No, the leather was actually in great condition — other than at the very edge where some of the holes were pulled through, wherein I just punched new holes for the thread. I oiled and conditioned the leather with a stain lotion + mink oil. I didn’t replace any leather, and just unthreaded the old, dry rotted hemp cord and replaced it with fresh material.
Good work! Did you replace the whole tounge, or put an extra layer on?
No, the leather was actually in great condition — other than at the very edge where some of the holes were pulled through, wherein I just punched new holes for the thread. I oiled and conditioned the leather with a stain lotion + mink oil. I didn’t replace any leather, and just unthreaded the old, dry rotted hemp cord and replaced it with fresh material.
It worked really well then, it looks like a new piece!