Vintage Rawlings re-lacing question

[rondonmb]

I have a nice Rawlings G20 Dick Porter professional model that I have been able to bring back with Horseman's One Step. The laces are shot and wanted to get advice on how to re-lace the glove but not have them stand out as new. I'd like to have them look as close to vintage as possible.

[BretMan]

I have this same problem quite often. You want good structurally sound laces in a glove, but you want them to have an original or vintage appearance.

Some things I have tried, depending on the look I want to acheive and the condition of the glove:

- Salvage lace from the glove you're restoring for possible reuse. Leather conditioner can sometimes revive old lace just like it can the rest of the glove and you might end up with some great vintage laces.

- Reuse old lace from other vintage gloves you've restored. Maybe not an option for everyone. I happen to have a huge bundle of old laces from restoring so many gloves.

- Try to find new laces that closely match the originals in the glove. Sometimes easier said than done. Most older vintage gloves have dark laces in colors that can't be readily found. You can scour the internet, or search through some of the old "lace" threads on this forum- you still might not be able to find a good match.

- Dye new laces to match the originals. I find myself going with this option quite a bit. I buy new laces in light tan colors, then dye them myself to match the vintage laces. In many cases an almost exact match can be made- I experiment with different colors of dye. After the dye is dry, I wipe down the lace with leather conditioner and that can give the laces more of an "aged" look. You end up with a glove that looks original, but you have the structural integrity of brand new laces.

[rondonmb]

Thanks for all the great advice BretMan. I find myself leaning towards buying new laces and dying them. I'll post a picture whem my project is done.