Leather care

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http://www.getlostmagazine.com/mcbee/2003/0306weasel/weasel.html

http://www.furcommission.com/resource/perspect999at.htm

Mink oil
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Mink oil is made from the thick fatty layer minks have just under their skins. This fat is removed from the pelt when the mink is skinned and is then rendered into mink oil. Mink oil is a source of palmitoleic acid which possesses physical properties similar to human sebum, therefore mink oil is used in several medical and cosmetic products. Mink oil is also favored for treating and preserving leather.

I'll show you mine if you show me yours. BTW, I have tested more detailing products than you'll ever know or care to know. Read my post and you'll seee that it comes from true knowledge, if you can't see that I can't help you. BTW, Sadle soap is one of the worst things you can use to condition leather.
 
I should say that Lexol uses that pig coctail and they have always been up front about that. The problem is silicone is an oil, and oil attracks grime. Yes it will treat the leather, but in fact the leather will degrade if you don't keep it clean becasue the worst thing you can do to coated leather is leave dirt on it.
 
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Ok Shelby, tell us which products (beside Zanio) work well without mink oil. I am always looking for better products. One quality that seems difficult to find is a leather conditioner product that leaves no gloss. My BMW leather from the factory has no shine. BTW, think I will try Zaino.

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Z10 leaves a matt finish I think you'll like. Usually takes two coats to get the sheen perfect, because it's not glossy. The only two products I like on leather are Zaino and leatherique. The problem is leatherique is for more of abused leather instead of modern coated leather, but it is effective either way. The other thing is the application, you have to really leave it on a warm surface for 12 hours for leatherique to set in, when you clean it off the leather has a nice finish. They use collagen amoung other things to achieve this. They might have oils in their products but the fact you use a "cleaner" as a second step leaves the surface non oily. If you asked me which is the very best I'd say leatherique, but most people wouldn't want to spend the time for that. Zaino is a great super easy product to use that doesn't leave the surface oily at all, and one of the best features of Zaino is the leather smell. It's something every leather owner should try regardless if you use their other stuff or not.
 
I have used leatherique twice on my car (in the summer). It has seemed to soften my leather each time. Plan to do it again this summer. Also, I am going to order the Zaino product today. Thanks.
 
I have found the Eagle product on Amazon and local hardware stores. Did not like it. Surface felt oily and shiny. Gave it away.
 
Yeah I consider the z9 more of a luxury product, the z10 is the key product in my opinion. Z9 is a very mild cleaner so it can be replaced with a 1/6 woolite/water mixture. Z9 may contain an oil Mink or otherwise, but it doesn't leave the surface oily. The oils must be very light, as with most straight leather cleaners.
This link is informational-
http://www.autogeek.net/nosasopl.html
This part has commercial links so I cut and pasted it instead of put a link.
Leather is meant to be a decadent indulgence for the senses: the rich, heady aroma; its soft, luxurious resiliency; the beautiful, opulent finish—but only if cared for properly. Clues of neglect are cracks, fading and leather that is brittle to the touch. Not the treat it’s meant to be, leather in this condition is an eyesore at best and beyond hope for reparation.

What is proper leather care? Good leather care is equivalent to good skin care. Leather consists of thousands and thousands of intertwined fibers, with penetrable pores throughout—just like skin. Proper maintenance starts with cleaning the fibers. Cleaning removes fiber-severing abrasives and pore clogging dirt and dust, both of which will breakdown the leather over time and give it a less than pleasing texture and appearance.

The next step, probably even more important (as long as you’re already neat and tidy with your leather), is conditioning. This nourishes and moisturizes to lubricate individual fibers, keeping them from becoming brittle and dry. It replaces essential, natural oils that evaporate. How can you tell a good conditioner? A good conditioner will offer UV protection. Like human skin, ultra-violet rays will quickly cause deterioration of the leather and shorten its lifespan significantly. A good conditioner will be absorbed into the leather, not sit atop the surface or leave residue behind. The surface should not be oily after application. The very best conditioners are pH balanced, have stain repellants, waterproofing agents to protect from accidents.

Inexpensive leather cleaners and conditioners will contain petroleum distillates, silicon or silicon oils, and gloss agents that deliver an inferior, greasy finish that does nothing for the leather, and transfers to anything that the leather comes in contact with. These chemicals are harmful to your leather. That brings me to the subject of saddle soap. It’s a popular notion that saddle soap is a good cleaner and conditioner. It is neither, that’s why you won’t find any available through our site. Saddle soap originates from the 1800s as a product used in the final stages of tanning hides. A currier used the emulsion of oil in soap (saddle soap) to work into the leather to soften and condition it. The reason it doesn’t make a good conditioner is because it’s alkaline, not pH balanced. There are better modern emulsions which penetrate, soften and condition with greater ease and stability.
 
