A Guide to Refurbishing Leather Motorcycle Gloves
If you have an older pair of leather motorcycle gloves that have seen better days, you may be considering tossing them and simply buying a new pair. However, before you toss the old gloves, consider taking the time to refurbish them. Refurbishing your old motorcycle gloves will give you more use from them and also save you a considerable amount of money.
Refurbishing leather motorcycle gloves is not a DIY task for everyone. However, if you possess some basic sewing skills as well as some patience, you should be able to restore the gloves to good or even excellent condition.
Is Refurbishment Worthwhile?
Before you start the task of restoring a pair of leather motorcycle gloves, determine of the effort is really worth it to you. While leather motorcycle gloves are not the cheapest variety available, restoring a old or damaged pair can be more expensive than buying a new set of gloves if you spend too much time on the project.
On the other hand, restoring a damaged pair of gloves can serve as a valuable lesson in frugality. In addition, if you received the leather motorcycle gloves from a friend or loved one, they may possess a certain amount of sentimental value that makes them priceless. In this cases, a few hours spent restoring the gloves will make them even more valuable to you.
Getting Started
When starting the restoration of your leather gloves, the first thing you should do is sew any rips or tears in the gloves. Unless you are very skilled at using a sewing machine, you might find it easier to hand-stitch the gloves. When choosing a thread for the mending of the gloves, choose a thread type and color that matches the one already in the seams of the gloves as much as possible. This will help to ensure that mended seams and other areas of the gloves are less noticeable. When sewing the rips or tears, work slowly and make the stitches small and tight. If the padding in the gloves is worn or missing, replace it before mending.
Restoring Color
It is not uncommon for leather gloves to become discolored or faded over time; therefore, to completely restore an older pair of leather motorcycle gloves, you will need to use a leather dye. Choose a leather dye color that is about the same as the original. The leather dye does not have to be an exact match as long as it is close. In fact, choosing a dye color that is a little different can result in some interesting color variations.
When dyeing the leather motorcycle gloves, use cold distilled water for the best results. Using hot water may speed the coloring process, but it may shrink the gloves as well. Follow the directions on leather dye package carefully and make sure to rinse the gloves thoroughly after the process is complete. If the gloves have thick padding, it could take a couple of days for them to dry completely. After the gloves are dry, apply a leather conditioning liquid or paste to help soften the gloves and keep the color from fading.
