking care of leather

This topic isn't quite about natural *human* body care, but I wasn't sure where to put it (moderators, feel free to move if there is a more appropriate subforum).

The seasons are a'changing. How would you take care of leather? I have shoes with scuffed toes and a jacket that is drying out. I know there are commercial leather conditioners, but I was wondering if you have any other suggestions. I wasn't sure what type of oil (veg? animal? specific suggestions?) would be appropriate for conditioning or moisturing the leather, preferably without affecting its colour (yes, I will do a patch test anyway). Thanks.

 

 

Different kinds of leathers get treated differently depending on the leather's consistency, what kind of animal it came from and on what the leather is being used for. Animal oils are preferable over vegetable oils for conditioning and re-conditioning most leathers used for human apparel and there are different grades of animal oils for different grades of leather. Some kinds of vegetable oils can make some kinds of leather rot, others don't and may be used on industrial leathers, and some kinds of leathers do better with bees wax.

Confusing, ain't it?

So what kind of leather is it? I don't specifically mean what kind of animal did the leather come from - although that would be helpful to know because there's big differences between the leathers made from sheep, pigs, cows, snakes, fish, birds, etc., - but you might not know what animal skin it is so I mean what is the leather's texture and finish like? Are the shoes soft pliable suede or are they hard shiny smooth patent leather and have the toes gotten roughed up or are they just discolored? What about the coat? Is it heavy weight or light weight, is it smooth shiny polished leather or is it like a thick suede or heavy buckskin or soft supple kid skin? And what color are the shoes and the coat?

 

 

Thanks, crystal woman. ahhha, that is more complex than I realised, but those are exactly the sorts of questions I was hoping someone might have a good feel for I think both of these are cow's leather, though I haven't been told that for sure.

Boots: smooth, soft leather. Not suede, not patent shiny, looks relatively untreated. The toes got roughed up (I bump into things ), and are therefore discoloured. The rest of the leather is in decent condition, though drier than last year. Brown colour.

Coat: super-soft, light weight. Some suede and some smooth (but not super-duper shiny). The "soft supple kid skin" description is a good match, though I don't know that it actually is kid skin. Brown colour.

http://www.sharingsofwomen.com/personel-care/926-taking-care-leather.html