Hello, All.
I would like to invite you to see my latest project. I purchased a Ken-Wel first basemen's mitt with a Gloversville tag off eBay. I knew the pocket webbing was not original, but I did not expect to find a buckle on the thumb. Photos as I received it are below:
http://i1127.photobucket.com/albums/l625/mpiazzi1/kenwelbefore.jpg
http://i1127.photobucket.com/albums/l625/mpiazzi1/kenwelbeforepalm.jpg
On baseballglovecollector.com, I happened to find a photo of what the mitt originally looked like:
http://www.baseballglovecollector.com/gallery/ken-wel/Ken+Wel+Buckle+Web+Buckle+Back+Basemitt+Back+Mike.jpg.php
It is not the same model, but I found an image of a similar mitt in a 1928 Ken-Wel catalog, again thanks to baseballglovecollector.com:
http://i1127.photobucket.com/albums/l625/mpiazzi1/1928catscan.jpg
The pocket is adjustable according to the prefference of the user.
My local cobbler fabricated a replacement pocket strap for me, as we estimated it originally was from the photos. He also suggesting cleaning with Lexol, so I tried both the cleaner and conditioner. I found the cleaner to do an excellent job. The conditioner made the leather soft and pliable, although it did darken the leather quite a bit. Before conditioning, my mitt was slightly darker than the baseballglovecollecter.com. I do love the way the finished leather fells, though.
Here is the finished product:
http://i1127.photobucket.com/albums/l625/mpiazzi1/afterside.jpg
http://i1127.photobucket.com/albums/l625/mpiazzi1/afterpalm.jpg
http://i1127.photobucket.com/albums/l625/mpiazzi1/afterback.jpg
For me, this was a very rewarding project.
Ken