Metta Catherina strap

[Victoria]

SOS Clive, Paneristi!

During a recent thread, I asked about stains on straps. Highflyingclive suggested Lord Sheraton's Pure Beeswax Balsam, in general for strap care. Well, I bought it on eBay from an UK vendor, and just received it.

Most of my straps are in excellent condition. I use Meltonian Neutral, as directed by Fabrizio of Mario Paci fame.

But even Meltonian Neutral didn't help to restore lustre on my treasured Metta Catherina strap, a 200 year-old leather. I used it very sparingly, and very carefully. But it still looks dull, not like V's Metta:

Or this one:

(I'll upload a photo of mine later)

What do you guys suggest, for such a delicate strap? Do I go with Lord Sheraton, or...? Thanks for any advice!

[lanikai]

you may want to try "hide food" .. go to RR-Bently dealership or Mercedes dealer may have it.. try a little on the inside of the strap rub it in with your fingers.. then buff it with a lint free cloth.. it works well on the plush leathers and really shines on the stiffer Range Rover leather ... good luck

[Victoria]

you may want to try "hide food" .. go to RR-Bently dealership or Mercedes dealer may have it.. try a little on the inside of the strap rub it in with your fingers.. then buff it with a lint free cloth.. it works well on the plush leathers and really shines on the stiffer Range Rover leather ... good luck

Sure, I've heard of that! It's supposed to be great, but never put two-and-two together. Thanks Lanikai

Bought it directly on eBay just in case (I have an old Saab whose bucket seats need reconditioning anyway). There were a few vendors, but I went to the one for U$17.50 because he had 99.8% feedback instead of the other guy who had 99.1% feedback -- 12 recent negatives, eech.

I will see what others have to say, but at least that's an option, now. Thanks again!

P.S.: I really miss V. Hope he can refurbish his home soon, and come back...

[lanikai]

I was just wondering where V wandered off to... "beauty shine".. (france) really shines the sh_t.. out of leather but it has petrolium by products so you don't want that.. be sure to start buffing vigorously before the paste is all in the leather..(Hide Food)

for your Saab leather if you really want it to look "new" there should be people in your area that re-paint leather.. using leather paints.. (with air brushing) .. it beats replacing the seats. .. we have guy's here that do majic to bently leather that people wear ing "designer" jeans leave the blue from the denim on the white leather seats.... NIGHTMARE ...

[Victoria]

for your Saab leather if you really want it to look "new" there should be people in your area that re-paint leather.. using leather paints.. (with air brushing) .. it beats replacing the seats. .. we have guy's here that do majic to bently leather that people wear ing "designer" jeans leave the blue from the denim on the white leather seats.... NIGHTMARE ...

Talking of nightmares, guess what I had the bright idea of doing just now?

Clive had mentioned something about petroleum and beeswax as an alternative for Lord Sheraton. Well, Miss Genius over here decided to rub some pure liquid beeswax (lightly lemon scented) used for my mother's antique furtniture -- a very expensive product used in museums!

Has turned the Metta a darkish brown/red...sigh. I'm hoping this will dissipate in time, as you said in the other thread, Lanikai (I think it's "wet" so I briefly put it against the a/c vent, then decided that's an even worse idea!).

But I really should've stopped at the Lord Sheraton.

The long strap side (which was the one I tested the beeswax on, only) is now about 2 shades darker than the buckle strap side. We'll see...

P.S.: On Risti, where I got this strap, I recently saw a listing for another Metta Catherina in "rare black" leather. HAH! I bet you they just used beeswax...

[tootall]

Hey Vicky,

If you could post a pic of your strap and describe what outcome you want to acheive I will try my best to advise. Most of the products you mentioned are for protecting leathers or restoring lost oils. Not for shining or bringing back to full luster.

Metta leather is naturally dark. If you were to replace the oils that have been lost from being at the bottom of the sea, then it most likely will turn very dark. What I assume you want is to keep the lighter maroon color and have it shine? You could use bag kote or tan kote. Both of these work to make leather shine like satin while still allowing it to breath.

But now it seems as if you have a bigger problem of getting that crap conditioner out so you can get back to the lighter color. Unfortunately, there is not a "good" speed method for doing this. Time and time alone is the only thing which will help to dry up the oils again. You could try to leave it by a fan to help speed up the process, but it is still going to take a long while.

[lanikai]

Vici .. it looks to me as if V's strap is a totally different colour .. it has more of the rediish tones...

Bee's wax contains oils ..if it were mine.. i would say .. oh well ... may as well go "all in" .. meaning why not just do the whole strap and as TT say's time is the greatest denomenator...can't fight it so may as well have the strap all one uniformed darker shade.. beats the alternative of spots..

and the hide looks very porous .. it may never achieve the sheen of V's.. like the PAV 91 .. don't mean to be a downer.. but don't want to raise your hopes and have you trippin .. It would look nice to be a shade darker .. but that's just my IMHO..

[Victoria]

Tootall, thanks so much for your reply. Made me feel better about time bringing my Metta back!

You too, Lanikai. You're always invaluable to making me feel better about PAM goofs.

