Cleaning white gloves?

P

Patentleathershoes

VFG Veteran
VFG Past President
Hi all,

I have a pair of long white leather opera gloves that I have put aside for myself and they have one condition issue. there are a couple wide gray marks.

If they were shoes i would just polish them with white shoe polish, but think that if i did so with these, i would just end up with white shoe polish on a dress or handbag in the future. I wasn't quite sure if the same principle could be applied.

I am normally extremely good with leather. There are some i usually say polish and some i usually say leave with patina, but i haven't really approached the principles to gloves like this. I have never had a pair that i was interested in really restoring/rescuing so to speak.

They are really nice, but i wouldn't want to wear them to anything fancy in the shape that they are in.
I wondered if they had scuffs, or it could even be that the die was rubbed through to the wet blue layer.

Any ideas?

Chris
 
Chris, I had some black leather opera gloves last year that had some rough spots on them. I used somebody's suggestion and filled them in with black magic marker. Put a little on and wiped off quickly. Then I conditioned with saddle soap. They came out beautifully. I don't know if there is a white magic marker or not. I don't know why you couldn't use white shoe polish.

Another thought is to use Murphy's Oil Soap diluted in water. You can get an off brand of this at Dollar Store. I clean my leather chairs with it.
 
<a href=http://www.operagloves.com/collect.html>This site for opera gloves</a> might be of interest. They have a small section on cleaning, including a couple of Victorian cleaning tips and a message board for queries.

From the site :

Cleaning vintage leather gloves can sometimes be problematic, especially with white kid gloves, when the stains have been in the leather for a long time. The best substance I have found so far for cleaning leather gloves is Horseman's One-Step, a lanolin-based cream which you can purchase at any tack shop (a store specializing in saddlery) and at some leather-goods stores. Lexol, a liquid which comes in two varieties (cleaner and conditioner) is available at many leather-goods stores and can also be used, but must be used with caution because it will tend to stiffen and darken leather if improperly applied. As a last resort, you could have a leather repair store redye the leather to its original color, though this might or might not have a deletrious effect on the suppleness of the leather.
 
I don't know why i didn't think of the tack shop. when in doubt...
i think because they are white, i was not thinking about "the usual suspects". i certainly will try something like that. i will be able to tell if it is a surface scuff and the gray item abrased it or it is indeed scuffed bald.

I forgot about that site. they do promote it quite a bit on the net and i always see it. thanks for reminding me about it

Chris
 
On my leather shoes, I've used the white "paint" they sell at shoe stores. It comes in a dauber container (kind of like a bingo marker - small bottle-type shape with a spongey applicator tip) and comes in basic colors - black, white, and brown, I think.

It works well on my shoes. I'm not sure how it would work on your gloves, but it might be worth a try.

Laura
 
that's what i had been originally thinking, Laura...but i was just imagining that i would have the "paint" rub off on my clothes knowing my accident proneness. not on me when i was doing that...but on sme evening gown when i actually wore them.

I will let you know how i do!
 
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