Very informative. But yes, I will disagree on the kiwi products. A life in the Army, I'm retired, before the newer boots' kiwi was a main stay. Unless you spit shined your boots. Then the kiwi would choke out the leather. It was meant to be applied thoroughly, but then buffed out with a brush. In winter times, Germany especially, we would use mink oil or bear grease. But never, never, ever use any silicone-based sealants. Seems they would over time crack the leather. Lincoln wax was also another great protectant and polished up nicely without choking out the pours in the leather. Its purpose is to keep out moisture and dirt while allowing the leather to breath. Anyway, moving on, a slack oven, lowest setting, is a great place to put your boots at home after conditioning them to warm the material and allow it to soak in. For saddle leather, till this day, soak it good with natural oil or rendered suet, and not the seat of your saddle you'll slide off, and put it out in the sun all day to soak in. Saddle leather is very thick, and you will have saddlery that will last you generations.
Question for you 1 Sgt. what product can I use to restore my well worn haversack? The paint or dye has flaked off due to hard marching and heavy use in the field.
You can make it as easy or complicated as you like. The easiest way is to just repaint it with a black semi-gloss latex paint. You could mix your own like in the manuals minus the lead. Ingredients like lampblack aren't as foreign as they sound. It's essentially the soot on the glass of your kerosene lamp. You can also buy it from art stores pretty cheap. Other guys, after painting, put on a finish coat of linseed oil, japan dryer, and mineral spirits which I think helps maintain it's flexibility. If you do it, you should do a video of it to see how it comes out.
Are there any period receipts for that kind of care, in my old group 18th century re - enacting we re produced their stuff and used if for leather care.
There are period recipes available for free in Google books some I saw go as far back as early 1800s. A lot of old leather care recipes from way back involve sulfuric acid for some reason. Leather care hasn't changed too much over the centuries, though old books have notes on which animals fats they thought best. You see the most variance in the recipes when it comes to waterproofing. In that area you'll see all sorts of things from various rosins to good old fashioned beeswax. In our lacquer for small arms video, we make an old recipe that uses linseed oil, beeswax, and turpentine. Cpt. Whitehall uses it on his boots.
thank you for make my point ... For the dye have you try make dye from steel wool and vinegar work good on wood and leather found this in a old book how to look for fake stuff new things that look old civil war things
I have recently purchased a holster for my 1860 army. the holster seems to be very stiff. I have issue with drawing my pistol as well as holstering it. do you have any insight as to how to break in the holster or soften up the holster so that drawing and holstering can seem less problematic?
I'm not a holster expert, but keeping it well oiled should help. Most leather goods are made and sold dry so oiling and monitoring are part of the process. It'd be like breaking in a pair of bootees or a catcher's mitt. You may also want to check out a holster making channel, they may have some great tips.
Donald as Leather worker that is one thing I tell all my customers on how to help them is that you want to.make sure you oil it once every 3 to six months with a light coat just to keep it nourished
Hmmm....That's personal preference. Some would say leave it alone and only address something if it degrades the bag. I'm a bit of an odd ball, though. I like caring for stuff even if it "devalues" it. I want things to look good and last even longer regardless of "patina." I don't know the exact condition of your bag, but I've used saddle soap and leather oils to refurbish plenty of antique leather. Mostly WWI era. My advice if you do choose to go down that path is to take your time, test an inconspicuous spot, and start with the minimum amount of product that you can. If anything weird starts to happen, stop. Oh, and if it is extremely valuable or collectible, I'd consult a professional collector for advice. I hope that helps.
@@CompanyD2ndUSSS i was going to try saddle soap, im an antique dealer of sorts and definitly know about refubishing lol a friend of mine found a repeating arms gun?? i guess it was some rare gun but anyway he had the stock redone and it devalued it by a few grand and he refused to listen to me lol. im a lover of leather so i have an horde of leather stuff but yes i will go gently! thank you!!!
But my Grandpappy was a leather maker for 50 years and he taught me...
Sorry. Couldn't resist. Yet another great video! Keep 'em coming.
Grandpappy says, "unsubscribed!" Thanks for watching and the great comment.
