Not long ago I acquired an original Ledermantel. It was basically in very good condition. The leather was only slightly stiff and dried. It was free of any significant damage, with only a minor tear to the lower edge of the left pocket, below the flap. However, the coat was badly scuffed and showed signs of both wartime, and post-war wear. The shoulderboard attachments and buttons had been removed. The dye had worn off the front of the coat and off the arms.
The general advice on this forum regarding restoring leather items appears to be that use of commercial preparations is problematic, and can even result in deterioration of the leather long term. Thus, I would like to report my experience for the benefit of others interested in restoring leather items. However, some here will undoubtedly regard how I restored this coat as sacrilege. Here is what I did;
The products I used were Made by Leatherique Ltd, and supplied through their UK agent Restorite Ltd.
a) I treated the leather with five treatments of Leatherique's Rejuvenation Oil (n.b. contains no petroleum or mineral oil derivatives) at weekly intervals, to re-moisturise the coat and restore flexibility to the leather. This was very effective.
b) After this I treated the coat once with Leatherique's Prestine Clean surface cleaner to remove the slightly sticky surface residue left by the Rejuvenation Oil (recommended by manufacturer).
c) Next, I had custom dye prepared by Leatherique, colour matched to the original dye used on the coat. This was a dark blue-grey (LW) colour.
d) The coat was now prepared for dyeing by treating with Leatherique's Prepping Agent. After leaving overnight to dry, a first coat of dye was applied using a small brush in accordance with the manufacturers recommendations. The following day a second coat was applied using a wipe dye technique with a soft cloth.
The results are remarkable. The garment has the look and feel of a new coat, matching contemporary leather jackets I own in suppleness, quality and finish. In fact the attached photos do not do it justice, it looks even better in reality.
The general advice on this forum regarding restoring leather items appears to be that use of commercial preparations is problematic, and can even result in deterioration of the leather long term. Thus, I would like to report my experience for the benefit of others interested in restoring leather items. However, some here will undoubtedly regard how I restored this coat as sacrilege. Here is what I did;
The products I used were Made by Leatherique Ltd, and supplied through their UK agent Restorite Ltd.
a) I treated the leather with five treatments of Leatherique's Rejuvenation Oil (n.b. contains no petroleum or mineral oil derivatives) at weekly intervals, to re-moisturise the coat and restore flexibility to the leather. This was very effective.
b) After this I treated the coat once with Leatherique's Prestine Clean surface cleaner to remove the slightly sticky surface residue left by the Rejuvenation Oil (recommended by manufacturer).
c) Next, I had custom dye prepared by Leatherique, colour matched to the original dye used on the coat. This was a dark blue-grey (LW) colour.
d) The coat was now prepared for dyeing by treating with Leatherique's Prepping Agent. After leaving overnight to dry, a first coat of dye was applied using a small brush in accordance with the manufacturers recommendations. The following day a second coat was applied using a wipe dye technique with a soft cloth.
The results are remarkable. The garment has the look and feel of a new coat, matching contemporary leather jackets I own in suppleness, quality and finish. In fact the attached photos do not do it justice, it looks even better in reality.
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