Pecard in EU?

[Southoftheborder]

So, petroleum products will damage leather ? If so, any idea what the effects or causes might be ??

I’m really not trying to be contrary but it appears that the whole world of leather treatment, care and conditioning is often very contradictory. It creates a dilemma as to what might be best practise because it seems that for every recommendation there’s a note of caution. As an example: I believe it’s been said in a number of threads that John Chapman of Good Wear uses vaseline as a conditioner.

There are as many ideas about leather conditioners as there are owners of leather items. But talking only of jackets I use different conditioners when they are needed dependent on the type of leather - and I use different waterproofing for walking boots too. If I had horse tack then I would probably use different stuff again.

Generations of seamen used petroleum jelly of their leather sea boots to waterproof them without thinking twice about it. But I think the idea that petroleum products are bad for leather comes from museum type conservation. Over time those products will break down the fibres and will destroy them - over a long time. But as Maynard Keynes once said of economics: “There is only the short term and the medium term, because in the long term we’ll all be dead."