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Cleaning leather(?) wrapped handle

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Il Palazzo:
I've a bit of wood and fibreglass I'm using to pretend I'm an archer. It's got a handle wrapped in what I think is natural leather (of whatever beastly provenance), with the coarse side up.
Great for gripping, and looked rather handsome when new. But it drinks dirty sweat a bit too eagerly, and after a few hot days on the range it started to look nasty.

Does anyone have any idea how to clean and maintain something like that? I can't take it off the handle, and I'm rather wary of damaging the laminate underneath with too aggressive ideas. Like dunking it in water - which is incidentally the only thing I can think of.

This is probably basic stuff, but I'm drawing a blank here.

wierd:
Saddle soap + tooth brush

Il Palazzo:
I think that's more for cleaning the smooth side of leather. At least I don't understand how rubbing in wax-based product would help pull the stains from inside a porous surface.
Have you used a paste like that?

wierd:
Yes.  As the name implies, it is used to clean saddles, and tack.
(Among other things, when I was much younger, I did equestrian type things, including trimming horse feet, shoeing/unshoeing, and making custom bridles and other horse tack, along with my older sister over the summer months.  We took care of our gear, so yes-- I have used the shit out of some saddle soap.)

It is also useful for anything else made of leather.  Unlike normal soaps, which cause stiffening and shrinkage, saddle soap conditions the leather and gently cleans out the funk without ruining the leather.  While I understand that you might feel this is more fore "closed" (shiny) leathers, it also works on the underside of leather that is more "open" and rough. (Such as on the undersides of cinch straps and the like. Cinches are usually rough/open on the bottom so that it has more friction and 'grab' to grip the metal D rings attached to the saddle, to prevent the cinch from slipping while in use. Due to it being a friction based hold, in often "unclean" (ahem) conditions, they can get quite filthy if you do more than just light riding in fair weather. As such, you will likely need to clean them regularly. Hence, how I know about saddle soap. :P) A horse's mid-rift is considerably more nasty and sweaty than anything your hands can produce, I guarantee you. Saddle soap can get THAT out. Your wrapped handle is clean by comparison.) 

It is a combination of bee's wax (sometimes with lanolin and other natural oils), and Castile soap.  You get a small saucer of water, dip the bristles of the toothbrush into the paste, then work it with just a little water to make it semi-frothy, then gently scrub the leather. (GENTLY!)

You dob it dry using something like a microfiber cloth.  Sometimes it takes more than one pass if the leather is heavily soiled.


If you dont want to order off amazon, you can usually find it in the leather shoe section of shoe stores or at Walmart.

Il Palazzo:
Thanks, for all that info. I'll look for an equivalent with local vendors (there ain't no Walmarts here, but people do ride horses).

When you say 'scrub the leather', what do you mean, exactly? Like with a dull knife or something? I'm guessing the pressure gets the soapy solution out of the pores?

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