11 Jan 2013
Posted by Dave under Dave's Thoughts,Mr. FixIt
Lederbalsam Day
Ah, Lederbalsam! Far too infrequently, I get out the Lederbalsam and have a go at the leather furniture in the living room. It is not a trivial task. Lederbalsam is a wonderfully aromatic concoction of lanolin & beeswax that is used to clean and condition leather items. I first learned about it from a colleague who’s daughter rode show jumping horses. The equestrian set use Lederbalsam for saddles, boots, reins and all sorts of horsey paraphernalia.
On a full set of leather living room furniture the effort is towards the Herculean end of the spectrum. The Lederbalsam is applied by hand – rubbed vigorously into the dry leather and left to sit for five or ten minutes then the excess is wiped off and the leather buffed with a terry towel. It is an exercise that would make Mr. Miyagi proud.
Conditioning the armchair, the chair-and-a-half and the foot-stool were enough effort for today. The couch will have to wait ’til another day. Besides, it smells so nice – why not have that to look forward to?