Leather reconditioning - any leather workers got recommendations?

[SCOMAN]

Good information here, thank you. Just waiting for the delivery of a Swiss Army medic bag that I want to clean up.

 

[SCOMAN]

So this is what I'm going to be working on. It's a Swiss medic pouch made out of beautiful leather in 1966. It's for my watercolours. It came with the contents that I'll probably offer out to anyone interested for postage. The candle lantern is a lovely piece, not too sure what to do with it though.

 

[Chris]

Ooh, that’s cool. A really ‘rustic’ military vibe to it.

What are the contents? I cannot quite make out the text from the image.

 

[SCOMAN]

Largely bandages, plasters, gauze etc. A lovely little stainless steel dish with a bar of soap!

 

[Toddy]

Nice find

The Steam Tent collective might like the vintage stuff.

 

[HillBill]

In the response to the OP... 8 months later... Mink oil.

This stuff.

 

[Gabri]

I’ve brought a few old Filofaxes and leather journals back to life, and what’s worked best for me is starting with a gentle clean using saddle soap, then letting them dry completely before conditioning. For cracks or worn spots, I’ve had better luck with a leather balm or cream conditioner (like Saphir or Chamberlain’s) rather than wax alone, it soaks in more and keeps the leather flexible. If you want to even out color, a cream with pigment works great, but test it on a hidden spot first. Biggest tip is to go light and repeat over time instead of doing one heavy treatment, or it can look patchy.

 

[MrEd]

I like
- British museum leather dressing on really old dry leather
- reaper on newer items