Triumphrat

rustbucket · 03-15-2007, 02:03 AM

Hey All,

I've got a Joe Rocket perforated leather jacket, several sets of leather gloves and, of course, leather motorcycle boots...

I'm wondering what y'all recommend for leather care. My jacket is suffering the worst - it feels dry and looks like it's developing cracks between the perforations. The gloves seem to be okay on their own. The boots I've just been following my normal shoe-shine procedure (and since I was never in the military, it's probably the wrong one!).

I'd like to keep this gear for a long time - any suggestions on giving the gear the love it needs to last?

Thanks!

Wombat · 03-15-2007, 05:10 AM

I would recommend the NIKWAX range of products.

They have a leather cleaner and a restorer in spray-on bottles.
Other stuff in their range for textile waterproofing as well.

patrol21 · 03-15-2007, 01:39 PM

Hey Rustbucket,

Being from the land of cold and wet myself and being a daily rider for the last 25 years, the spray ons are a good quick fix, but there is no substitue for good-old-elbow grease. Pick up a can of saddle soap and spend an hour in front of the tube hard rubbing it into your leathers. If your stuff is dry (as you had mentioned), let them sit for a week and do it again. Dry leather will act like a spong. Gob it on, it'll absorb. The second treatment you may want to use sno-seal as this has a ton of waterproofer in it, but only use this after your initial application. I would use the sno-seal on my boots also as they tend to get beat up from raod grime, etc but are less absorbant than your jacket.

Don't be afraid to gob some on your zippers either (if metal), and then clean off. They get gummed up over time and a little lube is good for them also.

rustbucket · 03-15-2007, 02:04 PM

I have a nice big container of saddle soap - I hadn't used it on my jacket as I was concerned that it would gum up the perforations... Is that a valid concern?

JasonS · 03-15-2007, 02:35 PM

Glip Tone

this is some swanky product used by Jaguar folks to condition their leather.... I used on some older dried out Saab seats and it did a wonder.. the GF had an OLD leather jacket and it did wonders for that too....

mglemans86 · 03-15-2007, 03:37 PM

I've been using sno-seal on my leathers for 20 yrs now and they are in great shape. It's a bees wax based goop. It's best to heat the leather in the sun or drier) before applying so it melts into the leather. The leather stays water resistane through light rain and showers. Same with my boots. The amazing thing is my leathers are over 20 yrs old and they still fit. :-D :-D

TRISPEED · 03-20-2007, 03:37 PM

I got too big for my old leathers and gave them to my son. They didn't get much wear on them in FL.

rustbucket · 03-20-2007, 05:49 PM

Is the asphalt less abrasive in Florida? :razz:

I know we don't get heat like you guys up here, but I only go for the mesh if it's 100+ and I'm gonna be on the road all day - I'll just sweat it out otherwise...

So no problems using saddle soap on perforated leather? I'm going to do my boots and gloves, but still not so sure about the jacket...

[ This message was edited by: rustbucket on 2007-03-20 15:50 ]