Care for leather parts

[Gunner who?]

What do you use for the leather parts of chinscales or liners as a conserving treatment. I would buy something off the shelf, but maybe someone knows better?

Cheers Peter

 

[bwahl]

What do you use for the leather parts of chinscales or liners as a conserving treatment. I would buy something off the shelf, but maybe someone knows better?

Cheers Peter

Purists would say that doing nothing is the best treatment. Maybe just a light cleaning with a cloth and keeping the object in an environment that would be most comfortable to a person (no extremes).

For old leather that I am actively using and is not very collectible I stay simple and use: Linseed, lanolin, beeswax, castor oil, or Ko-cho-line. Use at your own discretion and research

regards,
BW

 

[911car]

What do you use for the leather parts of chinscales or liners as a conserving treatment. I would buy something off the shelf, but maybe someone knows better?

Cheers Peter

For me, absolutely NO conserving treatment. So many liners have been ruined in spite of good intents. If leather is not decaying, light cleaning with a damp sponge at first and occasional dusting with a soft cloth, and that is it. Why would you want to "conserve" anyway? I have never seen a seasoned leather item getting any worse in normal storage conditions.

 

[Verdun]

Hello, "The best is the enemy of the good": if the helmet is kept in the right temperature and humidity conditions, no treatment is necessary. In fact, purists hate greased leather, for example.

 

[ussguppy]

Leather treatment is like fabric softener. You can use it in the short term to make your clothes soft and cuddly, but just know that you are destroying the fibers in your clothes which dramatically reduces the life of it.

Leather treatments do the same thing. Its why some liners that have been treated 50 years ago are now falling apart.

I wouldn't do anything but keep it dust free and in a good environment.

Gabe