Horseman's One-step Cleaner and Conditioner

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

Horseman's One-step Cleaner and Conditioner

Postby Mike**Mize » December 31st, 2006, 5:48 pm

I'm reading through all the entries on conditioning and not seeing a product that I've been using for years. I'll just mention it and also say that I order the 15 oz. size container from them about once every three weeks. The product is called Horseman's One-step and it's to be found in the "leather care" section on the KYHORSE.com site. This is another lanolin based cleaner/conditioner that was originally intended for reviving old bridles and saddles. You can sort of scrub it on with a damp old toothbrush or apply it in a number of other ways (a piece of old t-shirt cloth works well). It will soften most stiff oldies and clean and revive most old leather. All I can say it when I received my first container of this stuff and I was in the early stages of collecting, as soon as I'd done one glove, I dropped everything and cleaned them all,(maybe 40 at the time) inside and out; and I've never stopped using it. I recently picked up an old 40's Goldsmith JCS from a seller in Nevada. Talk about dry. Anyway, the glove turns out to be near mint and completely soft with the help of my elbow grease and Horseman's One-step. I know it almost sounds like I work for these people. That's not the case. I just love their product.
Last edited by Mike**Mize on January 8th, 2007, 11:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby KeyMan » January 1st, 2007, 1:34 pm

Hello Mike - Just ordered the one step. I've had no luck finding the Fast Orange, I'll try that another time. How is the one step in removing ink? Do you use any other conditioning after the one step like Lanolin (Two Steps)?

Welcome to the board, and thanks for the tip. I've seen you on eBay a number of times. You won a couple of gloves recently that I was watching. Two models that I had saved VINTAGE RAWLINGS 1910 MODEL B 11 BASEBALL GLOVE, and 1923 Wilson Baseball Catchers Mitt / Glove. Are you happy with them?
Happy New Year! to all - Steven KeyMan
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One-step

Postby Mike**Mize » January 1st, 2007, 3:17 pm

Hey Key Man,

Good luck with the one-step. Each glove is different. Some require more, some less. One-step works best on cowhide gloves, but it can also successfully clean horsehide and deerhide. If the glove you're working on is very dry and stiff, I've found it's actually best to start with the interior of the glove. Go way up inside the fingers on all surfaces, behind the writstap and under any folds that might go overlooked. Doing this step first lets you put the glove on to do the rest. Then go to the back of the glove, between the fingers, and then finally the pocket and the rest of the front surface. It's basically a matter of putting it on and wiping it off. The longer you leave it on, the more it will interact with the leather. You don't have to remove all of it. If you use an old white cotton rag, you'll be amazed at how fast the rag turns brown. Once you begin working with it, you will see the kind of cleaning and conditioning it can do. Repeated applications only serve to make the leather cleaner and healthier. For old grease stains it helps to scrub it in with an old toothbrush, then wipe the lifted grease away. It will soften ink stains, but not remove them completely in all instances. Once you've gone over the whole glove a few times, put on a thin application and let the glove dry. You''ll find that it does not darken the leather and in many instances actually lightens it up.

One other thing about this cleaner is that I feel it's important to wash your hands thoroughly after using it. It's pretty powerful stuff.
I also use Nokona Glove Conditioner at times. Some guys feel it gives a nice glow to the leather once it's clean. It's good stuff. I also have saddle soap around and use it for white and buckskin teens and 20's gloves.

Let me know if you run into a problem or question. I'll try to help you out.

Funny thing about the two gloves you mentioned from eBay. The 1911 Rawlings glove turned out to be from the late teen/ early 20's. I think it's a P48. It's a beauty inside and out ; and what was called a catcher's mitt is clearly a base mitt, also from the 20's. It's a mid range glove. I just really like the full hand, five fingers back. It's in remarkable condition. There's faded ink on it, but the guy who wrote on it was clearly from that era and did a nice neat job writing his nickname on it.

Happy New Year,

Mike
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Postby KeyMan » January 1st, 2007, 4:52 pm

Mike - I missed both auctions, while busy answering emails on my website. I miss a lot of auctions like that. It looks like you got a good deal on both? The full hand, five fingers back on the Baseman's mitt was what caught my eye also. I've been trying to get my hands on one for a while. I missed a few catchers mitts with this style. One a pillow, the other a pancake? not sure if the stuffing was removed.

You mentioned that your collection was featured in The Glove Collector a few issues back. If you have a couple of nice pictures for my website I'd be honored to post them. you could send them to steve@keymancollectibles.com, or post them here. One of a dozen projects I'm currently working on.

Back to the Glove conditioning. After you use the one-step do you use anything else like Lanolin? The saddle soap I've read a lot of bad things about. Have you had any problems with it? - Steven
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one-step

Postby Mike**Mize » January 1st, 2007, 7:46 pm

Hi Key Man,

It's pretty much all there in today's earlier reply. A thin application of one-step once the glove is clean and almost dry, or a light application of nokona conditioner, if that looks better to you, is all you need to finish the glove.
All of these products, including saddle soap, are fine provided that you use them correctly. With saddle soap you want to be sure to not leave traces of it around the laces or they'll dry out. It's soap after all.

I'll see if I can e-mail you some pictures of my collection.

Mike
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