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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;2manybooks, post: 10232133, member: 8267&quot;]My first recommendation concerning the leather would be to follow Debora&#039;s advice and do nothing to it. All too often home remedies end up doing more harm than good. If you are intending to send it to Heritage you might ask them if they would prefer it to be left as is.</p><p><br /></p><p>From your description, it sounds like it is a type of leather deterioration known as &quot;red rot&quot;, although it does not look as bad as some examples I have encountered on antique harness leather, as well as some leather bookbindings. </p><p><br /></p><p>In the latter half of the 19th century, and on into the early 20th century, the tanning industry introduced different tanning agents in their search for ways to speed up the tanning process. These new treatments proved to be less durable than traditional methods, and more sensitive to the acidic air pollutants that became widespread with the increasing use of coal and other fossil fuels during this period. It was a bad combination that resulted in this form of reddish, powdery deterioration.</p><p><br /></p><p>If you are set on doing something, and feel it is worth the risk, please do not use any of the products you suggested. Saddle soap is designed for leather in good condition. Neatsfoot oil would most likely darken the leather, changing its appearance dramatically. Both of these products have the potential to create more problems later. I am not familiar with the Scotchguard, but I am sure it is designed for modern leathers, and not historic, deteriorating leather.</p><p><br /></p><p>You might consider simply brushing the leather with a soft makeup brush to remove the loose particles. If you feel you must go further, you might try &quot;Cellugel Leather Consolidant&quot;, which is a product developed for use on leather bookbindings suffering from red rot. It should be applied in thin layers, not slathered on. And it is always good practice to try it on a small area first to see if it causes any unwanted changes. It can be purchased from TALAS -</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.talasonline.com/Cellugel?srsltid=AfmBOoq7K98juXmINzg4W-6rcJJ_EW1il3LubM7fR-ANOf0ZfcCaoNiX" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.talasonline.com/Cellugel?srsltid=AfmBOoq7K98juXmINzg4W-6rcJJ_EW1il3LubM7fR-ANOf0ZfcCaoNiX" rel="nofollow">https://www.talasonline.com/Cellugel?srsltid=AfmBOoq7K98juXmINzg4W-6rcJJ_EW1il3LubM7fR-ANOf0ZfcCaoNiX</a>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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