Help on OEM 1950 leather saddle bags

[chgofire5sqd]

I have a set of bags that have been in storage since 1977. How can I soften the leather that is hardened so I can put the original bags back on my bike and lose the reproduction ones. The leather is to stiff to even fix the seams with new linen thread. I already used 100% Neatsfoot oil and it did help some, any suggestions. Thanks

[T. Cotten]

You're lucky, chgofire5sqd,..

That they were not horsehide, or they would have turned hard as oak with Neats'foot.
The lids of the bags in the attachment became like coconut shell overnight.

....Cotten

[Chris Haynes]

[exeric]

I have a set of H-D bags from the early 50s. When I got them, they were squished, and hard. I soaked them in hot water to rehydrate the leather. That process can take some time so you may be looking at days, and not hours. After they felt soft, I used Lexol as Chris visually suggested and they became usable. And I mean usable as I put all manner of crap in those bags

[Rollo]

Hopefully Mike Paquette from Worsham Castle will chime in but as an expert on leather bags and seats he would tell you never use any oils but glycerine based products like Lexol. Go to his web site and see if he responds or try calling him. He has resurrected many old seat and bags and knows his stuff. There should be a thread on here where this has been discussed at length before.

Tom (Rollo) Hardy
AMCA# 12766

[chgofire5sqd]

Thanks for the information guys, sure do appreciate it. Going to use the Lexol.