Leather Care

[abothebear]

Hey Guys.

I have my grandfather's firstbasemen's mitt from when he was in the Army circa 1942. How should I treat the leather to keep it from deteriorating? I am not particular interested in preservation methods that also preserve collectable value, rather, I just want it to last a long time. Would regular ol' sporting goods store glove oil do the trick or should I use something else?

Thanks,
George

[jbsports33]

I would clean it with a very light wet rag first to get some of the dirt off, then use mink oil (for pre-1950 gloves) as stated above or if the glove is a more modern issue you could just use regular baseball glove oil and cleaner. Keep it away from sun light and store in the middle of the house not in the basement or attic.

Jimmy

[murphusa]

Mink oil will give the glove a smell. Read about glove cleaning here

http://www.vintagebaseballgloveforum...cf432f3ee1f3e0

[abothebear]

Thanks.

[Butch7999]

Respectfully disagree on the mink oil... pervasive scent aside, it's much better for waterproofing your hiking boots than preserving your vintage ballglove. We'd recommend Lexol leather products for cleaning, then lanolin for reviving, then a thin coat of Vaseline for appearance.
In addition to the excellent glove forum cited above
[ http://www.vintagebaseballgloveforum...pBB3/index.php ],
ask these guys:
http://www.freewebs.com/thegloveshop/index.htm
http://www.glove-works.com/

[olsport]

I am not sure about cleaning the glove, but I have always used clear Neutral Shoe Polish in a very thin layer, applied with a toothbrush, to get in cracks and crevases, then polish well, to remove excess so you don't have any whitish build up. Vasaline is a petrolium based product, and is not recommended. Clear shoe polish will not harm the leather in any way, like other chemical based products recommended earlier in this post.

[Hot Springs Bathers]

I would suggest calling Tanners, they are the company that produces and packages all of Rawlings glove care equipment.

I have toured the facilty and it is amazing. They mix and bottle over a dozen types of oil and they are now producing a glove balm/paste that is designed for high end gloves. Rawlings now takes special orders from major leaguers only for gloves hand made in Italy that are super soft and run $800 and up!

Their phone number is 800-826-6373.

[abothebear]