Thumb and Pinky Loops

Please share your knowledge on how to keep your vintage gloves in great shape and looking sharp.

Thumb and Pinky Loops

Postby robin_buckeye » September 9th, 2008, 1:55 pm

When refurbishing an old glove, usually the dried-out leather of the glove itself can be brought back to life by cleaning and treatment with some "glove potion #9" or its equivalent.

Laces can all be replaced, but for the most part we don't "have the technology" to replace thumb and pinky loops.

Any one have a tried and true method of bringing those items back to life?

The loops on a couple of gloves I've got are so stiff I can't get them to stay tied.
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Postby wjr953 » September 9th, 2008, 3:24 pm

Robin

My suggestion would be to clean it real good with Lexol Orange & hot water first. The ingredients in Lexol Orange help to restore the natural PH content to the leather. Then, with the leather still a little damp after cleaning & rinsing (well), I would use Vaseline Petroleum Jelly. With really dry gloves, I have had to do this step sometimes 3, 4, or even 5 times. Just a thin coat, really worked into the leather with your fingers. Wait a day or so, and then do it again. Most (not all) of the dried out leather gloves that I've done this way have come back to life. This is just my suggestion. I'm certain that there are many others on this forum that have other ideas and processes that work as just as well for them. I'm faithful to the process that I use because it works for me. The problem that you're experiencing is a real common one with gloves both older and newer, especially in the inner palm area. Most of that is caused by moisture from sweaty hands and that part of a glove rarely if ever gets cleaned. If everyone took 5 minutes after they finish using their glove for the day, and then wiped it down inside and out with Lexol, warm water and a sponge, the gloves would last twice as long as they do now. Of course, if that ever happened I would not have any gloves to work on, lol. Human saliva and sweat absolutely kill gloves, and of course good old fashioned neglect. Hope that this helps.


br
wjr953
 

Postby dapert » September 9th, 2008, 5:54 pm

In addition to the methods described above I hang the glove for a day by each loop (while still damp) in an effort to help straighten them out a bit. Most of them get all mangled up inside and twisted and I hate that. The weight of the glove itself is enough to help put enough tension on them. One day won't do any miracles but it certainly helps a bit for my taste.

I bought a few hanging thingies from Walmart near the hooks you can put in your garage drywall to hand bikes, rakes, etc. These aren't threated to screw in the wall but instead just hand from a rod like a hanger would. I tie the glove to that by the loop (with the loops hanging out of their normal location in the glove if you know what I mean). I make the knot small enough that most of the loop lace hangs straight. Hang the hook on the rod and let it sit. It certainly removes some of the twistieness and mangledness of the loops.
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