Extend the life of your Premium Leather Vintage model with our helpful tips and tricks as shown in the video below
Leather Restoration Video Transcript
This video covers how to care for and perform periodic maintenance and or leather restoration on raw, unfinished, distressed vintage hides. (Do not attempt these techniques on finished or sealed leather).
What are the best ways to take care of vintage leather is something that customers have been asking about for years. We hope to answer a lot of questions about leather restoration with this short film.
These procedures are not recommended on finished leather of any kind. Real vintage leather has open pores and will breathe and change in appearance over time.
Why Leather Needs Maintaince
The leather will lighten in color and can lose softness due to the oils evaporating out. This is a natural process. At the same time, interacting with it, such as where you touch it and where the hide rests on your body, flattens the nap causing it to look dark and shiny. This patina process is one of the things that makes vintage leather so appealing to so many people.
To help maintain softness, prevent long-term damage from weather, extend the life of the hides and prolong the aesthetic appearance, it is recommended that the hides be treated and cared for. If you love your bag as many of our customers do, it just makes sense to take care of it.
If you have owned your vintage product for some time, you may have noticed the color has changed. Or the product is not as soft as it used to be or you're worried about keeping the leather protected from the rain. Maybe the original matte finish is all but a distant memory due to the shine that has developed.
We'll review some of the best ways to restore the hides and ensure maximum life from whatever vintage leather product you own. They have been tested and developed over many years providing leather reservation services on our wonderfully loyal customer's bags, sleeves, cases and folios.
The video covers two techniques, restoring the original matte finish to the hide and restoring the high oil content to the hide. Note that both of the techniques will change the look of your bag. But restoring the oil content will extend the life of the product greatly.
Restoring Vintage Leather
First, let's look at bringing back the matte finish - what we're going to use is a brass wire brush. This type of brush is available any hardware store and is not very inexpensive. As you begin to move the brush across the hide you see what looks like scratches.
What we are doing is lifting the nap of the leather back up. The key here is to go very lightly otherwise you risk micro-tearing the leather and shortening the life of the hide. Though they almost look the same, there is a difference between lifting the nap and tearing into the leather with the brush.
Like any other kind of restoration service, leather restoration does take some skill and knowledge of technique to perform successfully. Go lightly! Work the surface slowly and eventually the matte appearance will return.
How to Add Back the OIl to the Leather
Now to restore the oil. The first thing to note is the more oil you add the darker the hide will get. If the leather has not been treated for a while it will absorb an incredible amount of oil.
But do realize the hide can become oversaturated: too much oil will cause the oil to transfer on your hands, clothing, tabletops, etc. once you start using the product again.
Start light and add oil slowly. You can always add more once you've seen the outcome and can judge the level of "thirst" of the hide. The process is pretty simple: pour some oil into a tray, small dish or other such container, dip in a sponge and just start wiping lightly over the surface.
Again you want to use a light hand vs flooding the hide and then worrying about it being oversaturated. You can use more oil in some places than others adding a custom look.
Start Out Light
We found Neatsford Oil works very well and use it when customers return their vintage products to us for leather restoration. It's the same oil many people use to break in baseball gloves when they're new.
You can go more lightly on the inside of the bag due to the area not being affected so negatively by the weather. Once complete, it's best to leave the bag untouched for a few hours to let the oil permeate the hides and to ensure there will be no transfer.
In the first few hours after adding the oil, the bag will change how it looks quite a bit. Give the leather time to drink the oil in before deciding whether to add more.
So if you have one of our Premium Leather Sleeves, Flight Jackets, Folios, Leather Shoulder Bags or Leather Briefcases following these simple leather restoration steps can keep your vintage MacCase model looking fresh and protected for many years.
If you have any questions or are interested in our leather restoration services, please ask in the comments section. Don't forget to like and subscribe to this new playlist.
Founder's Quote
On Choosing Ethically Sourced Full-Grain and Top-Grain Leather
"When we launched the MacCase Premium Leather Collection in 2007, the decision about which leather to use was never really a decision at all. Full-grain and top-grain hides from ethically sourced ex-dairy cows, animals that lived out their natural lives before the hides became available, were the only materials that met our standard. Not because it was the easiest or least expensive path. Because it was the right one. Bonded leather peels. "Genuine leather" cracks. Vegan leather is plastic with a marketing problem. None of them age with character. None of them develop a patina. None of them reward the person who takes care of them."
"We wanted to make products that got better with time, not worse. My goal is to a alwasy create a timelsss design. This means starting with the best material available and sourcing it responsibly. Nearly two decades later, customers still send us photographs of MacCase leather products from 2007 in daily use. That doesn't happen by accident. It happens because the material was right from the beginning."
Michael Santoro, President, MacCase
Multi-award winning designer
Holder of 8 U.S. patents
Discover the Story of MacCase
FAQs
What is leather restoration?
