Old Dried Out Leather Saddlebags

[PanHDBud]

Wondering if anyone has a handle on the best way to make an old dried out set of leather saddle bags soft and useable again.Didnt want to try saddle soap or mink oil or something else if i would be doing more harm than good. The bags in question are off my 48 pan that i am restoring. I would be very happy if they are useable on the project.Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Bud

[Ohio-Rider]

You should contact Worsham Castle Cycle Leather, the owner is a member here and does miracles with the old leathers. If your interested in trying to work with them yourself then avoid the mink oil and saddle soap. They both will seal the leather when what you want is to put moister back into the leather. Get yourself some "Lexol" leather conditioner and have at it. -Steve

[Magic]

I too have used Lexol overtime with many applications slowy and gently and kept the Leather outof sunlight until ready to apply and then kinda like preheated it in the sun through a window or outside then applied more coatings as it absorbed better when the leather was warm. I always cover the leather when not in use with a breathable cloth. This all depends on the extent of dryness starting with. Another important thing is to clean the leather prior too applying any conditioners. This is only what I've done to many seats and bags in the past, A good gentle very warm soapy water cleaning and clean cloth patted drying followed by conditioner. The leather is like our skin and needs be cleaned often from dust build up to dirty roadrain water. The fibers breakdown overtime and will never rebuild but can look good yet without holding the weight they were made to. It's an annual event for leather now and I agree with the Lexol brand choice. Keep Riding them, Merlin in Pa.

[PanHDBud]

Ohio Rider and Majic

Guys thanks for the info on the leather bags. This is one of the many projects I will do myself,not being cheap, just enjoy the satisfaction knowing I did it myself. It seems with the right books and help from people like yourselves on this web site , there is nothing out of reach in restoration. It all depends how much time you are willing to spend and how much research you do before tackling a project.
Example : I hemmed and hawed (read and researched ) for about a month before i tackled parkerizing,words cant describe the feeling when you look back and google over something that looked like trash before and now looked brand new, and the best part is you made it happen.Thanks again AMCA community
Keep the sticky side down
Bud