How to....clean leather ?

[gstallons]

How do you clean air tool oil out of { Moto Guzzi Claw ) leather gloves ?  

After a week of an open bottle dripping on them I found them soaked this a.m. and I am sick. Please help me !

[fotoguzzi]

a week? good luck with that..

[Scud]

At least it's clean, light oil, not dirty final drive gear oil.  Maybe you could smother 'em in corn starch?

 

Same principle as throwing your phone in a bowl of dry rice after it goes swimming

[Camn]

If the gloves cannot be dry cleaned (with hydrocarbon solvent, which is normally used for leather) or if it would be too expensive or not possible because of some hard protective parts on the gloves, you can always try to “imitate” dry cleaning yourself. This is officially a “do not try this at home” thing now: find clean and “not smelling” and “not so aggressive” solvent. Hydrocarbons are often used to ignite charcoal barbecues, as fuel for kerosene lamps, etc. Their flashpoint is above 56 Celsius. The idea is to find a solvent, which is not as smelly and “cheap” as the solvents which are normally used to clean motor parts. Then just pour a liter or two of solvent into a bucket. Wear underneath protective “rubber gloves” (they will last the needed short time). Put on the leather gloves and “bathe” and rub them in your hands in the (cool) solvent. Like you would wash your hands thoroughly. “Greasy” not-chlorinated solvents as hydrocarbons are not so aggressive. When you think the grease has dissolved, let the gloves dry outdoors (of course all this has to be done outdoors). Next day, or after a day or two, the gloves should be dry and not smelly. Temperature accelerates drying. If the leather feels too dry, then just grease them a bit. I would use first only a waterproofing agent (spray bottle), they often make colours a bit more deep and give a slight “greasy” feel also. If this is not enough, then buy leather spray. If products for biker goods cannot be found then something from a furniture shop (for leather) is OK (water proofing/grease).  The used solvent has to be "wasted" legally as hazardous waste, like you would do with solvent that you have used to clean motor parts. Actually, the used solvent can be saved and used to clean motor parts...

[The Monkey]

Wash warm water and dish detergent to remove excess and extract that which will come out. then straight warm water to get all detergent out. Let that dry slowly then apply leather treatment of your choice.

I use saddle and tack shop stuff with no water proofing. Ko Cao Line is the best in my opinion. good luck

[LowRyter]

Motorcycle gloves?  Wear them.  The oil will be absorbed or dissipated by the wind, heat and rain.   

[gstallons]

Uhhh , these are saturated w / oil . you would not want to wear them .

[LowRyter]

sawdust and hot sun?

[EV11Jack]

Maybe someone can remember better than me, but what is the dish washing detergent that they use to clean up water fowl when they've been exposed to an oil spill like the BP thing in the Gulf a couple of years ago.

After cleaning with it, treat them liberally with a good leather moisturizer.

[Chuck]

^^^^^Dawn. The Monkey's recommendation with Dawn.

Of course, they'll *never* be the same. Call it patina, and wear it like a badge of honor.  "Yep, dang things get looking like this after 100000 miles. Probably oughta be a warranted.."

[LowRyter]

most motorcycle gloves seem to wear out in a couple of years of continuous use (I am including Alpinestars and Technic in my experience).  Usually it's a seam, or wear spot in the a finger hole.  

 

Perhaps all the oil will extent the the life?

[gstallons]

No , I spent about $125 to get them cleaned properly . Air tool motor oil dripped on them for about a week and they meant a lot to me so the  $$$ didn't matter .

[swooshdave]

Now we need to see a picture of the gloves!