Category: Leather Care

articles about leather care

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Leather Care Newsletter Steven Ferry

The Modern Butlers’ Journal, February 2021, Care of Leather Goods

Steven Ferry Care of Leather Goods, Part 4

by Steven Ferry

Nurturing the Patina

Cosmetics companies keep telling us that skin wrinkles and sags if allowed to become dry and lose its elasticity/collagen; full-grain leather is no different, being the skin of an animal. Obviously, the more exposure to the elements, the more care is required, and vice versa. This is not to say that all leather must be highly polished, no more than all paint must be high gloss. The patina (the way something looks as a result of natural wear and tear over time while being properly care for) of a well-used leather bag or jacket is half of the magic of leather—one hand-made leather cowboy belt dating back to 1976 was proudly hung onto by the author, with its scratches and blemishes, and served as the catalyst for tall tales told to eager ears half the age of the belt. The same goes for silver—the patina of antique silver well-cared for is in character compared with it being highly polished and unblemished, like chrome.

The Institute is dedicated to raising service standards by broadly disseminating the mindset and superior service expertise of that time-honored, quintessential service provider, the British Butler, updated with modern people skills, and adapted to the needs of modern employers and guests in staffed homes, luxury hotels, resorts, spas, retirement communities, jets, yachts & cruise ships around the world.

Categories
Leather Care Newsletter Steven Ferry

The Modern Butlers’ Journal, January 2021, Care of Leather Goods

Steven Ferry Care of Leather Goods, Part 3

by Steven Ferry

Quality Leather Properly Cared for Gives a Lifetime or More of Pleasure

As we covered in an MBJ article 10 years ago, the oldest leather shoe on record was unearthed in a large cave in Armenia and dates back 5,500 years. While we cannot guarantee that the care we recommend and discuss for leather will be quite as successful, we can say that keeping leather immersed in sheep dung will do the trick if you have set your sights on thousands of years of use.

For more modest and practical results, the Chairman’s leather shoes are 46 years old, same uppers, third generation sole, and still going strong as a result of proper care. Even though they came with a price tag of 70 GBP in 1974, that works out at 1.50 GBP per year, compared with non-leather shoes that typically might cost 30 GBP and last half a year. 70 GBP versus $2,760 GBP makes a good case for buying quality and skipping the knockoffs that count on the quality of the real thing to entice people with lower prices and then fool them with shoddy looks and a short life span.

The Institute is dedicated to raising service standards by broadly disseminating the mindset and superior service expertise of that time-honored, quintessential service provider, the British Butler, updated with modern people skills, and adapted to the needs of modern employers and guests in staffed homes, luxury hotels, resorts, spas, retirement communities, jets, yachts & cruise ships around the world.

Categories
Leather Care Newsletter Steven Ferry

The Modern Butlers’ Journal, December 2020, Care of Leather Goods

Steven Ferry Care of Leather Goods, Part 2

by Steven Ferry

TYPES OF LEATHER

“Full grain” is the full thickness of the animal hide and so is the most durable and able to develop patina as it ages, rather than wearing out over time. It is also the most breathable when in contact with the human body. Needless to say, it is the most expensive, but not if you average the price of the multiple lesser-quality belts one has to buy that will last the lifetime of a full-grain belt. Might be better to enjoy the quality all the time, no?

The next level down is “top grain,” which is thinner, less breathable, and will not develop a patina because it has a coat applied (which on the plus side means it will not stain) and so does not improve with age, but will last a long time as long as its finish coat is not damaged.

The third level is “genuine leather or corrected leather”—the layer under the top, which has grain implanted onto the surface which is then stained.

The fourth level is to full-grain leather as particle board is to lumber or machine-rolled, short-fill cigars are to long-fill, hand-rolled cigars—”Bonded leather” is made of leather scraps that are shredded and then bonded onto a fiber sheet which is then resurfaced to emulate real leather; it is weak and will fall apart sooner rather than later.

Then there is truly fake leather made of PVC. If the item smells of plastic, not leather, if it has a uniform and smooth surface, it is fake. Fake leather cannot be cleaned or conditioned and suffers from rapid deterioration about which one can do nothing.

The Institute is dedicated to raising service standards by broadly disseminating the mindset and superior service expertise of that time-honored, quintessential service provider, the British Butler, updated with modern people skills, and adapted to the needs of modern employers and guests in staffed homes, luxury hotels, resorts, spas, retirement communities, jets, yachts & cruise ships around the world.

Categories
Leather Care Newsletter Steven Ferry

The Modern Butlers’ Journal, November 2020, Care of Leather Goods

Steven Ferry Care of Leather Goods

by Steven Ferry

Welcome to a new 15-part series on leather and its proper care. Butlers and household managers have been familiar with caring for leather shoes for centuries, but to the list can be added leather belts, gloves, clothes, wallets, bags, briefcases, toiletry kits, furniture, and even car seats, none of which are treated in exactly the same way as leather shoes. In fact, not even all leather shoes are treated the same.

The writer worked briefly in a tannery as a teenager to better understand leather, but one does not need to know the rather involved but time-proven way that leather is prepared, tanned, and finished in order to recognize and care for quality products.

As a minimum, it is worth knowing the different types of leather, from full grain to fake, which we will cover in the next issue.

The Institute is dedicated to raising service standards by broadly disseminating the mindset and superior service expertise of that time-honored, quintessential service provider, the British Butler, updated with modern people skills, and adapted to the needs of modern employers and guests in staffed homes, luxury hotels, resorts, spas, retirement communities, jets, yachts & cruise ships around the world.