Clean Those Leathers...

[dkeller33]

I contacted Barnacle Bill regarding cleaning leathers. He's the expert and here's what he says;

"remove the armor and just throw it in a washing machine. use a little deergent and a cup of white vinegar. when it is almost dry rub some hand lotion into it. you'll be amazed at the results."

I hope this helps anyone with some nasty leathers...

[NJK]

I contacted Barnacle Bill regarding cleaning leathers. He's the expert and here's what he says;

"remove the armor and just throw it in a washing machine. use a little deergent and a cup of white vinegar. when it is almost dry rub some hand lotion into it. you'll be amazed at the results."

I hope this helps anyone with some nasty leathers...

As much as I respect Barnacle Bills, I highly recommend against doing that. Once a suit gets soaked like that, it will be garbage in a short period of time. Skating it in the rain has much the same effect. Even with a lotion used afterwards, it will be hard as a rock and the leather will be brittle and tear very easily. You will be able to see how the stitching holes are elongated and look sort of like diamonds. Once this elongation starts, the suit will grow weaker immediately.

I recommend lightly trickling water on your suit while it is hanging on garage door or something like that. You can scrub it pretty vigorously starting at the top using a mild dish soap like Palmolive or Dove. Scrub a small section, trickle rinse it and dry it off, working top to bottom. My goal is to not soak it, and keep the inside from getting wet. Liberal amounts of baby powder on the inside will help the stink and help keep you from sweating as much.

For conditioning, I like Mink Oil. Use it in it's liquid form as opposed to paste or aerosol. Use as much as you like, but keep it off the colored kevlar as it will stain it dark. I think Mink Oil is the best stuff I have found in 26 years of making suits. There are other acceptable conditioners, but that is my favorite.

I have thrown many of my own suits in the washer and while it is great for the next week, a month later they are rotting. Keep them hanging and in a well ventilated spot out of the sun, and your suit should last quite a while.

Once again, I know BB has been making quality stuff for a long time, but I don't recommend the washing machine unless you wear a solid kevlar suit.

[SlyTX]

NJK, what do you mean conditioning? What is the benefit of using mink oil (or the conditioning process) after the cleaning process?

[NJK]

NJK, what do you mean conditioning? What is the benefit of using mink oil (or the conditioning process) after the cleaning process?

Basically, using a leather conditioner will help keep them soft and supple and allow the leather to stay as close as possible to it's optimum pliability. As we sweat and use water on our suits, they will often become stiff. A good leather conditioner such as Mink Oil will keep them supple and strong and they will end up lasting longer.

[dkeller33]

To be honest, I'm not worried about cleaning the outside. That isn't the sweaty, nasty, gross part that is against my body. My liner doesn't zip out and the liner isn't keeping the sweat from getting to the leather.

I don't understand why everyone is always so worried about the outside of the suit.......I'm not trying to look pretty I'm trying to get the part of my suit that is closest to the body clean. I'm open to any and all suggestions but make no mistakes......pretty isn't the end result......bugs on the outside are fine.....grunge on the inside isn't!!!