Glove restoration project

[lefty147]

Came out very nice.

[Lordstan]

Nice job Scott. How did you darken the back of the thumb again? It looked a lot lighter in your previous photo.

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by Lordstan

Nice job Scott. How did you darken the back of the thumb again? It looked a lot lighter in your previous photo.

Mark, that thumb was a mistake - I rubbed off all of the finish (but not any leather) using a small nylon brush. I decided that doing that to the rest of the glove might ruin the glove, so I stopped. I rubbed Lexol into the glove, and the thumb became darker because the leather was exposed with no finish to protect it. Fortunately it blended fairly well with the rest of the glove. It's a little too dark on the back side, but fine on the palm.

[Horsehide Historian]

Wow. You really brought those pieces back to life!

I am curious about the cleaner that you use. I have done some glove restoration research in the past, and one of the recommendations was to use Horseman's One Step Cleaner and Conditioner. I saw how the person used Horseman's and really revived the glove that received the cleaner. However, I used it on a junk Ozzie Smith glove recently and felt like it darkened the leather and removed some of the letting on the endorsement signature.

Does Lexol work easier? Are there dos and don'ts to using that product?

You look like you have a handle on the ways to restore a glove. I am a bit apprehensive, as I don't want to ruin any of my special gloves in my collection.

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by Horsehide Historian

Wow. You really brought those pieces back to life!

I am curious about the cleaner that you use. I have done some glove restoration research in the past, and one of the recommendations was to use Horseman's One Step Cleaner and Conditioner. I saw how the person used Horseman's and really revived the glove that received the cleaner. However, I used it on a junk Ozzie Smith glove recently and felt like it darkened the leather and removed some of the letting on the endorsement signature.

Does Lexol work easier? Are there dos and don'ts to using that product?

You look like you have a handle on the ways to restore a glove. I am a bit apprehensive, as I don't want to ruin any of my special gloves in my collection.

Thanks Jake. You are looking at ALL of my experience with gloves, in this thread.

I began by locating good information on the internet, including a list of products and opinions regarding each. I have always used Lexol for fedora leather sweatbands with good results, and have recently been using it on leather pool cue wraps as well. So I had no reason to think it wouldn't work well on dark gloves, and it did - just rub it in evenly, not leaving any excess. But everything I have read and been told, says never to use ANY product on white leather - all will darken it.

Regarding the Poll Parrot, after rubbing in Lexol, I finished off with vaseline, then added another rubbing of Vaseline after it dried. You should start with less Vaseline at first than you would with Lexol, and make sure to rub off all of the excess, as it can get sticky, but it's really not that tricky. I used only Lexol on the dark brown one.

The dark brown one is now in the hands of Huntington BBC, so unsure how we will finish that job. I think he'll probably only sew it up, then I'll dye the gashes that go into the flesh, refinish them, then give it a final rubbing with vaseline.

If I pick up any additional cheap, beat-up gloves, I will probably try some of the other recommended products, including the one you mention. As far as being afraid to restore valuable gloves, I think you are right to feel that way - send them to a pro if you are unsure, especially any that are not dark brown. I restored the white one because I thought I could do the job, but I sent in the dark brown one for sewing, because I didn't think I could do a good job of it. It always depends mostly on your comfort level.

[Horsehide Historian]

Well, you've done a great job "learning" throughout this thread.

If you do end up using Horseman's, please let us know how it turns out.