Blade Conservation article

ddean

ddean

Joined
Mar 26, 2002
Messages
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http://swordforum.com/articles/ams/conservation.php

Directed toward museum / collectors
who want to preserve old swords
but contains recommendations of materials and methods
similar to what we sometimes discuss here.

In particular, for restoring dry leather it recommends
PECARD antique LEATHER DRESSING
Here's one online source I found:
http://www.blockaderunner.com/Catalog/catpg10.htm

And the manufacturer provides info & on-line ordering
on a whole range of products, including a "Classic" leather dressing.
http://www.pecard.com/

BUT........the "Antique"-care product has a different website:
http://www.antiquepecard.com/
With online ordering:
http://www.antiquepecard.com/antiqueld.htm

Is their antique product the same as the Classic sold rebranded by many shoe brands?
I don't know. but the description is the same.
 
Well I bought some of the Antique Leather Dressing. I don't know if it is different from the standard Leather Dressing (I suspect that the only difference is the lid).

But this is good stuff. It's probably not needed on new scabbards for a year or two unless you are carrying them and getting them wet, etc. I used it on some old leather scabbards and it seems to work much better than the Lexol that I was using to soften old, hard leather.

Steve
 
Came across this article again & thought I had not seen it before.
:rolleyes:
By the time I re-read it I realized I had.

But the reason I'm posting is to update some info.

Direct ordering of Pecards from the manufacturer seems to
be the cheapest way to go unless you include the product
elsewhere as part of a larger low-shipping-rate order.

I recently ordered, direct from Pecards,
a 32-oz plastic tub of the Antique dressing.
It came with a generic side-label & generic instruction
insert that covers the specialty dressing applications.
The lid had a stick-on label that said Antique.
I think this is the same Dressing that they re-label for
marketing purposes as classic, antique, glove, saddle, whip, reptile.
The prices are all the same.

Very faint odor of beeswax to the product.
It does not noticeably (very, very slight darkening initially)
alter the color of the leather.
For the first day or so after application there is a slight
waxy feel to the leather surface, however this is almost entirely gone
in a couple more days.
At this point (4 days as I write) the surface takes on a very slight
shine if I buff it with my hand until it feels warm.
However, the shine goes away if you wipe over it
gently with a soft cloth.

I was a bit concerned that the label mentions 'petroleum distilates',
but it seems that, like Rennaissance Wax, it is only a
carrier/softener for the product & I believe in the Pecards dressing
it evaporates & does not stay in the leather.
I applied it to one of my wife's retired leather purses.
IF I recall correctly what it was like before application,
it does seem to make the purse leather more supple.

It took a bit less than maybe a Tablespoons volume
to generously cover the purse leather, which includes a long strap.
Surface area estimated to slightly less than a basketball,
or maybe about 800-sq-in or less.

Antique & all other products can be ordered from their main site:
www.pecard.com
 
A quick update RE darkening of the leather.

Apparently it matters what type of leather.

My wife's old purse did not darken,

but my driving mocs made of (deerskin, elkskin)

did darken initially quite a bit,

very dark,

then lightened up 1/3-1/2 after several days.

Different tanning methods I'm sure.

Surface treatments maybe.
 
I'm glad Jean-Luc found something to do after his adventures. Always liked him.:)
 
Tried Pecard dressing on a 4" strip of rawhide recently.
Applied thick to 2" length and left the other 2" untouched.
Forgot about it for a week (literally)
and when I came back I wiped & rubbed off all
the dressing that I could with paper towels.
Pecard dressing had made that half more translucent.
Dropped it in a glass of water overnight---
Pecard half unaffected by the water
and the other half limper than overcooked spaghetti.
Real world temperature & moisture variations
may drive the dressing out,
but it looks promising.
 
About 6 weeks ago I poured about 5-ml of citrus solvent (Goo Gone Pro)
into the top of my Pecard Dressing container.
Overnight it made the top of the dressing 'slimy'
but most of the solvent was still liquid.
Gently mixed it in a bit by rubbing it around the top layer.
After a couple of days all the liquid solvent
was incorporated into this top layer of Dressing.
The Dressing was still stiff enough to hold shape
when you drag your finger through it,
but very thin compared to the original.
By adjusting the ratio of dressing to solvent, one could
customize the thickness of the dressing exactly as desired.

