I use a 2-piece leather outfit for Tiger riding. It does hold the rain out for awhile, but could be better. The leather has over time become a little "dry" and stiff.
Does any of you have some good advice on how to treat it to be more waterproof and soft again, and witch good products to use?
I asked my local mc-dealer if he had any good product for leather lubing, but he said he had not. He told me I was old-fashioned (outdated) :D , and that everybody was using goretex blablabla outfits now :5huh
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mink_oil
http://www.shopwiki.com/mink+oil
lots of places sell it online ....................
In the UK a product called Renapur is very popular.
http://www.renapur.com/ (http://www.renapur.com/)
I use the balsam - a mix of beeswax and other natural waxes - I've had one tub for a long time now and it still works a treat. Just remember to work it deep into the stitching.
I have been using this stuff on my two peice suit for a few years and it seems to keep it supple and in nice condition.
http://www.rev-it.co.uk/item3790.htm
Nice and easy to use and not too messy.
If you have a farm and ranch store near your domicile look there for good quality leather care products.
I clean mine with saddlesoap (not really a soap) and I use a good black leather dye to touch up the worn spots. For weather resistance and to keep leather super supple, I recommend neatsfoot oil. I have no idea what it actually is but it works wonders on old leather. It's what pro baseball players use to help break in a new glove and keep them crack free and water resistant. It is a bit greasy feeling and I wouldn't use it on an automotive interior but it has helped me keep almost totally dry in a downpour wearing just my leather.
Quote from: "tazshido"For weather resistance and to keep leather super supple, I recommend neatsfoot oil. I have no idea what it actually is but it works wonders on old leather. ..................
mink oil is what it is ........
Quote from: "Mustang"mink oil is what it is ........
If that's the same stuff "Red Wings" sell in their own branded tin then i'll vouch for it keeping leather supple, 20 yr old pair of rig boots I use in hte garage are smooth soled now but too comfy to throw.
Quote from: "Bixxer Bob"In the UK a product called Renapur is very popular.
http://www.renapur.com/ (http://www.renapur.com/)
I use the balsam - a mix of beeswax and other natural waxes - I've had one tub for a long time now and it still works a treat. Just remember to work it deep into the stitching.
Same here I use Renapur on leathers, gloves, boots. really good to protecting and treating leather
Thanks for your advice guys :thumbsup ; I orderd my bucket with renapur balsam today, and are looking forward to get my leathers soft and nice again!
Tazshido is right. Saddle soap and ONLY saddle soap on quality leather that you want to keep and wear for many years. It will return suppleness and maintain the leather's water resistance too.
When I was a kid I used to handle horses as my summer / after school job. One thing you have to learn when taking care of horses is how to take care of the leather stuff the horses wear: the horse tac. And one thing you learn about good horse tac is that you never put oil on it. Especially oil derived from animal fat, such as mink oil or "bear grease".
Oils are problematic with leather. While they do return suppleness back to drying leather, the do so at a cost. If they are animal derived they will change the pH of the leather to acidic over time and start to break down the leather itself and especially the stitching of the leather. Beeswax is a little better because they tend to be more pH stable, but both types of oil rob leather of its ability to breathe.
Leather that has never been polished or coated with oil or beeswax and only treated with saddle soap will keep you cooler in the summer and dryer in the winter and will last longer. In normal climates this means treating them every 6 months. In dryer climates every 3-4 months.
Hope this helps.
Due to the Iceland ash clouds it took a while for the Renapur to arrive, but, as the Arctic spring hasnt been much inviting to Tiger riding yet ( +2C and snowshowers almost every day!), it was no hurry though.
It arrived a few days ago, so I went down to the Tiger barn today, and treated my 2-piece leather riding outfit with the Renapur balsam, and it seems to be good!
The leather softened up imediately, and is now so Smooth, Nice and Shiny that I think I better have to watchup and keep a steady speed forward when passing by "The Blue Oyster Bar" :mrgreen:
I have now been riding some 5000 km wearing the Renapur treated leather suit. It has good water repellant if the rainshowers isnt too severe, but didnt manage to hold the water out when once driving in heavy rain for 2-3 hours. (Maybe it was because I was riding on the Multistrada :roll: ?)
The Renapur booklet advices to "apply it sparsely", maybe I was too sparsely the first time??
So today I gave it a second treatment, this time beeing more plentifull. Especialy to the seams.
It makes the leather very soft and gentle, and the suit more comfortable to wear, and hopefully more watertight now too!
Nothing's going to keep prolonged heavy rain out of leather, ao Renapur's as good as anything, but it's important to work it well into the seam stitching as that's the first place the water gets in.
I'm just wondering why nobody has mentioned Dubbin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubbin)? :?
I use it on my leathers - especially the boots. It's great stuff - I swear by it!
Does no one else us it?
If not - why?
I was going to use dubbin (because as a youngster I had what we called a "Casey", a leather case football, and we used dubbin to care for that) but the shop that sold me the bike leathers said clothing has a different sort of stitching and the dubbin woould rot the thread. Maybe another of those old wive's tales, but I've used Renapur ever since.
Dubbin, that takes me back to friday nights doing my rugby boots. I have a funny feeling that is true about it rotting clothing stiching, our older rugby balls were "catgut" and they lasted forever but the newer ones used to fall apart in the second season.
QuoteDubbin can also be used as a moisturiser and chain lubricant.
I just noticed that last comment, that'll save me carrying extra Scotoiler oil and L'Oreal for Men (because I'm worth it) in the panniers :lol:
Quote from: "Bixxer Bob"...but the shop that sold me the bike leathers said clothing has a different sort of stitching and the dubbin woould rot the thread.
That's what people say - but this expert (well - he knows more about leather than I do - Just look here:http://leatherbyjohan.blogspot.com/) has this to say:
Quote from: "Johan Leathercraft"Answers to DUBBIN critics
It is sometimes said that DUBBIN rots stitching on leather articles. When applying DUBBIN you must simply make sure that you do not leave chunks of Dubbin in folds or seams of the leather - this will collect dust, trapped by the thick DUBBIN and the dust will then rot the stitching. I always polish a project that I have just applied DUBBIN to, with a soft brush - there seems to be some beeswax in DUBBIN that will cause the leather to have a natural shine when treated like this.
Source: http://www.johan-potgieter.com/dubbin.shtml
I'll be staying with my Dubbin!
Well, I did also say it was probably an old wive's tale.... :wink:
This spring it was time to give the leather outfit a new treatment with Renapur, to ensure a comfortable riding season. Last time I did it, the temperature wasnt very high, and the "stuff" needed much work to be aplied.
I was out riding one day early in the spring, it was a good sunny day, it was nice and warm inside the black leather suit. It made me think that maybe it will be easyer to apply the Renapur if the temperature is higher?
So well back home after riding, I sat down in the sun and applied Renapur to the sun-hot leather. And the heat made it much easyer! The Renapur melted and got a consistecy like water, and the leather sucked it up in no time!
This made the work much easyer, and less time consuming. The leather seemed to suck up more of the stuff, there was nothing left on the surface to wipe off.
And the best: Now the leather seems to be almost watertight! :D
Hi, i have been using a product called "mr jojo" for the past few years on all my leather items. Very happy with it, soaks right in and stays waterproof. Last two pairs of boot s i have thrown away cause the soles wore through. You can get it on E-bay
Crusty