Care of old leather camera case

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The case that came with my Konica III is in surprisingly good condition for being 50+ years old. Any tips for keeping that way? Should I wipe it down with a damp rag? Water or alcohol? I can't see any fungus or mildew. Maybe do nothing is the right answer.

I know I shouldn't store the camera in the case but I like using it installed in the bottom half of the case (easier to grip), so it will spend some time in there.

 

[Jockos]

I'd give it a rub with high quality mink oil, let it sit overnight and then wipe off the excess. It will become slightly darker, unless it's black.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Connolly Hide Food.

Cheers,

R..

 

[L David Tomei]

Search for British Museum Leather Dressing. It is used to preserve old leather. The formula should be easy to find on Google.

 

[BobYIL]

For all leathers and vulcanites (although they have nothing to do with leather) I use neatsfoot oil. A reliable formula since long decades.

 

[icebear]

Most importantly keep it in a well ventilated area/place.
Don't expose it to direct sunlight (other than in use).
NEVER ever wrap it in a plastic bag - you could watch the fungus growing.

 

[L David Tomei]

It is very important to suppress fungal growth on old leather cases and covers, that's why the Brit Museum dressing adds a small amount of cedar oil. I have used pure bees wax which also has excellent fungus suppression activity. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Museum_leather_dressing.

 

[shortstop]

Hi David,
I've tried to buy the British museum leather dressing from http://www.restoration-materials.co.uk/, but unfortunately they don't send this product in Italy.
Do you knows any other store? Do you think (given we know the ingredients from Wikipedia) the dressing can be prepared? Who can do this?
Thanks,
Antonio

 

[Dralowid]

Whatever you do, don't store the camera in the case, keep them well apart.

 

[EdwardKaraa]

I use Collonil premium leather cream with cedar oil. It is meant for expensive leather hand bags so it's not really cheap. You should apply the cream every day since the case is very old, until the leather is saturated, usually after 7-8 applications. After that you can do it once a month for a few times, then once every 3-4 months should be sufficient. The same applies to all kinds of leather cream. I have had success in the past with Nivea classic hand cream (the good old formula) but it is slightly scented. Bees wax mentioned above does not nourish the leather and actually seals the pores so that the material isn't able to breath. Not recommended.

 

[02Pilot]

There are two different sorts of leather treatments being discussed here. One is simply for treating the leather to retain its existing characteristics and avoid it drying out; these are the ones that are similar to hand moisturizing cream. The other type are intended to actually protect the leather by creating a protective layer of oil or wax; these do a better job protecting the leather from external moisture, but don't tend to help to preserve old leather from the effects of age.

Choose the product that best suits your intended purpose. Even if you want to use one of the latter types, it would be worth applying a few coats of moisturized to rejuvenate the leather before doing so (over the course of several weeks; place the leather in the sun to warm it a bit to aid absorption). Do bear in mind that, as noted, oil- or wax-based products will tend to darken leather somewhat.

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

Try tack shops for cleaners, preservers etc. They sell saddles for horses etc, just in case "tack" doesn't translate. Also, libraries use something to preserve and soften leather bindings on old books.

I use something called Leather Basalm. Try a shoe shop for it.

Regards, David