My favorite leather motorcycle jacket was starting to feel stiff and dried out. I decided to try Obenauf's Heavy Duty LP leather treatement.
For years I've used Pecard motorcycle leather dressing on my favorite leather jacket. The jacket has only gotten more and more lovely. The longer I wear it the better and better the hide looks and feels. It gets a ton of compliments when I wear it, and so I maintain it. I also WEAR IT. There had been several thousand miles in summer sun since I'd last fed the leather more than sweat. The elbows were getting harder to bend. Leather gets stiff when dry. I had read a lot about Obenauf's Heavy Duty LP on INTERNET FORUMS so decided I ought to give it a try.
I also had a pair of new motorcycle boots on hand. They came advertised as "greased leather" and while the finish felt fantastic, I could tell the leather needed a lot of softening. It was hard a rock and they hurt my feet. I decided I'd start with the boots and if I trusted Obenauf's THEN I'd move on the treasured motorcycle jacket. I opened the jar and was unsurprised to see it resemble the familiar Pecard. Both are beeswax based but the Obenauf's is slightly thinner and seems to have a lower melting point. Just the heat I freely generate seemed to melt the wax very easily, at room temperature. I put a little on a cloth and the brand new boots absorbed the treatment as quickly as it went on. As the boots were already 'black' they simply absorbed the colorless Obenauf's and acquired a bit more of that matte oiled look, but didn't appreciably darken. I was able to easily work out a few fresh scuffs out of the toecaps as well. They leather didn't soften up but its really going to take a lot more breaking in. This will help and should add some additional waterproofing. I decided it was safe to move on the the jacket.
Compare the image above with this one from 2014 and see how the jacket has aged.
Obenauf's goes on much more smoothly and easily than the Pecard at the same temp. The jacket was done in about half the time I'd usually spend. The leather instantly had almost exactly the same feel as it does about 48 hrs of having put the Pecard on. Obenauf's absorbs and dries far more quickly, and with no buffing. I'd say the jacket had absorbed and dried to wearable about 18 hours after the application. That is pretty amazing, with Pecard I tend to need to wait a week and buff the jacket some.
Obenauf's also doesn't smell like a god damn tannery. The house didn't smell at all, let alone for 3-4 days.
I am not sure how long it'll last. I ususally get 4-6 months out of an application of Pecard. Obenauf looks and feels every bit as nice. The leather has taken on a very satin-y sheen and looks super soft. A lot of texture and character that had faded while dry came back to life. I look forward to showing it off.
We will see how long this application lasts. If it is several months, I think Obenauf is my go leather dressing.
Obenauf's Leather Heavy Duty Preservative via Amazon
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