Leather Case Care?

[Cmaster03]

I've got a couple of Aristocrats and a Diplomat case that are a bit dirty and in need of TLC. What do you fellows recommend for care of these vintage cases?

I know the first rule is to do no harm, so I haven't done anything yet.

 

[RocketMan]

I'm surprised nobody has chimed in on this topic yet. I don't have too many cases of this type and I am a little gunshy on cleaning them too. I tend to use plain old water, perhaps a little mild soap in the water, with a clean cotton or microfiber cloth. Then just lightly moisten the cloth. I have had to pick away at errant paint spots and other weird spots very carefully with toothpicks.

I definately stay away from alcohol or household cleaners as I have made a few mistakes before. Some folks talk about using leather conditioners like saddle soap which probably does work well, but I haven't tried it. A lot of these cases are really plastic too, just masquerading as leather.

Where are the Lords of Leather?? The Kings of the Cases? The Barons of Boxes???

 

[Oldguy]

I've got a couple of Aristocrats and a Diplomat case that are a bit dirty and in need of TLC. What do you fellows recommend for care of these vintage cases?

I know the first rule is to do no harm, so I haven't done anything yet.

I have a few leather cases from as far back as 1906. I found that ArmorAll Leather Treatment not only does a great job of cleaning the old leather but it put moisture back into the leather which makes it more supple and stops the cracking. It also brings the original leather color back. The thing to do is to start on a small area, like on the bottom of the case and see how it works out. I have been treating my cases 2 or 3 times waiting a couple weeks in between and it continues to improve the leather. I originally bought it to treat the leather seats in my car.

If your problem is stained satin linings inside the case I don't know what will clean it. I leave mine alone otherwise you can make it worse.

Len