wwii axis reenactment forum

Howdy Folks! Got yet another question for ya Kameraden

I've got some vintage leather that I would like to make more pliable for use at a event...mainly for an original canteen strap that I have that needs a bit of TLC....

I had tried to remove the strap on the bottom to attach to a breadbag and ended up tearing it a little on the hole. Was not expecting the leather to be that dried out, but then again not suprised it is.
Right now I cannot remove the leather off the felt cover without risking another small tear, which I am trying to avoid.

So you fellows have any tips on what I could try and do? Thanks!

Try Mink oil or Urad tenderly if the leathers really dry it will take a while to soften up(it may never come back fully btw) the main thing is don't rush it

Depends how far gone it is as to how much you can do with it - but Neatsfoot oil is always a good place to start.

Good luck!
Neil

Deutsche saddle soap comes in an a tube stubben hamanol gmbh CH-6370 Stans, available from most equine shops in the uk, done all of my kit with it and works well only downside is about 3 months to loose the smell
graham

If it's a canteen you're using for reenacting, I would just get a repro strap. It's not worth destroying an original if it's too far gone. Leather can never truly be restored to it's new form. It might be a little more pliable, but it will lose it's strength. If it's got red rot, forget about it all together.

My leather canteen strap went too, in the end I had to
repair it with a strap of period leather sewn on, I haven't
risked using my other original canteens incase they go
the same way, luckily I managed to drop on a DAK type
with canvas strap which is more sturdy than leather, my
advice is dont use original leather canteen straps as it
is difficult to repair them tbh, the repro ones out there
don't seem to fit right imho, try to get a canvas type as I
did if you can, try ebay.
Good luck, Pipes

I highly recommend NOT using a original canteen strap. They will break. I sadly found that out at my first event. When you run and your flask is full of water it will break. As mine did. I wish I had never used it now

On the subject of leather care, I picked up some a leather case that has been painted a horrible olive green colour... Is there anyway of stripping it back or is it a lost cause?

Zschakel wrote:On the subject of leather care, I picked up some a leather case that has been painted a horrible olive green colour... Is there anyway of stripping it back or is it a lost cause?

Personally what i did on an original leather belt i aquirred which had been painted brown,
basically i used nitromors (paint stripper) painted on the area using a brush then scraping it off
after drying, also using white spirit rubbed on the stubborn areas, after of course the leather has
to be restored either using a grease or leather oil then polished etc
Good luck, Pipes

Thanks Chaps, Ya don't think I'd trust it with a full bottle of water

You volks think I could use the same solutions for my original ammo pouches? (rifle pouches)

Vielen Danke Kameraden!

Walther wrote:Depends how far gone it is as to how much you can do with it - but Neatsfoot oil is always a good place to start.

Good luck!
Neil

Or the WORST place to start...see my other posts on Neatsfoot!

pepperpot wrote:Deutsche saddle soap comes in an a tube stubben hamanol gmbh CH-6370 Stans, available from most equine shops in the uk, done all of my kit with it and works well only downside is about 3 months to loose the smell
graham

GOOD to see someone suggesting the use of saddle soap...BUT, the clue is in the name. It's a SOAP and nothing else.

The correct way to use saddle soap is to make the soap into a nice lather, then ONLY apply the lather. Never rub the liquid soap into leather.
Using the soap lather will clean out the pores of the leather, but also strip out the oils/fats from the hide and without further treatment WILL make the leather drier than when you started.
Put it like this - does your wife/girlfriend have a wash/shower, then just get dried & call it good to go?
How many varieties of skin conditioner, toner & whatever the hell all the other bottles are, does she then use?

Use of a GOOD hide food WILL be needed after the soap treatment.
Seems that some folk do one, or the other, but I seldom hear of people doing both (unless they've been taught to do so - usually coming from an equine background)

Will have to look out for a few tubes of the Stubben soap. Sounds good.