Leather handles and their conservation

[Gregory]

Hello,

 

The American knife designers are rare in the world when it comes to handle construction and material used for it – I mean leather. Grand scale of leather using for manufacturing of the handles makes American designers unique in the world. These are very user-friendly, aesthetic and ergonomic handles all we like as I think.

 

Through decades leather requires care and conservation however. Our collections will not be serving our generations only but also other people in 100 and more years. There are orthodox collectors who never clean their items but what to do with leather elements of the US edged weapons as their sheaths and knife handles?

 

Do you care and conserve your knives handles made of leather? In similar topic dedicated to the holsters at ex-gunboards.com the forumers wrote that average once per year it is necessary to polish the holster. And what about the knives? If you care and conserve them -- what do you use?

 

Best regards

 

Greg

[gunbarrel]

Greg,

 

This is the opinion of military knife expert Frank Trzaska, and in my opinion, the way to go:

 

1.) If the leather is clean and flexible, do nothing. It is fine as is and will last your lifetime and probably more. Store it correctly and watch the humidity and it will be around for your kids to enjoy and probably their kids as well. We create more trouble by trying to clean leather then leaving it in it's natural state.

 

2.) Never use "saddle soap" in any form to clean leather with. It isn't really soap and it will damage the leather. Just don't do it.

 

3.) With dry leather scabbards and handles it is possible to add moisture back into them in most cases unless the leather is too far gone. Hard brittle dry leather can not be "restored" regardless of what you may have heard. It can be made somewhat flexible again but it is only a matter of time before it fails. In minor cases it can be corrected simply by upping the humidity of storage, this is the correct way to fix it. As the leather piece in question is in a collection and not likely to be used the flexibility of an original is a moot point and not worth worrying about. If you want to have some flex and artificially increase the moisture content I only use Pecards Antique Leather Dressing. It is petroleum based so will not turn rancid as most animal fat products will. The experts above say to stay away from any dressings, long term they know better then I do. All I can share is my own experience, Pecards is the ONLY product I will use and it is only in a worst case scenario where the item would be lost anyway without the help. Apply it in thin coats and repeat as needed, do not try to drown the leather and get it over with fast, it doesn't work that way. Use only the smallest amount needed. I do not regularly use anything at all on my knife handles or scabbards. Control the humidity.

 

4.) If in doubt... do nothing. It is probably ok like it is and you will do more harm then good.

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I use and completely trust Pecard Antique Leather Dressing:

 

http://www.pecard.com/en-us/dept_9.html

 

Hope this helps.

[doyler]

I thought Pecards was a bees wax base.Am I wrong?I have always heard it was a good dressing for old leather and I have used it often.Many of the old hands in my area recommend Pecards as they have been Civil War And Indian War collectors and use it on many items.I have also used the product Black Rock.It is a leather conditioner and treatment.It is popular with the spiked helmet collectors.One other product is lexol.

 

Years ago I was told to stay away from Neetsfoot oil as it is petroleum based and it will eventually rot any threads in seams.As with vasoline it also is petroleum based and it was and is common to find German helmets where vasoline was used on the liner.This was popular in the late 60s and early 70s I have been told.I have a couple in my collection and the liners were treated with vasoline years ago.They now have a some what tacky feeling to the leather and are not very pliable.

 

Take care,

RON

[gunbarrel]

Ron,

 

I'm not sure about Pecards' matrix. As you know, it feels kind of like petroleum jelly (vaseline), but it does not contain petroleum distillates like Vaseline, or Neatsfoot Oil. The problem with petroleum distillates is that they are absorbed by the dry fibers but then chemically burn and weaken the fibers. Lexol is water-based.

[Bob Hudson]

I thought Pecards was a bees wax base.

 

 

Bees wax apparently serves as nothing more than a polish.

 

Here's a museum curators take on leather conservation:

 

http://nautarch.tamu.edu/class/anth605/File7.htm

 

There is even a leather conservation blog:

 

http://skinheritage.blogspot.com/

[Greg Robinson]

4.) If in doubt... do nothing. It is probably ok like it is and you will do more harm then good.

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My grandfather and my mother after him, were fond of saying "when in doubt....do nothing" and man oh man does this apply to "cleaning" and "preserving" collectibles.....and especially so with leather. I ruined a lot of nice stuff in the early days of my collecting. I recall a mint "BOYT 44" M1916 holster I bought from a guy years ago....it was unused and near perfect condtion. But I just had to mess with it so used both saddle soap and neetsfoot oil and turned the leather dark brown from it's original light tan....for no reason other than I felt it was what I was supposed to do with old items.

[Gregory]

Gents,

 

Thank you very much for all replies and comments. I am also not a follower to clean, conserve and care all at all cost. My question was "just in case" to know various opinions about it. Greg Robinson's holster "case study" is big warning and indictaes that we have to think a hundred times before we do something with militaria.

 

Best regards

 

Gregory