The Sub Club

THE CREATIVE CORNER

Leather is an essential part of many subminiature cameras, accessories and cases. And it is the most important feature of the appearance of many cameras. But it is often the first thing to deteriorate. So how can you keep your leatehr in top shape? Having cleaned and resurrected dozens of Minox cases over the years, I would heartily warn against the use of Neatsfoot oil, or any oil for that matter. The problems with their use are many, but mainly:

1. Oil will accelerate the separation of the glue points in a leather case
2. The use of so-called "leather care" oils on old leather is that it acts as a suspension agent to conditioning and cleaning solutions like saddle soap, thus preventing them from naturally drying.
3. They are more of an exterior dressing than a restoring agent, like putting Armor All on the dashboard of your car.

My standard treatment for all Minox cases (and all old leather products in general) is a gentle cleaning of the exterior with tiny amounts of saddle soap applied via a Q-Tip in a constant swirling motion. Allow the case to sit for an hour or so before taking a clean, damp (warm water) cotton rag and gently wiping it. Let it dry for at least an hour then repeat the saddle soap conditioner again and after an hour buff it with a dry cloth. If there are deep scars in the leather and you want to renew the exterior luster, use good old-fashioned Kiwi shoe polish applied with a Q-Tip and allowed to dry for an hour or so. Then use a dry cloth to buff the surface.

It is worth mentioning that I take great strides to keep all applications clear of the interior of the case. To that end, I pack the case with Kleenex prior to applying anything to the leather so as to keep any solutions from ever finding their way onto the surface of the camera.

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