After this past 6 weeks,
the top layer is all that is affected by the solvent.
Without stirring/mixing,
the solvent combines with the Dressing only very slowly.
 
Originally posted by ddean
Tried Pecard dressing on a 4" strip of rawhide recently.
Applied thick to 2" length and left the other 2" untouched.
Forgot about it for a week (literally)
and when I came back I wiped & rubbed off all
the dressing that I could with paper towels.
Pecard dressing had made that half more translucent.
Dropped it in a glass of water overnight---
Pecard half unaffected by the water
and the other half limper than overcooked spaghetti.
Real world temperature & moisture variations
may drive the dressing out,
but it looks promising.
Click to expand...

Dean do you have anymore input about this? The reason I'm asking is that the Pecard may have a use as a rawhide drum treatment.
The important thing is that the drum hold its tightness and tone after being properly stretched and dried.
My Lodge drum loses its tone pretty rapidly in the steamy environs of the Sweatlodge unless it's kept covered or is reheated.
And this is after being heated quite thoroughly at the Fire.
 
Yvsa,
Far as I can tell the rawhide is
just as flexible after the treatment as before.
It is -not- -more- flexible.
I'll see if I can find it again,
if not I'll treat another & mail you it to examine.

-----------
fwiw:
I was trying to find info I had seen before & found these:

"a really good bodhran-skin conditioner is "Wise Woman Salve", now known as Dr. Burt's Comfrey Ointment by Burt's Bees Inc. in Raleigh, North Carolina. It's an olive/almond oil and beeswax base with lavender & comfrey extracts. Something about the beeswax keeps the drumhead just right-- not too loose, not too tight. I only apply it occasionally but it seems to keep away the humidity, and my drum sounds and feels perfect. (The salve gives the goatskin a beautiful translucent shine too after a while.)"
at http://www.ceolas.org/instruments/bodhran/care.shtml

http://pegandals.com/care.html

Didn't find what I was looking for but you might browse this search:
http://www.google.com/search?num=10...++water+care+play+humidity&btnG=Google+Search
 
Couldn't find my previous test strip,
so tried pecard dressing on a new small bit of rawhide.
Overnight it did not seem to soak in.
This piece is bleached while the previous strip was unbleached.
Don't know if that makes a difference.
Will try warming it sliightly to see if that helps.
 
Ok, the bleached rawhide cowskin has been sitting in the
tub of pecard dressing for two weeks,
half in, half out.
Took it out and wiped the treated side dry,
being careful to keep the dressing off of the untreated side.
Tossed it into a bowl of water & sat a weight atop it.
Both sides got equaly soft just as fast.
I did warm one corner with a blow-dryer to see if that helped,
see no difference.

Now I guess I need to go back to an unbleached strip
& repeat that test.

Yvsa, email your mauling address & I'll send these samples;
if I don't have a chance to drop them off soon.
 
I too read the article and was wondering if any of you have used neatsfoot oil? Or for those scientifically inclined doing the experiments how does neatsfoot oil compare? I have always used it for leather. Just not on my wife's Michael Hoband leather jacket.
It has a funny smell, but I like it, and it will darken leather. It works on all kind of hide. I use it on an old rattlesnake skin my uncle gave me years ago. It has remained soft and the rattle still works!
 
I seem to recall that neatsfoot oil
has been blamed for deterioration of leather
in some cases.
Doesn't seem right, considering how neatsfoot oil is made,
but that's what I recall.
 
I have done some research in the past.
knew about the precarde stuff, it's a bit expensive so I haven't tried it.

I found this guy and the price is better, It is basically the same stuff, the important part being the proproplis which inhibits mold and such. I have been using on several leather products and it does work very well. It does work better that neat foot, and mink oil for sure. Work really well on boots and shoes and I have brought back some old ( 40 years +) stuff with it. Not to mention, that it's made in america by good old fashion america forest fire fighter types.

http://www.obenaufs.comwww.obenaufs.com
 
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