Ixion FAQ

How do I treat leathers?

leathers

use a leather food if it gets at all dry. May well be dry from being in a showroom. Don't bother with 'waterproofing' stuff (e.g. Nikwax), as (a) if you want them to last, you should really wear waterproofs in the wet anyway, (b) if the waterproofing is any good, it will 'seal' the leather and you can't feed it properly after that, and (c) well conditioned leather repels a bit of moisture anyway

If you are going to wear your leathers in the rain without waterproofs, then you will probably want to use Nikwax or a similar waterproofer. This is not best but better than getting the leather soaked! Some people reckon Nikwax rots the stitching; others say it only does this if you put it onto damp leather, as it then seals the moisture in which is a very bad idea... the latter opinion makes most sense to me.

boots

these take a lot of stick, so need some heavy duty stuff on them! When new, put on lots of LIQUID Nikwax. Put on a little at a time, leaving for a fw hours between. Keep going until the leather won't soak up any more. Then let them dry off a bit (till the surface isn't "wet"), and give them a good coat of SOLID Nikwax. Periodically go over again with the solid Nikwax - 2 or 3 times per winter maybe. Don't use liquid Nikwax again, as this softens the leather, which isn't desirable for boots. (not repeatedly).

This will make the boots look a bit scabby, but they should repel just about anything, so long at the stitching holds up! Stitching will stretch eventually, and solid Nikwax can seal it quite well, but won't be perfect on old boots.

For 'flash' race boots (well they're mostly non-leather these days anyway), I wouldn't do this, for apperance sake! I'd probably use a light coat of liquid Nikwax infrequently.

# Tim Stickland # bsstrs@gdr.bath.ac.uk # It's not cynicism.  I just think   #
# Scool of Biology, Univ. of Bath,      # people overvalue argument because  #
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• Only treat leather when it feels dry or stiff. Over feeding with hide food can weaken it.
• Treat leather after use in wet weather, once it has dried naturally.
• Never hang wet leather over radiators or near a fire to dry quickly. It'sthe fastest route to crack damage.
• Make sure the cleaning/polishing product is suitable for the garment. Don't use boot polish on jackets, it's designed for stiffer leather. Don't overdo oil on your boots, it'll soften the leather too much and soak into your socks.
• Never use a detergent soap, it destroys the natural oils. Always use a proper leather soap.
• White leather jackets and boots look great in the showroom but are impossible to keep clean.
• Use warm water to wash leather but don't saturate the garment.
• Use a soft brush or anti-scratch sponge which will not damage the leather finish.
• Use a leather dressing/dubbin before a final polish. Applying polish to leather that's been repeatedly soaked and quick dried is like trying to cure corrosion by painting over the top.
• Several light applications of dressing are better than one heavy one.
• Leather breathes through its pores. It can never be made totally waterproof.

BEST BUYS

Soap (to clean jackets and gloves)

• Belvoir Glycerine Leather and Saddle Soap

• Nikwax Liquid
• Vanner and Priest Neatsfoot Compound

• Dynamic Renovator
• Chelsea Leather Food/Dubbin
• Mars Leather Wax Waterproofer

• Mars Leather Wax Polish

They tested everything they knew about, which is most definitely not everything on the market (I've seen a few bottles of stuff they didn't mention).

Testing was done by a female, who seemed to want everything to look shiny, which is probably what a lot of bikers do not want!

The Nikwax stuff seems to be much more widely available than anything else.

I can remember seeing a bottle of Neatsfoot liquid somewhere and there was a bigwarning on the battle that you should net let it come into contact with your skin/eyes/etc. Sounds like nasty stuff.

happy cleaning,