| Author | Message | ||
     Vladimir Ivanovich Kirillov Yet to post message Username: soviet Post Number: 1 Registered: 2-2013 |
I have recently used Oakwook Leather Conditioner on the hides of my Camargue after cleaning them with soapy water. I was going to use Conolly Hide Food but the expense of it appeared to me to me a total rip off. I contacted Oakwook first and they were quick to reply that their product was ok for the job. Just wondering if anybody else has tried the product. The leather seems to be a bit softer and it certainly absorbed the conditioner unless the atmosphere did. | ||
| David Gore Moderator Username: david_gore Post Number: 1215 Registered: 4-2003 |
Hi Vladimir and your membership has finally been fixed - great. I have always used Oakwood Leather Conditioner and have been very happy with its performance. My experience suggests the Oakwood gives greater suppleness to the leather and also is very effective in removing grime from normal use. As far as the Connelly smell goes, a past suggestion has been to get a piece of scrap leather, treat it with the Hide Food and put it under the front seat clear of the adjustment mechanism. I never worried about this as I didn't mind the Oakwood smell. | ||
| Vladimir Ivanovich Kirillov New User Username: soviet Post Number: 7 Registered: 2-2013 |
David I read somewhere and/or was told by somebody that its not a good idea to wear jeans on the RR leather because denim is abrasive. Can you or anybody else tell me if this is true? If so I'm going to have to police this one day as the last time I got a quote for a refurbishment of a RR interior the price was $15,000 AUD and that was a decade ago from a well known RR dealer in Sydney. | ||
| Brian Vogel Prolific User Username: guyslp Post Number: 261 Registered: 6-2009 |
Vladimir, I am not David Gore but will jump in and state that denim, even new denim, is not abrasive to leather. Aged denim is about as soft a surface as you could hope for. You should be careful if you are wearing jeans that use rivets, as the metal can very easily scratch (or tear, if you have a very weak spot where something gets caught) leather. Brian | ||
| David Gore Moderator Username: david_gore Post Number: 1221 Registered: 4-2003 |
To the best of my knowledge, the denim problem is not abrasion but colour transfer between the denim and the upholstery. The dyes usually used on denim are not colour-fast for fashion reasons and accordingly are prone to transfer problems As an aside, I was once told by the owner of a R-R/B wedding car hire business that the Bridal and Bridesmaid dresses are notorious for damaging his cars' upholstery due to the abrasive nature of the materials used to make the dresses and the presence of sequins/spangles etc as adornments. | ||
| Geoff Wootton Frequent User Username: dounraey Post Number: 88 Registered: 5-2012 |
I had this problem of colour transfer on a Jaguar XJ8 that I once owned. So far no problems with the Rolls. | ||
| Jan Forrest Grand Master Username: got_one Post Number: 452 Registered: 1-2008 |
Wearing blue jeans in my Shadow is not a problem because a) The leather is Seychelles Blue b) I find jeans to be uncomfortable so I gave all mine away to charity years ago. | ||
| James Feller Prolific User Username: james_feller Post Number: 272 Registered: 5-2008 |
Personally....I find Connoly Hide Food very hard to use, an pain in the you know what to apply and you 'stick' to the seats for weeks and months afterwards. I started years ago and used only hide food on the leather in my cars but Ive since moved on to either Leatherique or Maguairs Leather care cream. Bogth products are very easy to apply and are good quality creams that soak into the leather and then buff off once dry. My issue with hide food is it is more a wax that sits on top the leather and needs heavy buffing to remove and you then for weeks and weeks and weeks stick to the seats....I really dont like hide food anymore for automotive leather dressing. Sure on horse saddles and the like the thick wax dressing is good but more delicate leather in our cars I reckon just doesnt need this wax. There are better products on the market now for automotive applicagtions. As for jeans rubbing colour onto leather...yes this can happen, using hide food will even exacerbate this problem as its a wax that will draw the colour and atmospheric dirt from the air and it all sticks like glue to the leather. Clearly lighter colour leathers will show this clearer than darker colors. YEs carfeful with studs, rivets and fancy clips and et al on our jeans these days....I know on occasion sliding into my cars I have thought if tht buckle or rivet catches the leather in the wrong way I could really dammage or even tear the leather..... Maintenace on our leather should be a good application of leather cream 3 to 4 times a year and it should last well Vladimir. If your leather is dark and there are cracks, there is a product that can be used to rejuvinate the surface, fills slight wear cracks if caught in time....PM for details of this product. Cheers J | ||