Very informative. But yes, I will disagree on the kiwi products. A life in the Army, I'm retired, before the newer boots' kiwi was a main stay. Unless you spit shined your boots. Then the kiwi would choke out the leather. It was meant to be applied thoroughly, but then buffed out with a brush. In winter times, Germany especially, we would use mink oil or bear grease. But never, never, ever use any silicone-based sealants. Seems they would over time crack the leather. Lincoln wax was also another great protectant and polished up nicely without choking out the pours in the leather. Its purpose is to keep out moisture and dirt while allowing the leather to breath. Anyway, moving on, a slack oven, lowest setting, is a great place to put your boots at home after conditioning them to warm the material and allow it to soak in. For saddle leather, till this day, soak it good with natural oil or rendered suet, and not the seat of your saddle you'll slide off, and put it out in the sun all day to soak in. Saddle leather is very thick, and you will have saddlery that will last you generations.
Thanks for another informative video ... I'll be adding a few more items to my leather care kit. LIKED the video.
Begins at 2:30
People get trigger over stupid things. Thank you man!
Question for you 1 Sgt. what product can I use to restore my well worn haversack? The paint or dye has flaked off due to hard marching and heavy use in the field.
You can make it as easy or complicated as you like. The easiest way is to just repaint it with a black semi-gloss latex paint. You could mix your own like in the manuals minus the lead. Ingredients like lampblack aren't as foreign as they sound. It's essentially the soot on the glass of your kerosene lamp. You can also buy it from art stores pretty cheap. Other guys, after painting, put on a finish coat of linseed oil, japan dryer, and mineral spirits which I think helps maintain it's flexibility. If you do it, you should do a video of it to see how it comes out.
Are there any period receipts for that kind of care, in my old group 18th century re - enacting we re produced their stuff and used if for leather care.
There are period recipes available for free in Google books some I saw go as far back as early 1800s. A lot of old leather care recipes from way back involve sulfuric acid for some reason. Leather care hasn't changed too much over the centuries, though old books have notes on which animals fats they thought best. You see the most variance in the recipes when it comes to waterproofing. In that area you'll see all sorts of things from various rosins to good old fashioned beeswax. In our lacquer for small arms video, we make an old recipe that uses linseed oil, beeswax, and turpentine. Cpt. Whitehall uses it on his boots.
thank you for make my point ... For the dye have you try make dye from steel wool and vinegar work good on wood and leather found this in a old book how to look for fake stuff new things that look old civil war things
I have recently purchased a holster for my 1860 army. the holster seems to be very stiff. I have issue with drawing my pistol as well as holstering it. do you have any insight as to how to break in the holster or soften up the holster so that drawing and holstering can seem less problematic?
I'm not a holster expert, but keeping it well oiled should help. Most leather goods are made and sold dry so oiling and monitoring are part of the process. It'd be like breaking in a pair of bootees or a catcher's mitt. You may also want to check out a holster making channel, they may have some great tips.
Donald as Leather worker that is one thing I tell all my customers on how to help them is that you want to.make sure you oil it once every 3 to six months with a light coat just to keep it nourished
Good video
Thanks!
Excellent video. Permission to send this to my own company fresh fish?
Please do! If you think it'll help, share as much as you like.
i just found an actual civil way mail bag, should i leather clean and condition it??
Hmmm....That's personal preference. Some would say leave it alone and only address something if it degrades the bag. I'm a bit of an odd ball, though. I like caring for stuff even if it "devalues" it. I want things to look good and last even longer regardless of "patina." I don't know the exact condition of your bag, but I've used saddle soap and leather oils to refurbish plenty of antique leather. Mostly WWI era. My advice if you do choose to go down that path is to take your time, test an inconspicuous spot, and start with the minimum amount of product that you can. If anything weird starts to happen, stop. Oh, and if it is extremely valuable or collectible, I'd consult a professional collector for advice. I hope that helps.
@@CompanyD2ndUSSS i was going to try saddle soap, im an antique dealer of sorts and definitly know about refubishing lol a friend of mine found a repeating arms gun?? i guess it was some rare gun but anyway he had the stock redone and it devalued it by a few grand and he refused to listen to me lol. im a lover of leather so i have an horde of leather stuff but yes i will go gently! thank you!!!
Don’t do anything. People who have that stuff have a duty to preserve that item, and restoring that takes its value completely away