Restoring Leather Interiors

[pcain]

Hello    New to the forum.  I have a 25yr old car with a leather interior, it's in pretty good condition, but some parts are drying out.   I have read on many ways to rejuvenate leather, I would like to know what products or method's people have had good success with.    Thanks  Philip

[JFranklin]

try a spot with neatsfoot oil, that is the tried and true method. 

[Restorer32]

Even though we have used neats foot oil over the years I never actually knew what it was. The Google machine says it is a non hardening oil refined from the shin bones ( but not actually the hooves) of cattle. It's non hardening property is what makes it good to soften leather though it will darken leather over time.

[Restorer32]

"Neat" is an Old English word for cattle. And so ends the lesson for the day.

[Guest bkazmer]

the traditional way to break in a baseball glove also

[Restorer32]

and saddles and cone clutches

[R Walling]

 If you are looking for leather to replace some worn spots, a good place to look is at discarded old sofas and chairs.

 

  The leather could be a good match for older leather without giving it a new look.

[Phillip Cole]

Use it sparingly... It is a fairly heavy oil for car upholstery. 

I'd try a good cleaning with saddle soap and  leather balm first.

[8E45E]

A well-known leather care product from Connolly's in England called 'Hide Food'.

 

http://www.autogeek.net/cohica1.html

 

Craig

Edited June 2, 2015 by 8E45E (see edit history)

[C Carl]

A well-known leather care product from Connolly's in England called 'Hide Food'.

 

http://www.autogeek.net/cohica1.html

 

Craig

Yup. I'll second that after decades of use. No need to speculate here. Use a product specifically developed for your needs. Also , Lexol cleaner and conditioner are 2nd to none. Oils ideal for baseball gloves make leather stretch into properly formed pockets. Not what you need here. Saddles are not car seats. Soaps for that purpose may raise the Ph , and ultimately make the leather more brittle. In the case of ancient cars with cotton thread , some products can promote rot. Quite a lot of research has been done to bring the appropriate conditioner to market. At this point , no need to re-invent the wheel , or use what was available 100 or 200 years ago before modern research made them obsolete. - Carl

[sambarn]

lexol -spray on heavy, Walk away. Repeat daily for a week. Then spray on wipe off gently. repeat until satisfied. This method has brought back several hundred year old leather goods and an alligator bag from the twenties that lived in storage for 40 years for me. Good Luck - I avoid neatsfoot anywhere visible because of staining.

[C Carl]

lexol -spray on heavy, Walk away. Repeat daily for a week."

Yes , exactly. I use it quite liberally with variations on this procedure. As I say above , you quite simply can't beat this stuff. It also beautifully preserved and enhanced the patina on the leather in my 1924 Cadillac touring. Try it . You'll like it for sure. - Carl