Here are some before and afters:

Metta Catherina buckle side, BEFORE Lord Sheraton:

AFTER:

Metta Catherina long side, BEFORE Lord Sheraton:

AFTER:

Looked great! Lord Sheraton certainly made the leather pop out, and at least superficially, giving it the gloss I wanted. But then the Strap Queen's pride went to her head, and I decided, hey, beeswax might make it shine more!

Cover your eyes. This is disgusting.

Sigh.

At least, as Tootall said, it looks a little better TODAY.

Moral of the story: Don't let .sigs go to your head. You're still learning, Vic...in fact, you'll never stop learning.

[Victoria]

Vici .. it looks to me as if V's strap is a totally different colour .. it has more of the rediish tones...

Yes, it must've been culled by that Robert Ross person from a better batch of hide. As I said earlier, there was a black Metta being sold on Risti, so the leathers are possibly from different areas of the salvaged brigantine.

My certificate of authenticity is here, though.

[lanikai]

well, i did breathe a sigh of relief ..... it will be OK as TT say's with time .. so to clarify ... the hole section of the strap is what you treated ?? and if so, it does not look bad... of course only the owner"s eye's .. are sensitive enough to asertain it's difference.. must be the "personal" relationship with the article..

Well V, may as well even the keeper -buckle side with the same bee's wax .. to my eye it's the only way to have any uniformity with the total look.. but let TT guide you for sure..

quick history on the Meta Catherina please..

thankyou ...L

[Victoria]

well, i did breathe a sigh of relief ..... it will be OK as TT say's with time .. so to clarify ... the hole section of the strap is what you treated ??

No, the whole long strap in its entirety.

and if so, it does not look bad... of course only the owner"s eye's .. are sensitive enough to asertain it's difference.. must be the "personal" relationship with the article..

Well V, may as well even the keeper -buckle side with the same bee's wax .. to my eye it's the only way to have any uniformity with the total look.. but let TT guide you for sure..

I am just going to hope as TT said, that in time, however much time it takes, the reddish tone will reappear. If not, I'll do the buckle strap side too.

quick history on the Meta Catherina please..

thankyou ...L

Sure! It's from the link above, in my very first post:

The Catharina von Flensburg

On December 10, 1786, a strong gale blowing from the southwest forced the Danish Brigantine Metta Catharina to seek shelter in Plymouth Sound. She had been bound for the Mediterranean with a cargo of hemp and leather from the Russian port of St. Petersburg.

During the day the winds strengthened, turning the previously safe anchorage into a maelstrom of waves and spray. By nightfall, it was a full gale.

The 53-ton Metta Catharina broke free from her anchor, struck Drakes Island and eventually sank on the Cornish side of Plymouth Sound. The entire crew managed to get ashore, but the ship and its cargo were lost for almost two hundred years.

In 1973, scuba divers from the Plymouth Sound branch of the British Sub-Aqua club found the ship's bells and were able to identify the wreck. Later that year, after extensive research, details of the Metta Catharina's last voyage appeared in an article in the "Sherbourne Mercury".

Further underwater investigation revealed bundles of hides littering the sea bed, remarkably preserved after two centuries of being immersed in black mud. In fact, the deeper they were buried, the better they were preserved. It has since been confirmed that the leather is almost certainly reindeer, and has been tanned the traditional Russian way with willow bark and birch oil, giving it a distinctive aroma.

Most of the hides have a crosshatched grain embossed by hand. A similar grain can be seen on upholstery and book bindings of the period, as leather curried in birch oil was better able to resist water and repel insects.

The fact that this leather survived underwater for so long is testament to the skill of tanners and curriers of the day. Celtic Empire continues this tradition of excellence, using the 200-year-old leather to create a unique line of durable leather goods. Each piece comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, as well as the Catharina von Flensburg story. We hope that you will enjoy their fine quality as much as their history.

You know I'm a sucker for history. That and Panerai, and fuggehdaboudit!

[tootall]

Oh no Vicky

That is awful that happened. There are some remedies that I could think of. They would be a harsh, but it would allow you start all over.

Basically what you want to do is to heat the leather to aid in the migration of the oils. Once beeswax is in a leather, it is hard to come out, as it wants to stay all cozy with the fibers. There are a number of ways to heat a strap:

1. One good idea would be to put it in a vacu bag and vacuum seal it and then drop it in boiling water for a few minutes. Then take out of the package and then wipe off the oils. This should work to lighten it, as it may also take away some of the dye of the original leather.

2. Another idea would be to heat it by placing it in a heating pad. Make sure to wrap the leather with a paper towel and it should soak up the oils. Just leave it in the heating pad overnight wrapped in paper towels. Then wipe down with a rag.

3. Lastly, it is still HOT in FL. So taking it outside and placing on a glass patio table, or even on the roof or metal surface, would aid in the releasing of the oils. The air outside helps in evaporation as well. Just wipe down the leather after it gets hot, with a rag.

Number 1 is the harshest method, but will give you the quickest and lightest results. Numbers 2 and 3, are much less harsh, but take some time.

After you get the leather to a state where you like it, then use tan kote or saddle kote. Both of these are clear coats that don't do much for conditioning, but make the leather shiny and new looking.

[Victoria]

Bless your heart, Tootall. I know a Florida lad like you would know about heat and straps.

I have a neighbour with one of those vacuum seal machines. Let me ask her if I can use it. If not, b and c in that order! THANK YOU SO MUCH! Will update shortly.