Preserving Leather Straps?

[FlashPan]

Afternoon all,

I've recently taken possession of a number of small in good condition but old leather straps. About 15mm wide and 300mm long.

I know more or less what to put on boots to soften and preserve etc but not sure about straps?

As I have 2 sides to look after am not sure what to use? The skin/shiny side is ok for me but what about the other rougher non skin side? I don't tend to preserve the inside of my boots so not sure what is good here as these will be subject to weather conditions.

Any advice at all please?

Thanks and cheers

 

[santaman2000]

The same oils you'd use on any leather products. Neatsfoot oil, baseball glove oil, saddle oil, etc.

 

[Janne]

Go gentle on the products. The rough side will happily absorb loads, and then the straps will get overly soft and fat.

If they are still soft and pliable I would just put the product on the smooth side.

 

[Robson Valley]

Leather and the weather don't do well together.
What exposure do you expect? How soft do you need these straps to be?
I'd treat the smooth face just well enough for effect.
Like you, I never did anything to the inside of any leather boots.

 

[santaman2000]

Go gentle on the products. The rough side will happily absorb loads, and then the straps will get overly soft and fat.

If they are still soft and pliable I would just put the product on the smooth side.

Leather and the weather don't do well together.
What exposure do you expect? How soft do you need these straps to be?.....

Or how stiff? Some leather items need a certain degree of "body" to properly function. Who wants a saggy belt? So I have to also agree with Janne about not overdoing it.

 

[Robson Valley]

That is correct. How soft do they need to be? Not at all soft (possibly.)

I have been using leather strops for wood carving tools for a long time.
Their hardness is an important issue so they don't rebound.
The waxy carrier for the honing compound has ruined every leather strop I own = junk.
I use cereal box card now for best results.

 

[Janne]

FleshPan, remember, the leather is preserved by tanning, so getting wet (then drying) will not rot it.
The waxes/oil are there to keep it supple and in case of shoes have a certain degree of water proofing.

 

[FlashPan]

Thanks all, The straps are already quite soft and flexible which I think they are meant to be. Mainly used for tieing up your bed roll/tent, attaching bits to your pack etc. These are surplus from Varusteleka. I'm more of a dubbin an lanolin man myself so I guess I'll stick with those compounds.

Cheers again.