Thanks everyone for the suggestions so far. Leather care has the potential for generating heat without light, like chain lubrication discussions do, so I appreciate that I've been given some good resources to read.
http://www.colorplus.com/
I see that preservation is not the same as protection, or the same as restoration, that different leathers will certainly need different treatments, and that different kinds of wear and neglect require different treatments. Even plain water has it's uses, certainly in Arizona! I think I'll go spritz and and oil and wax some leather goods I have to keep in my too-dry and too-hot Arizona garage. The opposite of the damp that others might have to guard against. And, my bike gloves last longer if I rinse them with plain water after especially sweaty rides.
Thanks for the reminder about the CR archives, Calvert. Now I want to look into why saddle soap doesn't work well for bike saddles, and why it and neat's foot oil has a reputation for degrading leather in general in some circles, and yet has devotees in other circles. There may be different neat's foot oils with different chemistries on the market.
In cycling's context, saddle leather is in tension more than a horse saddle, and seems more like shoe sole leather than anything else, in hardness and in thickness. Thin bicycle glove leather is at the opposite end of the spectrum, and straps and shoes uppers somewhere in the middle. Treatments range from liquid to waxy, and from animal to petrochemical, depending on the intended outcome and the kind of leather and its' condition. Dirt and the formation of salt crystals and pH reactions may be a key to understanding why some treatments help and others don't in the long run.
It's a wonderful material, but the environmental impacts of it's manufacture and the general cost of good leather make it especially worthwhile to care for. Generally, keeping it clean and dry and cool, and using any leather care product sparingly, never abusing the article when wet, and drying at low temperature all make sense. It seems some simple precautions and techniques can return some abused leather to good condition, and keep it useful for a long time.
So, I have a good project to work on while my knee recovers from arthroscopy!
On Sun, May 2, 2010 at 12:56 PM, Calvert Guthrie <calvertguthrie@gmail.com>
wrote:
> Tony's closer to the truth than any of y'all.
> Cleaning is the key issue.
> Grit & Salt are leather's natural enemies.
>
>
> What follows is mostly a repackaging of stuff I've posted before
>
> And please understand if I take an arrogant tone
> it's just to quickly tell you what I know to be true.
> I did time in a leather shop repairing tack and other
> leather gear that had seen beau coup weather & sweat.
>
> Leather saddles are all I've ever put on my regular riders
> & the leather lasts last me till they get stolen.
>
> A/ The leather product you use is not as important as....
>
> --Preparing the new or recently restored saddle before use
>
> --Keeping the leather CLEAN of grit, grease, & salt
>
> --HOW you clean it and rinse it
>
> --HOW you use the oil restorer
>
> B/ Neat's Foot Oil is passable stuff----if it's all ya got---BUT....
>
> --Don't use NFO before CLEANING the leather.
> Surface dirt/salt will be carried deeper into the fibers
>
> --Don't slather it on unless the saddle is bone dry and cracked.
> A little bit rubbed between your two hands & then onto the saddle
> does it. Don't waste the excess oil on a rag; lanolin (while it's
> fresh)
> is good hand lotion.
> That's for the top. On the underside a half-inch bristle paint brush
> can be used but take care to apply only a very thin coat.
>
> --Too much NFO will soften and stretch a saddle even at the rivets.
>
> --LEXOL is much better at what NFO is for.
>
> C/ PROOFIDE or one of the other quality saddle waxes.....
>
> --Is the proper stuff to use for boiled-leather,
> hammock-saddle preservation
>
> --Should also be used sparingly
>
> --can be topped off with a clear layer of a Carnuba wax
> like KIWI Parade for additional durability
>
> --should be used on your NEW saddle-skin--both top & underside
> BEFORE you risk getting dirt & salt into the fibers.
>
> I've posted my POV on cleaning techniques sometime awhile back.
>
>
> --
> Calvert Guthrie
> Broom Director
> KC Center for the Ink & Paper Arts
> 1427 West 9th Street, Kansas City
> Missouri 64101
>
> inkknife.org
> calvertguthrie@gmail.com
> _______________________________________________
>
--
Bill Gibson
Tempe, Arizona, USA