Congratulations on owning your new veg-tanned leather product. Full grain vegetable-tanned leather is more rare and expensive than chrome-tanned leather, so you’ll want to take good care of it to get the most extended life from your leather product.
What to expect:
- Full grain leather may have scars and individual characteristics that give the final leather product its unique, one-of-a-kind nature.
- Part of the charm of veg-tanned leather is that it will develop a ‘patina’ that is very specific to how you use it or how the oils on your skin interact with it. Your leather may darken over time or develop shiny spots where it rubs. Cards will leave indentions in wallets, etc. Even scratches on the leather can be part of the story of how it has been used.
- It should continue to smell wonderful for years.
- If it’s a wallet or a wearable product, it will shape itself to you over time.
- Proper care for your leather product can give it a long, useful life. Well-cared-for leather can even last long enough to be handed down to the next generation.
Tips for caring for your leather product:
- Try not to get it wet for the first month you use it.
- Excessive heat can be bad for leather. Never blow-dry it or heat-gun it and NEVER put it in a microwave or oven. Setting it out in the sun is okay but keep in mind that leather will tan just like your skin so direct sunlight can darken your leather product.
- Only natural bristle brushes should be used to clean leather. Don’t use brushes with synthetic bristles on your leather product.
- Wipe down your leather product with oil or conditioner made specifically for leather about once a week or so depending on frequency of use. Don’t overdo it. A light conditioning using mink oil or leather balm is my choice, however, some people find positive results using olive oil, coconut oil, neatsfoot oil and many others. This will provide temporary water resistance as well as soften and possibly darken the leather just a bit. Proper conditioning can “heal” shallow scratches and cracks in the leather.
When to seek professional help for your leather product:
- Stitches come undone
- Liner separating or splitting from the main panel
- Any snap, zipper or other hardware failures