Leather restoration is the process of returning a hide to as close to its original tanned, finished state as possible. Over time, leather loses moisture, oils, and surface finish through daily use, exposure to sunlight, heat, and dry air. Restoration addresses these losses systematically cleaning away built-up grime, replenishing lost oils, repairing surface damage, and restoring the original finish. Done correctly, restoration can add years or decades to the life of a leather product. Done incorrectly, it can accelerate deterioration. The goal is always to work with the material, not against it.
What processes are used in leather restoration?
The process depends on the condition of the hide, its original finish, and the desired outcome. Common restoration processes include deep cleaning to remove embedded dirt and old conditioner residue, (top-grain), re-oiling to restore lost moisture and suppleness (full-grain), sanding or brushing to restore surface texture, and applying a finish coat to protect the restored hide. Most leather products require only cleaning and conditioning. More intensive processes, re-dyeing, sanding, are reserved for hides that have experienced significant neglect or damage.
How do I know if my leather items need to be restored?
The most common signs are cracking or stiffness in the hide, tearing or fraying in high-stress areas, dry or chalky surface texture, fading or uneven discoloration, and areas where the finish has worn through entirely. If the leather no longer feels supple to the touch or has lost its natural sheen, it is telling you it needs attention. Catching these signs early, before cracking becomes deep or the hide becomes brittle, makes restoration significantly easier and more effective. A hide that is regularly conditioned rarely reaches the point of needing full restoration.
How can I prevent my leather product from needing to be restored?
Consistent, light maintenance is far more effective than periodic intensive restoration. Clean the surface with a dry or barely damp soft cloth to remove dust and surface grime (top-grain). Condition with a quality leather conditioner every 6–12 months under normal use. More frequently in dry or arid climates, or if the product is used daily in harsh conditions (full-grain). Keep leather away from prolonged direct sunlight, which fades and dries the hide faster than almost any other factor. Store in a cool, dry place with airflow, never in a sealed plastic bag, which traps moisture and promotes mold. A leather product that is cleaned and conditioned regularly will rarely need restoration.
What oil should I use to restore vintage leather?
MacCase recommends Neatsfoot Oil for restoring oil content to our full-grain, vintage leather that has dried out significantly. Apply lightly with a clean sponge or soft cloth and allow several hours, ideally overnight, for the oil to fully permeate the hide before use or further treatment. Apply in thin coats rather than saturating the hide in a single application. Neatsfoot Oil will darken the leather temporarily; the color typically lightens as the oil is absorbed. Avoid it on suede or nubuck, where it will permanently alter the surface texture.
How do I restore the matte finish on vintage leather?
Use a brass wire brush, available at any hardware store. Working lightly and slowly, move the brush across the hide in the direction of the grain to lift the nap back up. Apply minimal pressure. The goal is to raise the surface texture, not abrade the hide. Micro-tearing from excessive pressure will damage the leather permanently. Work in small sections and assess frequently. The matte appearance will return gradually as the nap is lifted. This technique is most effective on full-grain leather that has been compressed or flattened through use rather than leather that has lost its finish through chemical damage or cracking.
What is the difference between conditioning and restoration?
Conditioning is routine maintenance, applying a moisturizing product to a hide that is in good condition to keep it supple and prevent drying. Restoration is intervention, addressing a hide that has already deteriorated through neglect, damage, or age. Think of conditioning as the equivalent of moisturizing healthy skin daily, and restoration as treating skin that has already cracked and dried out. Most leather products never need restoration if they are conditioned consistently. Restoration becomes necessary when conditioning has been skipped for extended periods or when the product has been exposed to conditions that accelerated deterioration.
Can all leather be restored?
Most full-grain and top-grain leather can be restored to a meaningful degree, even after significant neglect. The denser fiber structure of these quality grades holds up better over time and responds well to re-oiling and reconditioning. "Genuine leather", made from the weaker inner layers of the hide, and bonded leather, a composite of leather scraps and polyurethane, have limited restoration potential. Bonded leather in particular tends to peel and delaminate rather than dry out, and peeling cannot be reversed. This is one of the reasons MacCase uses only full-grain and top-grain leather: they are the grades worth restoring and the grades that reward long-term care.
What leather conditioners does MacCase recommend?
For full-grain Vintage leather, MacCase recommends a conditioner specifically formulated for natural, unfinished full-grain leather. Avoid products containing silicone, petroleum distillates, or wax as primary ingredients, which can clog the leather's pores and prevent it from breathing. For top-grain Pebble Grain Black leather, a lighter conditioner or leather cream is appropriate given the more uniform, finished surface. When in doubt, test any new product on a small, inconspicuous area before applying to the full surface.
How does sunlight affect leather and how can I protect against it?
UV exposure is one of the most damaging forces acting on leather over time. It breaks down the natural oils in the hide, fades dye, and accelerates surface cracking — often before the damage is visible. Full-grain leather is more resistant to UV damage than lower grades but is not immune. The most effective protection is avoidance: store leather products away from windows and direct sunlight when not in use. For products used outdoors or in high-UV environments, a UV-protective leather conditioner adds a meaningful layer of defense. The patina that develops on full-grain leather through normal use is desirable; the fading caused by UV exposure is not.