Jon Hart Product Care
Protecting your new investment, including leather and canvas waterproofing, cleaning, preservation and more, is essential to keeping your bag looking as pristine as the day you bought it. To ensure that your Jon Hart Design product remains an heirloom-worthy treasure, follow our tips below.
Click Here for a link to products commonly used to care for your Jon Hart pieces.
About Natural Vegetable Tanned Leather
Jon Hart Design uses the highest quality vegetable tanned leather on our traditional coated canvas products. Vegetable tanned leather undergoes a tightly-controlled process that utilizes tree bark and other natural tannins to produce a leather prized for both its beauty and its workability. Natural vegetable tanned leather has not been dyed, treated with chemicals or treated with acrylic varnish- this ensures that the leather won't crack, peel, or split and will last for decades. One of the hallmarks of natural vegetable tanned leather is that you can often see distinct variations in color and grain upon close inspection.
Aging beautifully
Over time, the natural vegetable tanned leather will tan and patina. Patina is a soft sheen that develops through use and exposure on the surface of the material which provides character and personality to the product. This is why new Jon Hart Design coated canvas items start off with very light leather patches and trim and become a beautiful caramel color.
Removing Stains on Natural Tanned Leather
Removing stains such as pen mark is different depending on the type of ink and age of the leather.
The leather patch on your product is natural vegetable tanned leather which means that it isn't chemically treated with sealants. Over time however, the leather absorbs the natural oils from your hands and the environment and forms a natural seal. The first thing to figure out is if your leather has become naturally sealed. To do this, drop a little water on an inconspicuous area. If the water rolls off then your leather is sealed. If the water is soaked up, your leather is unsealed.
If your leather is sealed, you can follow these instructions.
If your leather is not sealed, we find that using an ultra fine 3,000 grit sandpaper (feels more like velvet than sandpaper) can be used to gently buff out the mark without damaging the leather. With that said, if the leather has already started to patina (tan) it may leave a light spot. Although that light spot will patina over time to match the rest of the patch, you can speed it up with a leather conditioner.
Conditioning Natural Tanned Leather
Vegetable-tanned leather is meant to be used every day and can withstand almost any adventure. Due to its high quality, you shouldn't need to treat or condition it with normal use. If you choose to condition the leather there are many commercially-available weather proofing conditioners designed for vegetable-tanned leather. Simple oils such as mineral oil, neatsfoot oil, or olive oil also work well. Simply rub in a light coat evenly, then buff it with a clean dry rag. You can repeat these steps as many times as you like, but keep in mind that conditioning leather usually darkens it slightly (this is normal).
Cleaning coated canvas
Most Jon Hart Design products are made with coated canvas. Coated canvas is a durable material made to withstand the elements. As a result, you are likely to keep it for a very long time and it may become dirty or absorb dyes from clothing.
Cleaning coated canvas is simple and easy to do. Options include:
- Microfiber cloth
- Warm soap and water
- Hand sanitizer (no more than 70% alcohol)
- Convertible car top cleaner
If you have a stubborn stain such as pen mark, apply the cleaner onto the fabric and wrap a microfiber cloth around something with a flat, blunt edge. Rub the cleaner into the stain with the microfiber wrapped blunt edge and the stain should improve or remove.
Wrinkles in coated canvas
Steaming our coated canvas material is an effective way to remove wrinkles that may have formed during storage. If you don't have a steamer, a hairdryer on a warm (not hot) setting held at least 6 inches from the item for several seconds is another option. Make sure that you apply heat or steam to the inside of the item, this is the safest and most effective way for removing wrinkles.
Storage of coated canvas
We recommend that you store your items in a cool, dry, dark place. Although our coated canvas is mold and mildew resistant, the leather is an organic material that is not.
Please read this article for more information on preventing dry rot.