| Randy Roberson Frequent User Username: wascator Post Number: 92 Registered: 5-2009 |
I did a little research and the Oakwood product's ingredients are very similar to Connolly's Hide care: lanolin, beeswax, and some sort of petroleum or similar spirit. The prices I could find seemed comparable. Maybe I looked in the wrong place. I will look in a couple of local saddle shops, to see if they have Oakwood's. | ||
| Vladimir Ivanovich Kirillov Experienced User Username: soviet Post Number: 13 Registered: 2-2013 |
Randy, Oakwood appears to be an Australian product so you may not find it for sale in Louisiana but if you do it might be close to the vegemite. | ||
| Randy Roberson Frequent User Username: wascator Post Number: 94 Registered: 5-2009 |
There is Vegamite in stores here. I buy Magnum ice cream bars at Wal-Mart: the last box has "made in Germany" on it. Sometimes it's "made in UK". | ||
| Kevin Lagden Frequent User Username: kevin Post Number: 68 Registered: 7-2009 |
Personally I use Leatherique products to keep the leather supple and clean. Just purchased two second hand seats from a breakers in Brisbane and they are coming up a treat? I also use their products to re-dye the leather when needed, and when used properly the colour, in my experience anyway, does not come off. | ||
| bobuk Unregistered guest Posted From: 92.40.255.87 |
I have been using hand soap and warm water and a nail brush for the grooves etc. I have used baby oil for a quick polish and football boot dubin for long lasting protection. shoe polish works well and it comes in colours Connelly hide is no different to shoe leather apart from quality--- either way ! Too dry and it cracks too wet and it rots My black oxford office shoes get loads of stick but a bit of cherry blossom shoe polish and they are smart again. 12 years old (Message approved by david_gore) | ||
| Paul Yorke Grand Master Username: paul_yorke Post Number: 1029 Registered: 6-2006 |
Word of warning - shoe polish with colour in will mark light coloured clothes. | ||
| John Shostrom Prolific User Username: silvawraith2 Post Number: 131 Registered: 4-2005 |
In my thirty-some years with these cars, I've never encountered any difficulty with Connolly Hide Food, nor have I found it to be more expensive. I purchase it for the equivalent of US$21 for an 11-ounce container. All of my cars have had their original leather, most of them being in Vaumol, which as you know, has a black wash to the finish to bring out the grain. Upon acquiring my first car in 1982, Bentley R-Type B282TN, I noticed the leather was much dirtier on the driver's seat. As per the instructions in the handbook, I applied a small amount of neutral soap (Ivory) to a dampened nappy and in one swipe noticed the difference. Needless to say, I immediately set about doing the rest of the interior, including the windlacing and carpet binding. Not only was everything clean and matching, but I noticed a distinct suppleness. I then proceeded to use Hide Food -- a small amount went a long way. I applied it sometimes with a nappy and at others with my fingers such as on the bindings and windlace. I let it set for awhile, went back and buffed it all with a clean nappy. I did this periodically, and with all the subsequent cars I've owned, and on each and every one of them, the leather remained perfect. I suppose I've always felt that these cars require a commensurate amount of effort in maintaining them as they did for their manufacture in the first place. Much the same as I've never recommended my clients to use Lemon Pledge on their fine furniture. Whenever a car was sold on during the acquisition of another, a buyer never failed to comment on the wonderful condition of the leather, in appearance, texture and aroma. |
