Caring for an antique pipe case?

So I have a leather and green lined pipe case with pipe (amber), but whoever owned it did a terrible job. The tissue paper it was in was saturated and brown, very oily.

How should I treat it to A. Remove lingering grease, B. protect it from further damage, C. Clean the inside of grime?

I've never treated antique leather before, only modern age cow hides and alligator and crocodile skins.

 

Just an idea - would burying/covering the case in talcum-powder/crushed salt/sand eek out the last of the moisture/grease? Which could then just be wiped off later with a damp cloth?

 

If I were buying the pipe, (of which only glimpses were available but it looked interesting) I would not be bothered at all if the case was a bit tatty.

Could you post a picture of the pipe?

I'd rather have an untouched case than a 'restored' one.

 

The interior lining looks to be felt. That could be easily replaced if you had some adhesive-backed felt. The leather is much trickier. I'd rip it all off and recover it inside and out if that's what you want to do.

 

I'm with AF here, the case still appears functional and keeping it original would be my choice too, shows honest age and wear, and looks to be original to the pipe (which is very nice, would also like to see a full shot of it), would be nice to have an original case in better condition, but the signs of use, exposed wood and all, tells a story. It actually looks kind of dried-out on my monitor, but people do weird stuff to leather and hard to tell what type of oil was used - please don't use salt, it will gather moisture, seep into the leather and wood, and corrode your hinges, sand won't do much of a job, and talcum will absorb it but would be a pain to clean off. If it's as bad as you say, one of the best oil absorbers is plain clay cat litter (not the scoopable type), or sometimes a clay oil absorber from an auto supply will be a bit finer - just pour some in a box, place the case inside and pour more over and forget about it for a few days. If mine, after it seemed better, would gently wipe with a soft cloth, and look for a 'leather restorer', and use it sparingly. I've used both oil and water based, prefer the water based, but have never dealt with something as oil-soaked as you say (the leather goods I acquire always seem to have the opposite problem).

On my monitor, the lining appears to be old plush velvet, I would use a relatively soft brush to just clean out the dust and debris - a natural bristle paint brush would probably work, I use a couple of old shaving brushes, one badger, one boar, they've served me well for over twenty-five years...

If you're wanting perfection, this advice won't give it to you, but if you're just wanting to keep the original case in a bit more respectable condition...

~Cheryl

 

Thank you very much! I will certainly try the kitty litter, if a cloth and careful dry brush doesn't do the job.

I don't want or expect perfection, heavens no, just don't want it eroding or worsening Handling it lately, its pretty dry and normal, I think the initial tissue wrap must have sucked up all the foul grease.