a friend recently gifted me a rifle case made from Buffalo Hide. The animal was taken on a recent bow hunting trip to Africa.
What is the best product available to maintain the leather.This is a gift to be used not kept at home to be admired.
thanks in advance
rob

I do not know myself, but I would send a PM to Will (his screen name)that posts here. I am certain he would know.

robz, on the gunleather that I have made, I use lexol leather conditioner. I've seen it for sale at feed stores and Tandy Leather carries it.

Lexol or Blick at a feed mill that handles tack.

bear grease or mink oil (same thing) -- won't tarnish any metals .. olive or almond oil works great, too, for natural or veg cured leathers

Use "Saddle Soap" to clean and mositurize the leather without making it floppy soft. Horse riding tackle shops carry it, cheap.

quote:

lexol leather conditioner

I have used it for 35+ years on all types of leather.

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I use Obenauf's leather preservative. I've used it on my fire fighting boots and my wifes horse tack and my danner boots for years.

+1 for Obenauf's I use both the paste and the liquid.

All the sadddle makers I know use pure neatsfoot oil. Pure not compound. Some of them build $10,000 rigs.

Murray told me he recommends extra virgin olive oil on his products.

Neatsfoot oil will protect it best but will soften and darken it. Lexol is ok and wont darken the leather. If you want waterproofing the try either mink oil or one of the wax preps

My Dad used Neatsfoot on his Redwing work boot. He was an Petrolium Engineer and traveled from Canada to Russia in the 1970's. Swore by it. He taught us to use it on our baseball gloves. My 2cents. Crap he was in Canada when I was born in '62. Said it was so cold they had to bring in the 55gal drums of diesel to keep them from freezing. lol

Ty falcon--what brand of fire fighting boots you wear? Just curious--I have a guess in mind.

I have used Lexol and Fiebing's Saddle Oil, Fiebing's will not stain your clothes like neat's foot oil. Many horsemen prefer Fiebing's for their saddles because of the non-staining quality.

Jeffeosso , I live out in the woods so I'm a little behind things.
Earlier today I came across an ad for a 'messenger bag ' trimmed in VEGAN leather and now your 'vegan leather '.Help me define that .I thought that was an oxymoron ?

Use only Bees Wax or silicone if want it to last. Don't use mink oil, animal by products will make leather crack. Leather is tanned to remove animal oils, don't turn around and reapply animal oils.
I put mink oil on a pair of expensive winter boots one time. In two years they were all cracked up and had to be replaced.

An old museum man advised the product used by riders for horse tack. I don't know if available in the USA Kao-Cho-Line said as coach a line like the football guys would do.

All leather products have pros and cons..I like to use Neatsfoot on the underside of my saddles, and Leather New on the top side..I use neats foot on my "saddle scabbards" as I don't care what they look like, but keep in mind that Neatsfoot will rot stitching in time as will other oils, it also penetrates more than any other oil...Corn Oil, Saflower, Greape Oil all work on leather..

For a nice case to protect my gun I would only use Leather New. Its a great product.