Care & Patina

Conditioning

Vegetable-tanned leather wants conditioning, not soaking. Twice a year is enough for most pieces; more often if you live in a dry climate or carry the piece daily. We recommend Otter Wax Leather Salve — an all-natural conditioner of shea butter, carnauba wax, and citrus oils, with no petroleum, silicone, or synthetics. Rub a small amount in with a soft cloth, let it absorb for ten to twenty minutes until the surface looks cloudy, then buff to a low shine. The shea butter feeds the leather; the carnauba seals the moisture in. Skip silicone products and shoe polish — they sit on the surface instead of feeding the leather.

Scratches & Marks

Most light scratches will work themselves out as the leather warms with use — rub the spot lightly with the back of a clean finger or a soft cloth and watch it disappear. Deeper marks are part of the piece’s story. We don’t buff them out at the bench, and you don’t need to either. Patina is earned.

Hardware

Solid brass darkens with time. That’s the point. If you want it bright again, a quick rub with a brass polish brings it back — but plenty of customers let it dull on purpose.

The Long View

A well-made leather piece is not a fashion object. It is something you carry for decades and pass on. The first year breaks it in; the next twenty make it yours. The marks it picks up — the darker corners where your hand rests, the soft creases at the fold — are the record of that.

Made to Outlast

If anything ever needs repair, send it back. Within reason and the limits of the original construction, repairs are part of the deal — reach out through the contact page.