Maintaining a leatherette camera case

OlyMan · Nov 18, 2017

I was looking at this photo of an Olympus OM-1 on ebay and wondering what I can 'feed' my own cases housing my OM-10 and OM-4 so that the leatherette doesn't age and split. My OM-1ɴ is easier because it has the soft brown leather case which always responds well to Kiwi brown leather shoe polish. Vaseline maybe? Or maybe a dedicated leather-care product? I realise recommending specific brands will be difficult because what you guys have stateside I can't necessarily get hold of over here.

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John Koehrer · Nov 18, 2017

I doubt there's anything that'll prevent cracking or peeling on a plastic case.

Sirius Glass · Nov 18, 2017

I think that the case is beyond repair. Keep your equipment in a camera bag suitable to you and it will protect the camera and flash. It will also carry the film and filters.

OlyMan · Nov 19, 2017

Sirius Glass said:
I think that the case is beyond repair.

I know. I want to stop my cases getting into this state. I'm probably better off asking good old Professor Google about the maintenance and care of leatherette / faux leather covered items rather than here in a photography forum.

Chan Tran · Nov 19, 2017

OlyMan said:
I know. I want to stop my cases getting into this state. I'm probably better off asking good old Professor Google about the maintenance and care of leatherette / faux leather covered items rather than here in a photography forum.

Did that case become that way in your possession? If not it could be how it was stored. If you store the case in cool, and not to dry not to humid place it shouldn't be that way.

OlyMan · Nov 19, 2017

Chan Tran said:
Did that case become that way in your possession?

No, I very clearly stated in the opening sentence that it's an item for sale on eBay, it's not mine. I do fully appreciate people trying to be helpful but a common theme on Internet forums these days is few people actually seem to read an OP's question and instead reply to a question they want to answer. That's twice in this thread already and yours is only the fourth reply.

Thanks for the storage advice though, that's probably key.

trondsi · Nov 19, 2017

Personally, I have some Dovo yellow paste that is use to keep leather strops smooth and supple (for straight razor stropping). It works on pretty much any kind of leather. You can buy this from online stores that sell straight razors, but make sure that it's NOT abrasive paste (the yellow one is not). I am sure that there are other similar products out there for people who work in other leather products though.

choiliefan · Nov 19, 2017

Unfortunately, the case in question isn't leather, it a plastic coated fiberous felt material. Years ago I bought an extremely expensive Nikon F4 camera case which despite loving care and judiciously careful cleaning, started the plastic delamination process at the piped seams within a few years. It's near impossible to have anything nice, especially when it's made out of crap materials to begin with. .The Japanese camera industry seemed to specialize in shoddy plastics back in the day...

Sirius Glass · Nov 19, 2017

OlyMan said:
I know. I want to stop my cases getting into this state. I'm probably better off asking good old Professor Google about the maintenance and care of leatherette / faux leather covered items rather than here in a photography forum.

If the leather is not torn or too worn use English Lather or Neetsfoot Oil.

OlyMan · Nov 19, 2017

choiliefan said:
Unfortunately, the case in question isn't leather, it a plastic coated fiberous felt material. Years ago I bought an extremely expensive Nikon F4 camera case which despite loving care and judiciously careful cleaning, started the plastic delamination process at the piped seams within a few years. It's near impossible to have anything nice, especially when it's made out of crap materials to begin with. .The Japanese camera industry seemed to specialize in shoddy plastics back in the day...

Very true. These were the cheapo cases you got when you bought the camera as a kit. Better ones were available, but they were obviously quite a bit more expensive.

OlyMan · Nov 19, 2017

Thanks for the ideas everyone.

Chan Tran · Nov 20, 2017

choiliefan said:
Unfortunately, the case in question isn't leather, it a plastic coated fiberous felt material. Years ago I bought an extremely expensive Nikon F4 camera case which despite loving care and judiciously careful cleaning, started the plastic delamination process at the piped seams within a few years. It's near impossible to have anything nice, especially when it's made out of crap materials to begin with. .The Japanese camera industry seemed to specialize in shoddy plastics back in the day...

I don't know but I have cases for the F3 and the EM and they are at least 30 years old and look like new.

Pioneer · Nov 20, 2017

I second the use of Neatsfoot Oil on leather. Even the type of case you picture as an example can be kept in decent condition for quite a long time by proper storage and the application of vinyl protectants. They are really not a lot different then vinyl seats in many older cars so the same type of products will help. In the US I would recommend applying a light coat of Armor-All from time to time.

Unfortunately exposure to sunlight (actually UV) and very dry air will eventually take its toll. Regular use will result in the stitching starting to cut through the drying coatings. Once that process has started there probably isn't much hope for refurbishing.

BTW, though it is frustrating when some responders don't seem to read your OP, don't forget that not everyone uses English as their primary language. Though your post may have seemed pretty straightforward to you it may not actually be that easy for others to understand.

OlyMan · Nov 20, 2017

Thanks for your reply, all comments taken on board.

Maintaining a leatherette camera case

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