Petroleum Jelly.....yes or no?

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

Petroleum Jelly.....yes or no?

Postby Paulypal » October 3rd, 2008, 10:19 am

I have looked at a few places and get mixed reviews on Petroleum Jelly for conditioning a glove.

Some say it clogs the pores and attracts dirt. Others love it.

What do you think?

Paul
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Postby wjr953 » October 3rd, 2008, 10:54 am

Paulypal,
Count me in as one in favor of VPJ. I started out just about 3 1/2 years ago buying/refurbishing/re-selling gloves. I began using Dr. Jackson's leather rejuvenator, and I really didn't like that. I switched over to Pecard's leather conditioner for a while, and I used that for a few months and again, I didn't like the results. I heard about Lexol Orange for cleaning and began using that, and I am a big fan of their Orange and NF products. I had heard about someone using VPJ on gloves so I tried it, and for me it's the best way to go. It's inexpensive, it doesn't darken gloves, it doesn't make the gloves "heavy" like glove oil can, and it keeps the leather (and the lacing) soft and flexible. I use it sparingly when I apply it. That is, I don't slather it all over the glove. I use very light coatings, applied with my fingers. I then let the glove sit for a couple of days in a warm, dry area. The glove will take as much as it needs. If the glove has completely absorbed the VPJ, I do another application. When the glove looks like it has taken what it needs (residual VPJ still showing after a couple of days), I buff the glove out with a horsehair shoe brush to disperse the rest of the VPJ. Then I apply Lexol NF, let that dry on the glove for 20-30 minutes and then buff that out. That's about it. I have been using this process with the gloves that I re-sell as well as my own personal gloves for several years, and it keeps them in excellent shape. I am 100% certain that VPJ does NOT clog the pores of the glove leather. And in my personal experience, if the application of VPJ has been absorbed fully into the glove, it does not attract dirt. Once again, this is what I do and it seems to work very well for me. The big advantage of VPJ that I find (besides the fact that it works well) is that it's relatively inexpensive and readily available. Drug stores, dollar stores, WalMart, Target, supermarkets, just about anywhere really. Hope that this helps.

br
Last edited by wjr953 on October 3rd, 2008, 2:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby dapert » October 3rd, 2008, 1:55 pm

I'm in favor as well. I use it for my Nokona's and I use a mixture of it and lanolin for others.
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Re: Petroleum Jelly.....yes or no?

Postby glovemedic » October 3rd, 2008, 8:25 pm

Paulypal wrote:I have looked at a few places and get mixed reviews on Petroleum Jelly for conditioning a glove. What do you think?


Do what you want, maybe it works for you, maybe not. I have a HOH 302 I used the nakona pj formulation on and I hated the results. The leather has a sticky patina in the pocket that I have never been able to get rid of. The glove still catches well, etc. but it is a constant reminder to me of where I goofed up. On the other hand, the gloves I have broken in naturally and used light applications of Lexol (brown) for cleaning and periodic conditioning are suple and awesome. The bottom line is they are your gloves to experiment with. I think it all depends on if you play with them actively or keep them on a shelf for display. Either way, I think you have to take the chance, live with the consequences, and learn from mistakes (if that's the outcome).

Good luck!
Chuck Faulkner
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Tazewell, TN 37879

http://www.glovemedic.com
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Postby ebbets55 » October 3rd, 2008, 10:30 pm

Love it but my experience is with vintage gloves, not modern. I'm sure there are better products for conditioning new hides. There is nothing better than the feel of a glove that's been vaselined when it's completely absorbed and mostly dried. It has that ever so slightly tacky feel, but not greasy. One of the first things Joe taught me was to never put anything on a glove you wouldn't put on your own skin. Count me in in the Yes Column.

JD
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Postby BretMan » October 4th, 2008, 12:24 am

I've used petroleum jelly and generally liked it. Can't say that I ever had any especially bad results from it. I was always careful to use light coats, rub it in thoroughly and wipe off any excess.

The only reason I don't use it more often is that I like the results I get from either Lexol or pure lanolin just a little bit better. But on all the gloves I ever treated with PJ, it didn't seem to cause any harm to the leather or make a gooey mess.
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Re: Petroleum Jelly.....yes or no?

Postby wjr953 » October 4th, 2008, 2:28 am

glovemedic wrote: used light applications of Lexol (brown) for cleaning and periodic conditioning


Chuck uses the Lexol brown and he swears by it. Now I've tried the Lexol brown numerous times in the past year and a half, and I've had nothing but unsatisfactory results with it. To me, Lexol brown seems to leave a residue on the gloves that feels sticky and tacky to the touch, and just won't go away. But Chuck does make an excellent point here: Whatever each of us uses in our own "process", is what seems to work for us. We have come to this point through trial and error. I really don't think that there's any one answer to which way is better or worse. It comes down to how your gloves come out at the end of the process, and whether or not you determine that you're completely satisfied with the final result. Just my two cents.

br
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Postby oldreliable » October 4th, 2008, 9:43 pm

I like PJ, and have used it quite a bit. Only fairly recently have I started using Lansinoh lanolin, and I like that, too. So I created my own special recipe, which I really dig.

But to come back to the original question, I'll give PJ by itself a thumb's up.

Thanks.

John
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Postby ser182 » October 14th, 2008, 11:48 pm

Yes!! I would not use anything else. It opens the leathers pores and keeps the leather from cracking. I will only use PJ.
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