So as many of you know I have done a few leather treatment threads on Vache Natural. I have been restoring antique saddles and bags and shoes for over 30 years (many of the items being over 100 years old) I thought maybe for those of you whom do have a vintage leather would like to know about some of the things I have found out over the years.... I give a full disclaimer here...Hermes does not like you to do much to leather.... That said let's move on.

A bit about dry rot, Dry rot is a description of leather which has lost so much moisture over time that it is very very dry and can actually tear like card board! The fibers within the hide are very brittle and great care must be taken not to handle the bag roughly or even place wt inside it or hold from the handle...If dry rot is severe no amount of conditioning can bring it back and restitching if needed is near impossible. So be warry of bags that have surface cracks beyond superficial (greater than .5 mm deep) and feel stiff and sound esp. creaky...

In anycase I will be here to add information about and to assist anyone who has a question and I will add in photos of bags being cared for ,for reference and show photo's of scary vintage H bags (please add them when you find them). I hope the Mods will accept my contribution.
Kind regards,doc

Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us Doc!

A bit more about very very old and dry leather if not a surfaced leather one which has a coating of acyilc base then you can usually restore them if no deep cracks or tears are present.
When restoring an antique Hermes saddle which was light in color I used almond oil becasue it is very very fine/thin low viscosity oil and there by can slip between tight fibers with greater ease..also of note almond oil will cause the least amount of color change (it is expensive so brace your self, also extra virgin olive oil is another choice though I do prefer Almond for very pricey items)

Box leather loves a Blackrock's Leather N Rich treatment and it will assist in blending in those scratches leave a mellow glow and clean and condition back to supple texture...No need to worry about this product leaving a greasy residue nor any color which can transfer it is clear and has little smell... A few treatments will help protect your bag from blistering in rain as well....

Take good care when using oil based conditioners near old stitching these products can often weaken stitches!

Always remove excess product immediately when condtioning..it is better to let the bag rest and retreat than trying to force leather to take in a product. Also of note warming leather with a blow drier can open the leathers pores and help it accept a treatment..but if the leather is very dry do NOT heat it at the start (this may cause tiny fiber breaks inside the leathers core as the leather expands)

For those of you that have Vintage stiff and dry Louis Vuitton coated canvas..I have found that Amoral works very well on the coated canvas and helps soften it up..and then use a leather conditioner on the vache natural/vachetta trim.

Weather proofing you bag do's and don'ts
Don't use Silicone or acrylic or polyurathane containing products.. They tend to scale and build up on your leather...they are prone to leaving cracked out or chiped out areas which will not be protected and finally they do not let you leather breath.

Do use wax based products carnuba wax based are good I like Obenauf's LP Heavy Duty best of all..( it will also resist mildew and molds) Do make sure you have conditioned your bag well first before applying this product you want it to seal in the condtioner.

docride, thanks for sharing all thee valuable leather conditioning tips - they are most helpful!

would you share more abt conditioning box leather (what is the procedure) - i am all ears... esp. when you mentioned conditioning a few times will help with the water blistering leather effect (that sounds like magical words to me rite now, LOL) .

TIA!

Originally Posted by bbbochap

docride, thanks for sharing all thee valuable leather conditioning tips - they are most helpful! would you share more abt conditioning box leather (what is the procedure) - i am all ears... esp. when you mentioned conditioning a few times will help with the water blistering leather effect (that sounds like magical words to me rite now, LOL) . TIA!

I have a vintage Box Leather bag coming in this week and will show the process on this thread step by step I hope this will be helpful

If you have a question please let me know what skin you are wondering about OK? Also all questions should be asked here first on the thread because you will help others by sharing with the whole forum...the answers maybe what some else needs to know..Thank you

Docride, thanx so much for sharing with us.
I cant wait to see your step-by-step!! A real life H makeover!!

A bit about Mink Oil> UNLESS you milked the mink personally assume the product has little actual mink oil in it..most of these products have Silicone as part of or most of there recipe.

Great information Docride. Where do you purchase these conditioner/oils? Thanks so much.

High Gylcerine based cleansers are nicer than harsh lye based ones..only use on very very diry bags one the leathers that can tollerate this is Togo. I like Lexol PH liquid..do not over do it just get a really nice sudsy soft cloth and do circular (small ones) movements do not press hard or get the bag saturated with water...lightly lift off the suds..and buff when dry... Make sure you have removed any heavy dirt /sand before hard or your end up scratching the bag..yep even TOGO can scratch...