Thanks very much again to Paul for this twenty-first instalment of his wonderful guest post series.
You can find all of the 'Filohax' posts here.
Sunbathing experiment
At this time of year our thoughts turn to holidays, usually somewhere hot and sunny, with sunbathing on the agenda. And why not, there are known health benefits associated with getting a tan. What has this got to do with leather planners, I hear you say? Well last autumn during the last of the summer sun, I wondered if the leather of my Filofax would benefit from some limited sun exposure, in the same way that my own skin does.
So I've been doing a little experiment with my own vintage leather binders ever since, leaving them open, inserts facing down, exposing the leather of the outer covers to the sun's rays for up to no more than 10 minutes at a time.
Accumulatively each one has had the following exposure over about a year:
Grosvenor: 1hr
Winchester: 1hr
Cavendish 30mm: 2 hrs
Balmoral 10clfj: 1hr
Cognac Croc Winchester: 1 1/2hr
Gloucester: 2hr
Winchester 5/4 Pigskin: 3/4hr
Portland 5/4: 1hr
Argyll: 1/2hr
Before everyone lambasts me - I have increased my leather feeding regime as a consequence.
Have there been any visible signs of change in the quality of the leather? No, not as such but the only criteria that matters is that I feel like my binders like it. And you can't say fairer than that, can you?
The sun will damage the leather. At least you are moisturising the leather to negate the effects of short exposure.
ReplyDeleteOne of the best ways to preserve the leather is to hold the Filofax in our hands and allow our skin oils to penetrate it.
Keep enjoying your Filofax!
I smiled at the thought that they might have a soul!
ReplyDeleteI don’t think 10 mins here and there will damage them too much. More damaging is them sitting in natural light for years without being moved and looked after. Fading is gradual and it’s only when they are moved it becomes obvious- a bit like moving a rug off a carpet that’s faded.
Could be a good way to lighten them if mink oil has made them too dark!
They look lovely, you have a great collection there 😊
The health benefits of a tan are questionable, according to skin cancer experts. Though we need exposure to sunlight to synthesize vitamin D...
ReplyDeletehttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-29027343
I have sometimes used warm sun to encourage absorption of leather conditioner. Though I'm not sure if conditioners are able to penetrate the coatings on modern coated leathers... Another reason to prefer vintage binders with more 'natural' leathers.
I have also seen binders for sale where they have obviously been sitting for years in a garden shed. Much as I wanted to rescue them with some love, I figured the leather would probably crumble to dust...
Yes it would pay to be cautious, as there is a risk of fading. The Grace Scurr special edition duplex came with instructions for the retailer not to display it in direct sunlight.
ReplyDeleteI’ve found the green calf leather to suffer the most in this respect.
I wonder if a sunlight faded binder might have a unique patina of its own that coulld give character to it. A well used binder is a good thing IMHO as it shows real use for what it should be. Sunlight fading is what might happen in use so actively trying too get there quicker might be bad but it might give interesting results too.
DeleteThe couple of green calf models I owned had turned quite brown on the outside, while the interiors remained pretty unchanged. It did lend them some character, but I regretted the loss of vibrancy.
DeleteThe 'garden shed' one I saw was a 4-ring Pocket Sherwood, in burgundy. It had faded to tan, and the clasp button to pale blue...
ReplyDelete