While looking at a crack in what I thought was metal trim, I realized it was leather. The leather had grown so old and dried out it appears to be almost petrified. It really looked and felt like metal trim. Not knowing where to begin, I decided to give the leather a bit of a treatment and see if I could soften it up a bit.
I should of taken a picture of the crack but will get back to that in another post when we try to actually repair the crack. For now , the task at hand was to apply some leather conditioner to the trim and see if we could soften it up a bit. I had some leather cleaner/conditioner in my shoebox , so I got an old sock put some conditioner on it and started working it into the leather trim. As the dirt came off, the trim lost its black, brassy appearance and began to take on the brown hue of leather again.
I did this for two reasons:
- I had nothing better to do and what could it hurt.
- If I worked on the leather trim in this dried out condition it would just crack apart.
If your restoring one of these and the leather is old and dried out I would suggest doing this. You will need:
- An old sock
- A good leather conditioner
So far I have 30 minutes invested into this project and because I had the leather conditioner already it cost me nothing. 30 minutes 0 dollars so far.
The next thing I plan on doing is getting rid of that ugly pink paint !
Hello, just read your information here about the restoration, the metal and leather question. Actually that material that you think is old dried out petrified leather is not leather but is a hard pressed fiber material called vulcanized fiber. This material was harder and lasted longer than real leather and began to replace most of the leather on trunks in the late 1800's but really became popular after 1900 and most trunks, but not all, had some of this vulcanized fibre material on them, or they were completely covered with it. It was made in a wide range of colors, but mostly brown to look like leather. Most people have never heard of it. There were several companies that made this and even a trunk company called the Vulcanized Fibre Trunk Company. It can be cleaned and polished with leather dye and polish and will last nearly forever. Thanks, Marvin Miller ThisOldTrunk.com
ReplyDeleteWow! Wow! And Wow! It’s truly an honor. Thank you so much! I’m new to this and working hard to get out there. Leather Repairs Manchester
ReplyDeleteNice! Thank you for sharing! Leather Repair Company
ReplyDeleteHi I just stumbled across your site through pi terst I too am trying to redo an old steamer trunk I am currently on #2 but first wooden one I think I am hooked I love the whole process of it all and the end results??? I just wanted to say I enjoyed the tips u gave and realized that I think I am doing this right so far and just taking my time
ReplyDeleteI just got an old wardrobe trunk (huge) and tried to "wash" the outside. Peeled off like wet cardboard. Made by Pax-rite Osterweil Bros Newark. Oil next?
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