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M3 Leather Preservation


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I have a not great, but decent Imperial M3. I keep it in the gun cabinet that has a Golden Rod in there to keep rust away. I'm worried though that the leather washers might dry out in there so ... what products do the experts recommend to help keep leather in good shape?

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I use Pecards without any adverse consequences that I've noticed. It's always fun to get into the pro-Pecards / anti-Pecards discussion. But I don't use anything if the leather is in relatively decent condition.

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I use neutral color shoe polish. It's more of a wax type coating. It does not "feed" the leather but like the rest of the crew said anything you put on will darken the leather unless it's darkened already. The shoe polish does not really change the color and protects the leather a bit.

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I've been told by a dealer of pecards that the Smithsonian uses it on it's civil war displays and other leather historical items as well and also to use pecards very little as possible it doesn't need much to protect the leather.

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The leather washers at the moment. Can't see in the pic but they look slightly dried out (small cracks) between a few of them. Will probably leave it alone for now and store it elsewhere. Thanks!

post-3625-0-06203900-1473650021_thumb.jpeg

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Ample studies have proven that leather dressings and saddle soaps, rather than preserving aged leather artifacts, actually hasten their deterioration. Oils in dressings are intended to provide internal lubrication for leather that is still in use; the oil allows the bundles of fibrils to slip over each other as leather is flexed, keeping it supple. Historic leather artifacts in a collection no longer need to be flexible, since they are no longer functional objects. Research has shown that many oils and fats used in leather dressings (neatsfoot oil, mink oil, lanolin) oxidize and harden over time, causing the leather to become even stiffer and brittle; oils also will darken with time, thus darkening the leather. Saddle soap originally was developed as an emulsified dressing for leather. Its ability to clean a surface is dubious, as the "soap" in it is employed to emulsify the oil/water mixture, leaving little reserve cleaning power. Saddle soap is also alkaline and leaves residues that cause degradation of the leather.

Obviously, one should never attempt to use a historic artifact, or attempt to reverse the effects of age with the intent of restoring it to usable condition.

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It's best to try and controll humidity. Unfortunately, what's best for steel is not great for leather. Like a fine cigar is kept a 70/70 try and do the same for your collectibles.( maybe a little dryer)

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