How to Condition and Restring Your Red Pen Travelers Handcrafted Leather Notebook

Описание: Keep your leather travelers notebook soft and protect it from the elements by conditioning it a couple times per year.

** Please note that I cannot vouch for all kinds of leather used by all notebook makers. This is what I use and recommend for notebooks from RedPenTravelers.com; please research and use your own judgment before treating other leather items. **

Here are some products I recommend for vegetable-tanned leather:

Aussie Leather Conditioner: https://www.fiebing.com/catalogue/con...

Bag Balm: http://www.bagbalm.com/

Elastic cord by the yard to restring your notebook: http://redpentravelers.com/collection...

Poppin inserts: http://www.poppin.com/mini-medley-cla...

To condition the notebook, I like to use Bag Balm (readily available in stores and online) or Fiebing's Aussie Leather Conditioner (available from leather suppliers). I've seen other people recommend using liquid kitchen oils but I do not think that works well at all; liquids can discolor undyed leather, olive oil has a distinct aroma, and coconut oil leaves a VERY unattractive solid white sheen on the leather. You don't want your notebook to start smelling rancid! So please always use something solid and preferably with an animal fat ingredient such as lanolin. Leather is an animal skin, after all.

Remove all the inserts and elastic so you have the leather by itself. Cover your work surface with something disposable like a sheet of cardboard, and then use your fingers to rub in some of the cream to coat the entire notebook, inside and out. It doesn't need to be a thick layer, but it should be generous enough to make the surface of the leather very shiny and greasy. Let it sit for a while (overnight or longer) to absorb and then rub with a soft cloth to remove excess conditioner. Buff it with another clean soft cloth until the leather is smooth and no longer feels greasy.

I wouldn't do this more than every few months or so, because the leather can only absorb so much. And it's not necessarily going to make it a lot softer right away; the best thing to make vegetable tanned leather more supple is simply handling it and using it a lot, but conditioning it now and then will help a little too. The main benefits of conditioning are hydration and protection from the elements, and it also helps to camouflage small scratches and other wear and tear.