How do you restore glove color?

[oakfan33]

I've seen many before and after photos of gloves and am amazed at how one can restore the color of a glove. Some gloves look faded and cracked, but after restoration the color seems to come back and much of the cracking is gone also. Can you share with me how this is done? Thanks

[BretMan]

This can usually be accomplished by cleaning and conditioning of the glove with quality leather products. Look for products that are lanolin based or, for the best results, condition the glove with pure lanolin. If you search through this section you will find many tips on aquiring and using lanolin.

Even after restoring many gloves over the years, the results I get with lanolin conditioning can still amaze me! I've had gloves that were so dried-out and rock-hard that you literally could not insert your hand into them come right back to life after a thorough cleaning and application of few coats of lanolin.

[robin_buckeye]

I too am a bit envious of the results you get. I have tried a variety of products, including pure lanolin, and none of my gloves glow like this. Maybe the secret is the cleaning. I've used saddlesoap and Fast Orange, but still no results close to this.

[BretMan]

Not in any way am I trying to demean the Rawlings glove restored by Glove-Works- it is a beauty that just invites you to have a catch!- but here are some things to consider:

- Some of the appearance- or "glow", if you will- may be due to the lighting conditions in the photo or quality of the camera equipment. Often when I photograph a glove it looks even better than it does in person!

- Even though the glove looked like a beater in the original photo, aside from the flaking around the thumb, pinky and heel, the leather in the fingers and pocket looked to be in fairly good, smooth condition. Sometimes it just depends on how the glove is worn or distressed, and what kind of dirt and oil you're trying to remove, as to what your final results will be.

- Besides the usual cleaning and conditioning, there are other little details that, when added all together, can improve the overall appearance of your glove.

Obviously, this glove has been expertly relaced with new, quality lacing. Further inspection reveals that the piping/binding around the wrist opening is all new. The grommets in the heel have been either repainted or replaced with new ones.

Not so obvious is that it looks like the entire web has possibly been replaced, probably from a donor glove. The flat "H" bar running between the two tunnels might even be a new piece of leather- it looks flatter and darker than the original piece and the darker thread in the web might be where this newer piece was sewn in.

All of these little improvements taken together have a cumulative effect that greatly improve the overall appearance of the glove, much the same way that detailing a vintage car can make for a more impressive whole.

But that is all guesswork on my part based on comparing the two photos. Hopefully, Glove-Works will check in here and fill us in on any details. Quite possibly he has developed some other super-secret restoration techniques that he uses on the beautiful gloves he restores!