Hi all. What's the best way to clean a bellows (baby wipes?) and what should I put on it to preseve it. I'm sure I came across this subject some time ago in the archives but I can't seem to find it.
 
Cheers.
Scott.

It really depends on what the bellows are made from. For genuine leather bellows that have been made from tanned and dyed leather, I use a bar of saddle soap. You take a ball of cotton wool that has been placed in tepid water and then well squeezed out, rub it well on the bar of soap and then wipe the bellows. Replace the cotton wool as it gets dirty and then leave the bellows to dry. In fact, if you do this properly the leather is hardly wetted, but will be impregnated with the glycerin/lanolin preservatives.
 
On bellows made from the old nitrocellulose coated leathers, one has to be a bit more careful. It is quite easy to 'lift' the finish if the bellows are dry or well worn. I have used 'baby' or 'wet' wipes; however I now just use the well squeezed cotton wool ball, only this time the wetting agent is a weak solution of water and a pH neutral liquid soap.
 
The question of preservatives is tricky. When I am wearing my 'Bookbinder's Coat', I have a large arsenal of preservatives to use on leather bindings. Only problem is that they all need to be worked well in and can dry 'tacky' unless polished off - clearly an application issue as far as bellows are concerned.
 
For bellows use, the best product I found is a relic of my horse riding/tack cleaning days. Unfortunately the label has come off the can, I seem to recollect a name such as 'Hydrophane' or similar on the label. The product looks just like water but is a bit more viscous. It is non greasy/oily and when dry is completely invisible. I use a small brush to coat the all the folds on the inside of the bellows. On small bellows this ensures that the product wicks through all the leather, for larger bellows I re-coat any dry area that is visible on the inner surface