How to Re-Tan or make faded strap look Vintage

[gruvemeister]

Hi guys, I have a old tanned strap on my Panerai that already faded due to cleaning of saddle soap.

How can I re-tan it or at least make it look vintagey.

Any instructions!?

Thanks!

[lanikai]

Go to your local shoemaker or repair shop and ask about dye..

and in the future I would recommend using Lexol leather cleaner.. (not the conditioner).. Lexol is PH balanced so it can be used many times without damage to the dye.. You can buy it on line.. and it comes out to about the same as the store.. it may be 5.00 usd and shipping 10 usd.. figure that is how they get around to keeping their profits..Car Barn on the net stocks it.. good stuff.

[P4GTR]

Brown shoe polish.

[Nanuq]

Ah, lads... this is where the wisdom of our fathers comes into play. Remember their old stand-bys: saddle soap, mink oil, neatsfoot oil and dye. I made this leather axe cover out of brand new stiff full grained leather, treated it with neatsfoot and mink oil, and voila'. Soft as a baby's butt and a lovely aged color. It took me an hour to treat it.

[gruvemeister]

Brown shoe polish.

Nice one! what's the original color of your leather?

Thanks!

[gruvemeister]

Guys thanks for all your responses. I decided to make it look vintagey... more like a washed / stained leather with the use of brown shoe polish . Please see the pic below