doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DIY Gunsmithing @ doublegunshop.com Leather repair

What products can you all recommend to fill and re color scars, cuts, and small holes in a vintage leather case.

Thanks as usual.

John

I have never wanted to, or tried to, fill scrapes, cuts and scars on my vintage leather cases. I simply use Black Rock Leather Conditioner on them, which mellows the scars and makes them look less noticeable. This product was recommended to me by Kevin McCormack who has repaired cases for me in the past. It's a great product, IMO.

Scars, cuts and small holes in vintage leather cases have to be assessed on an individual basis. Sometimes...most times really...you have to accept it is what it is. In most situations, patching will look like patching...and to me, trying to patch a character mark many times looks worse than how it looked before someone messed with it. Conditioner helps, but conditioner can only do so much to correct the wear and tear of hard service or years and years of neglect. IMHO vintage leather cases have a character and a history they have earned from their years of service, and I accept that as part of the package...or I wait to find a vintage leather case more acceptable.

Susjwp from your post I take it that you would like to get from this poor specimen of a case



To this



Well it is not difficult to do but it does take some time.

first thing to do is remove wax and polish with a solvent this will also clean the leather somewhat. I do know I will get a lot of complaints but I do prefer to use Petrol outside in the fresh air, other solvents are available.

All old leather restoration should start with a good clean, using warm water with a drop or two detergent and a fine spray bottle just dampen the leather surface then with a cloth rub the moisture into the leather this will also remove dirt that the solvent did not this will also open the pores to allow other treatments to enter the leather. The water is most important because it is moisture that the leather looses making it hard and brittle. Now to feed the leather you can purchase all sorts of potions from not a lot of cash to a stupid amount, I use only two one makes the lady I live with angry not to put too finer point on it though she does calm down when she gets a new replacement. I usually borrow a pot of her expensive moisturizer well leather is only skin after all though I do not know if E45 cream is available on your side of the pond that works just as well as the best leather conditioners though the wife's cream does take the musty smell off the leather replacing with something more pleasant. For very old dry and hard leather I have found nothing better than 50 50 Cod Liver Oil and Neatsfoot Oil though you must rub it in to the leather sparingly. Now I colour the leather food and the oil mix with leather dye to help bring back the leathers colour. at this point I do find that the nearsfoot oil mix works miracles on the case hinge leather stopping the usual cracking from getting any worse. As for cuts and gouges you can purchase leather fillers there being many varieties some co loured and others just white they work well hiding a lot of ware and tear marks. If you apply the moisturizer say every other day the leather will respond well for my final finish I like to use color shoe restoration polish applied with a cloth then left for twenty four hours then buffed up with a soft brush.
Ho[e this is of some help.

Ernie

Ernie,
That transformation is truly amazing, thanks for sharing!
Karl

Damascus:

Over the years you have been so incredibly helpful. Thank you. You are a gem!

Ernie,

Spot on. Your case looks fine and the one I am working on looks like yours before the restoration. I cleaned the leather with first saddle soap, looked ok, then a water few drops of detergent mix; cut through a century of grime, oil, etc. The leather hinge was, as you noted, dry as were one or two of the binders. I worked in a combination mink-neatsfoot oil to soften and, hopefully, stop, the cracking. Patience is the order of the day. I too, concluded that moisturizer for us humans would suffice for bovine leather and worked in that used by you know who, and let work overnight. It did improve and this process will take some time. But I am learning a lot and the winter up here in the North has been ever so cold. I am not sure I fill the cuts and scars as they look kind of nice now that the grime, dirt, and oil has been removed. I do have to restitch some corners. As usual, thanks for your insight and experience.

Stay safe,
John

https://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=345162&page=1

Your work ought to be a standard posting we all can see when ever we want to see what might be in a case.

My leather case man uses, and recommends, Leatherique 2-part Restorator/Conditioner-Preservative for 100+ year old goods "that will crumble at the touch if forced open". He also says this product is "nothing short of miraculous".

I recently went over all my LOM cases again with the Blackrock Leather "N" Rich conditioner/preservative.

KY Jon. I had totally forgotten about that case restoration posting. I did think that it was heading for the trash when I told Photobucket that I was not going to be blackmailed int parting with cash and they can take their Bucket and shove it where the sun don't shine.
Ernie.

That was a major save. Never thought you would get that outcome from that starting point.

Ernie: Is that really the same piece of leather? What a great posting. If it were mine, I might have recovered it but I would not have thought it possible to restore. Thanks for sharing it. Gil

I was under the assumption that was new leather Ernie used. The handle looks to have almost certainly been replaced, and I thought the rest was, too. I would be astonished to learn this is all the same leather covering.

Either way it's a beautiful job.

Well Stanton sorry to disappoint all the leather on the case body is the original one hundred and fifty year old leather covering. There are five pieces of new leather all connected with the handle, if you look at the photographs from my original posting found and posted by KY JON you will see that the handle has no end loops for the D rings this meant that the handle had to be striped down basics to have two new inner handle loops together with the handle top and bottom coverings making the outer loops at each end of the handle. Also the left case handle D ring loop can be seen to be broken. I would not go to the trouble of re covering a case if it is at all possible to keep things original because a full re cover takes away an items history and life's passage marks. On one of the original post photographs there is one of the finished case top showing all the ware and tear cut and dent marks that it has accumulated in its life. The one good thing I have found when asked to repair cases of this age is that the leather thickness is about 3/8" so having a lot going for it if you want to restore. I must admit that the photographs of the finished case does put a rather smooth and sleek surface finish though the colour black does not give any depth to the marks because there are no reflected shadows, I will assure you in the flesh the case will leave you in no doubt of its age though looking very much looked after.

Not disappointed at all, Ernie, just amazed. A very fine job you did on it.

Thanks for the explanation.

Best, SRH