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I got soaked today riding to Daytona from Ocala... was lovely this morning but once away from civilization and convenience stores.. the sky opened. I didn't pack rain gear but had my leather vest (lined) and chaps on, which have the suede inside, on and too, my half gloves (leather) on. Any suggestions as to how to dry this all out? It is sunny here now (back in Ocala) and have them hanging outside but I don't know if that is the best thing for them. It is all HD leathers.
Even though they will dry faster in the sunlight, I think I'd let them dry slowly in the shade. After they are dry, put some good leather dressing on them like mink oil which will keep them soft and also waterproof them to some extent.
Pat's right. Don't try to dry them too fast, or with heat, then treat with a good leather conditioner. I use Lexol because I have a couple of friends that are saddle makers, and that's what they recommend. You can get it at most saddle shops and feed stores, and I think it is the same thing that HD markets as their leather conditioner. Looks and smells the same anyway.
Course what works real well is having it sneak a rain again... this time my helmet was out too, sitting like a bucket and got wet. Not to bad, just a little Florida sunshine.
I guess I can use a suede cleaner for the chaps on the inside and the Lexol you mentioned for the leather outside of the chaps and my vest and gloves. Need a fan to keep the air moving around them and I can just hang them up inside here or in the garage perhaps. We have celing fans, maybe I'll lay them out tonight in a spare room and put the fan on high. I think the air circulating around them will be the most important thing in keeping mold from growing and getting the suede dried without drying it out. Glad I didn't have my sleaves zipped in!
Let the leather dry outside like the cows. It'll give it that worn look that you have to pay higher prices for. Just kiddin, I've used mink oil on mine after a rain and its kept them good for years.
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