Shelby, the times when mink oil was really mink oil are long gone. There may be some products that use mink oil, which being an animal fat, is prone to getting rancid and also makes for a perfect breeding ground for bacteria et al. What's called mink oil now is usually a fake concoction with pig fat.

For leather care there is only one brand name I trust (because they tell you what's in their products if you care to call them), and that's Pecard. I'm sure you know them oh wise one.
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Beyond all that chin chat, I really don't care who smears what silly goop on their pleather interior.
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Never heard of Pecard but I looked it up and that is exactly the type of product that you should use, very similar to Zaino z10. I'm talking about the Pecard lotion that is. I might have to try this, it's priced nicely.
From Pecard website-
We recommend using this product on most smooth leather furniture, automobile leather, and any simulated leather items. This is a water based product that uses a polymer to coat the leather fibers to prevent them from dirt and stains.
 
Thanks - very interesting. But, I think I'll continue to follow Honda's suggestion of saddle soap, though, since it's worked beautifully on my car's leather upholstery for the past 4+ years.
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(I'm not convinced a biker oriented forum understands the chemistry involved in the proper care of leather than do equestrian forums, anyway...
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)
 
Ive used gliptone leather conditioner with good results. Saddle soap dries leather out, only to be used after properl sealing leather so that it doesnt take in leather... just for cleaning. Honda leather may be sealed in a way such that it is A-OK to use saddle soap to slean it... of course it wont condition or moisturize it, etc.

JMH
 
ummm, saddle soap's active ingredient is glycerin, usually fat derived. NOT lanolin, which is added to combat the effects of the glycerin, thus causing some net softening.

In the late 1800's the final tanning of leather required the talents of a "currier". This craftsman took the tanned but brittle hide and worked oils into it until the desired flexibility was obtained. This process was called fatliquoring. The fatliquor of choice was an emulsion of oil in soap. This "saddle soap" was not used as a cleaner. It was a softening conditioner. Modern leathers are tanned differently, and are often sealed afterwards. This is why saddle soap can be used on honda seats. it is NOT, however the correct product to be used in all applications.

In fact, saddle soap is a very poor cleaner. It must first dissolve its own oils, limiting its capacity to dissolve dirt and oils in the leather. Saddle soap is also inherently alkaline but alkalinity is damaging to leather. Another problem arises during application. Most saddle soaps instruct the user to work the lather into the leather. Since loosened dirt is suspended in the lather, it is pushed back into the leather's pores.

Saddle soaps have long been replaced in tanneries by modern emulsions which penetrate, soften and condition with greater ease and stability. the popular myth of saddle soap as a cleaner however persists as modern folklore.

Ask my fiancee what happens to $2000 saddles when saddle soap is used without properly conditioning and sealing the leather prior to its use...
 
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Tried Zanio Z10 Leather in a Bottle on a top of the rear seats in my BMW. Did not see any immediate change except the suface is very shiny.

Is there a temperature, humidity or application conern I should know to keep it from having a shine? BTW, it does smell like leather
 
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In fact, saddle soap is a very poor cleaner. It must first dissolve its own oils, limiting its capacity to dissolve dirt and oils in the leather. Saddle soap is also inherently alkaline but alkalinity is damaging to leather. Another problem arises during application. Most saddle soaps instruct the user to work the lather into the leather. Since loosened dirt is suspended in the lather, it is pushed back into the leather's pores.

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"In fact"? Whose facts? I'm reading a lot of opinions - mostly second and third hand (and merely parroting back nonsense from competitive products' internet sites at that...
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) - regarding the "known" evils of saddle soap, neat's foot oil, and mink oil.
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I'm coming from over four years' experience with nothing but a damp cloth wipedown followed up with saddle soap to clean and condition the leather in my current car (not a Honda) and the hides still retain their original appearance (sans cracking) and suppleness. All the stitching is still intact despite saddle soap's "known" weakening properties to the stitching, my big butt, and 240 lbs. girth sliding in and out daily. But, I guess actual experience is always suspect, huh? But, I digress. It's obvious the BITOG faithful know that saddle soap is inherently harmful to leather. One can always tell the experts. (Just can't tell 'em much. By the way, isn't it just common sense to gently wipe down with a clean, damp cloth or vacuum leather uphostery to lift loose soil prior to going at it with any leather cleaning/conditioning product?
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Auuggghh, horrors! An additional step in the quarterly ritual!)
 
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