Breaking in your New Leather Wallet
Similar to full-grain leather baseball gloves, a full-grain leather wallet has an initial break-in period that one must work through. This transformation starts the first time you put your contents in your wallet. Each pocket works best with 2 or 3 cards, but the leather pockets are designed to fit the cards snuggly and will take some time to loosen up.
If you are having trouble getting your cards in and out of your wallet and you would like to speed up the break-in process, you can add extra cards for a short period of time to stretch it out.
- First, put 2 or 3 cards in one pocket of the wallet.
- Then, one at a time, slide additional cards in the pocket behind the other cards.
- Once you have 4 or 5 cards in one pocket, massage the leather with your hands or put it in your pocket for a short period of time.
- In just 5-10 minutes, you should be able to take out the extra cards from the overstuffed pocket and see a slight difference.
Note: Be careful not to overstretch the leather as once it has stretched, it will only recoil slightly.
Maintaining Full-Grain Leather
Leather products that are regularly exposed to the elements need more maintenance than products that you keep in your pocket or in your purse. Saddles, leather boots, baseball gloves, and other leather products that see the sun and moisture frequently should be cleaned regularly and maintained with mink oil, neatsfoot oil, or a high quality synthetic leather conditioner. A light oil or conditioner can help keep the leather supple and will increase the lifespan of a weathered piece dramatically. However, wax and heavy oils tend to coat the leather instead of soaking into it and end up hiding the natural beauty of the leather.
Since your wallet probably won't be exposed to the sun and other elements like a baseball glove, it is not recommended to put anything on your Werther Leather Goods wallet. Each piece is a work of art, and will continue to look and feel better as it ages. The oils from your hands will naturally keep the leather soft and conditioned. If you spill something on your leather wallet or get it dirty, wipe it off using a damp cloth, and let it dry at room temperature. Never place wet leather near a heater or fire to speed up the drying process; this will damage the leather.