White waxy residue on G-1 after reconditioning

[rob20uk]

Have any of you ever had a white waxy residue on your jacket after you have reconditioned it?

I used redwing leather cream and it looked fantastic to start with. Then I went out in the rain and it looked all covered in white spots. I did my best to wipe off the cream and then put dark brown sapphire shoe polish on it.

This last step has made it look a LOT better but I am still getting some white waxy residue coming through.

I just wondered if you have encountered this and if you have a solution.

My hunch is you are going to say just wear it in and apply more of thedark brown sapphire shoe polish on the white areas.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[Flightengineer]

The first thing that comes to mind is that you initially used too much cream.
Usually G-1s rarely need treatment and if the leather really too dry I would use Pecard or Renapur. Using it in small doses, I have never encountered the problem that you wrote about.

 

[rob20uk]

The first thing that comes to mind is that you initially used too much cream.

Hmmmm I might have used a 2oz tub on the jacket....

 

[Micawber]

Hmmmm I might have used a 2oz tub on the jacket....

2oz on one jacket is a lot. Did the white spots appear immediately or over time? I would stop trying to cover them up with other products for starters.

 

[Shropshire-lad]

Sounds like the cream is emulsifying and should buff out with an old tee shirt type cloth. Had it happen on a motorcycle jacket where I’d over done it a bit.... no drama and all buffed up fine. Just a bit of effort and time.

 

[Chandler]

I use Red Wing's leather cream* on my boots once every six months, or so -- and never that much for the very thick hide.

FWIW -- Pecard's will "bloom" too if you use too much.

You might try buffing down the jacket with a horsehair brush or soft shoe cloth.

*Just looked at my jar of the leather cream and it's a total of 2 ounces! If you used the whole jar, I'm guessing it may have been this side of overkill.

 

[B-Man2]

2 Oz Tub
That’s a bit much . If your jacket is relatively new ... say within the last 10 years .. you really shouldn’t have to condition it at all .
But ... as it’s a bit late for that, you might take a hair dryer and LIGHTLY ....warm up what ever you put on the jacket until you can buff that goop off the leather . I would leave the shoe polish alone and just work on reducing the amount of conditioner on the jacket.

 

[33-1729]

2 Oz Tub
That’s a bit much . If your jacket is relatively new ... say within the last 10 years .. you really shouldn’t have to condition it at all .
But ... as it’s a bit late for that, you might take a hair dryer and LIGHTLY ....warm up what ever you put on the jacket until you can buff that goop off the leather . I would leave the shoe polish alone and just work on reducing the amount of conditioner on the jacket.

I concur. Living in the high desert I’ve only had to condition my A-2 once over the last decade to keep it supple and I used grams, not ounces of conditioner. I would use shoe polish only on the specific shoes that require it (never on cordovan).

While I don’t know if this applies here, but using Leatherique on automotive leather they say it will displace poor quality conditioners and improperly set dye, leaving a white film and other gunk on the surface. Personally, I’d first try to [gently] remove all the excess conditioner to get a clean leather, then use a few grams of Vaseline carefully worked back into the leather to condition it properly at a neutral pH.

 

[rob20uk]

When I put water on the jacket after applying the cream an slimy slick goo immediately formed. So I guess you are right that I added wayyyyy to much conditioner.

After wiping most of it off yesterday I must say the jacket has held up fairly well today. I will give the jacket a good wipe tonight and get the excess conditioner off the jacket. Then tomorrow when it’s dry give it a good buff up.

I’ll report on the results in a day or so.

Thanks for your help and advice.

 

[Micawber]

Keep the jacket in the warm before trying to remove more.

 

[rob20uk]

Keep the jacket in the warm before trying to remove more.

I’ll keep it on me and then give it a quick blast with a hairdryer.

Honestly I think I got most of it off yesterday.

Leather jacket are really cool but boy do you need to learn how to properly look after them.

 

[B-Man2]

Hi
If I may .....I’m just trying to make sure you don’t misunderstand my suggestion and possibly damage your jacket or the surface color ... LIGHTLY .... is not giving it a QUICK BLAST with the hair dryer . LIGHTLY ... is just warming the substance to the point wear it softens and becomes easier to remove from the surface of the leather . Sometimes the success of your efforts depends on the details of the instructions.
Best of luck with it .

 

[Micawber]

I’ll keep it on me and then give it a quick blast with a hairdryer.

Honestly I think I got most of it off yesterday.

Leather jacket are really cool but boy do you need to learn how to properly look after them.

They shouldn't require that much attention but as you found out some issues are caused by "operator error"

Burt is right to caution about excess heat.

If it were my jacket I would deal with it using this or that product but I have experience with that kind of work and won't risk recommending such and such on an open forum as it is very easy to do permanent damage to the finish of a leather or to the leather itself.

 

[rob20uk]

Hi
If I may .....I’m just trying to make sure you don’t misunderstand my suggestion and possibly damage your jacket or the surface color ... LIGHTLY .... is not giving it a QUICK BLAST with the hair dryer . LIGHTLY ... is just warming the substance to the point wear it softens and becomes easier to remove from the surface of the leather . Sometimes the success of your efforts depends the details of the instructions.
Best of luck with it .

Thanks for the clarification. I guess sometimes less is more when it comes to looking after leather.

 

[dbtk44]

If I may resurrect this subject, and add a little info here....
Since I live in AZ, and I've seen humidity drop to 2-3% for months on end, conditioning my leather is pretty important so they don't turn into leather-colored potato chips. I actually make my own "dubbin" conditioner, and it keeps my leathers happy and healthy.

Leather hides have this wonderful quality in that, they will take in as much "conditioner" as they can hold, and any more will just work its way back to the surface...that is usually the white surface "bloom" one will encounter. (This does NOT include OILS of course)

There can of course be other reasons for bloom, such as mold, but if you just conditioned a jacket for example...fair assumption that the bloom isn't mold.

So....the bloom is excess conditioner migrating back to the surface. It's actually a GOOD thing, because you know that your leather is fully packed with conditioner!


This is how I deal with bloom.

1. I take a hand towel, run it under hot tap water, and wring it out till its BARELY damp, but still very warm, and wipe the bloom away. Again, just barely damp, NOT wet. It will wipe off a lot of the bloom, and allow the leather to take in a miniscule amount more due to the warmth opening the pores slightly.

2. If that didn't take care of it, I take a hair dryer and warm the leather, moving the dryer constantly so I don't overheat one spot...maybe 15-20 seconds, feel the leather to see that it's pleasantly warm to the touch, and wipe down with a barely damp towel.
If it's a nice sunny day, I hang it outside for 30min or so and let the sun do the heating instead of the hair dryer...it's actually the better way, because the chance of too much heat from the sun are miniscule compared to forced air heating.
This will usually remove every trace of bloom, if not I just repeat till its all gone...but rarely have I needed to do it twice unless I really slathered on the conditioner.

3. Sometimes the conditioner will collect in stitching or creases, and while usually the above actions take care of most of it...occasionally I will take a soft "natural bristle" brush, or a Manicurist nail brush (very soft bristles) and brush into the stitching or crease till the white residue is gone. I'm not scrubbing it heavy, light to medium pressure and back-and-forth so I'm generating heat as much as im scrubbing.

This is what works for me...YMMV

 

[flyincowboy]

Too much cream you can get rid of this using hot water and saddle soap. Then allow the jacket to dry up in the hot sun if possible..

 

[Spitfireace]

Usually John Chapman would suggest a little Vaseline. That's what I've stuck to now. Don't over use it. Works great and doesn't cost much.