Leather is like a fine wine, it just gets better and better with time. I love how leather breaks in and patinas. It's so beautiful, you can't help but appreciate the craftsmanship.
I just got some Thursday boots in natural Chromexel and they darkened right up just from the leather balm I put on them. The pullup on them is beautiful its a very nice leather can't wait to see them age.
The magic of shell cordovan and any Horween leather can only be fully appreciated in person. Nick's makes a great pair of footwear so I'm certain that you get a sense of what I'm talking about! You might be interested in seeing this video I took at the Horween Leather tannery finishing shell cordovan. The tannery has been in continuous operation since 1905 and not much has changed. It's like a working museum! ua-cam.com/video/xIPNkB-10Gc/v-deo.html
@@mikeprice8307 Great comment, Mike! Unless the leather is very heavily finished (with opaque paints) you will see the color change on any piece. I tend to dislike the more fully finished/painted leather so I tend to not make anything from them. The only colors that I have that do not change much are the very dark shades like black, color 8, intense blue, etc
@@mikeprice8307 It's the oils on your hands. The more you handle any piece of leather the more it will patina. Since these are wallets, they get handled quite a bit, and it shows.
I had no idea these hot stuffed leathers darkened so much as they aged, very interesting. Seems like they all get close to the same end point regardless of initial dye, with some subtle variations!
I was thinking about buying a mid-brown (whiskey, cognac) shell cordovan shoe. It looks like everything will eventually turn into (a beautiful shade of) brown. Might as well buy a brown shoe :-)
Honestly I am kinda on board for this approach as well. I love natural shell cordovan on my wallets so I got a pair of natural shell boots. Wearing a very light colored boot like natural felt REALLY weird...like it didn't go with anything. When I polished it up with a bit of water and Saphir cordovan cream it turned the darker, more orange and red. I think they are 100x better now. The thing to note here however is that a more vibrant light shade (like amaretto) will still retain some of those lighter, more vibrant undertones even when the patina develops on the surface.
Ouch! I'm glad it survived. The concern with leather getting in the wash is that the soaps and detergents suck out the nourishing fats and oils that were tanned into the leather. I would advise conditioning it with a leather conditioner. I have had great results with my Tanners Blend product that I would suggest but if you have another leather conditioner you should use that!
@@AshlandLeather thank you for the reply. I love the wallet and I'm ok with it's state tbh. the inner fold is a little rough but I like the character. Just got one of your shell watch straps and it's been great. Will def pick a shell wallet just have to decide which one..
I have a whiskey also, it is almost like color 8 since I wear raw denim in blue and black. It has changed so much but you can still see some of the golden tones on the low areas where the leather doesn't really touch anything.
Hey, David! Unfortunately I am not familiar with them. Took a quick look and it looks pretty legit. 99% sure this is not Horween shell but perhaps a different tannery
To be honest there is no "standard" -- I assume you are speaking about the Fat Herbie here. We try to keep them in stock in 3 shell colors (black, color #8, and natural) and 3 non-shell colors (black Dublin, English tan Dublin, and Natural CXL)
Great question. The patina you see on natural shell cordovan in this video is from normal wear. No additional polish was applied to get the darker patina effect. There is wax tanned into the leather.
Of the wallets we make, the Long Wallet has the most card slots with 12. This is more of a briefcase wallet. We also have the Johnny the Fox which has 8 card slots.
It depends on the leather and finishing. In the case of black shell cordovan: it does not change color but the luster does develop in layers. On something like Horween's Chromexcel leather, the black is finished on top of natural so the scuffs and scratches reveal a lighter under tone. It develops in a very interesting way
Leather is like a fine wine, it just gets better and better with time. I love how leather breaks in and patinas. It's so beautiful, you can't help but appreciate the craftsmanship.
Keep the patina videos coming! It is amazing to see the changes over time to determine which leather to go with!
Thanks, Andrew! This vid was a fun one for me
These wallets with this beautiful patina felt like candy to my eyes 🤩
Amazing video! Love seeing the patina on these and how they’ve developed.
Watched this video for many times. Love to see those patina. Wish to see more aged wallet in different colors.
Please do a ton of these patina videos. It's like visible music.
I wish that I had more to share. Maybe I'll ask some customers to send in some old wallets
Wow that 8yrs patina is beautiful!
I just got some Thursday boots in natural Chromexel and they darkened right up just from the leather balm I put on them. The pullup on them is beautiful its a very nice leather can't wait to see them age.
Love the patina look
Damn it! Now you've got me wanting a $325 wallet. I'm just now recovering from my Nick's boots. I just had to go and look up how the leather was made.
The magic of shell cordovan and any Horween leather can only be fully appreciated in person. Nick's makes a great pair of footwear so I'm certain that you get a sense of what I'm talking about! You might be interested in seeing this video I took at the Horween Leather tannery finishing shell cordovan. The tannery has been in continuous operation since 1905 and not much has changed. It's like a working museum! ua-cam.com/video/xIPNkB-10Gc/v-deo.html
hahaha same just got my nicks now need a three hundred dollar wallet
@@AshlandLeather I dont understand how they change colors. I want what I choose at purchase. Its like you're buying a chamillion.
@@mikeprice8307 Great comment, Mike! Unless the leather is very heavily finished (with opaque paints) you will see the color change on any piece. I tend to dislike the more fully finished/painted leather so I tend to not make anything from them. The only colors that I have that do not change much are the very dark shades like black, color 8, intense blue, etc
@@mikeprice8307 It's the oils on your hands. The more you handle any piece of leather the more it will patina. Since these are wallets, they get handled quite a bit, and it shows.
I had no idea these hot stuffed leathers darkened so much as they aged, very interesting. Seems like they all get close to the same end point regardless of initial dye, with some subtle variations!
Weird question but how do these smell? I imagine some of the patina just has to be hand oils right?
Can you please make another video like this. I would love to see how other colors also patina over time!
great video
Wow some beauty patina 🤩
I just ordered the natural shell cordovan Fat Herbie, because of this video! Nice enabling guys😅
Thanks so much for your support, Brian. I hope you love it!
I wish he would have mentioned the luster a lot of these wallets developed.
Would love to see the patina on the marbled shell ones.
Please please please make a full length wallet in shell cordovan. I would love the contrast patina so much while keeping bills crisp.
We have a design called the "Long Wallet" that you might be interested in. Email me and I can send some photos info@ashlandleather.com
I was thinking about buying a mid-brown (whiskey, cognac) shell cordovan shoe. It looks like everything will eventually turn into (a beautiful shade of) brown. Might as well buy a brown shoe :-)
Honestly I am kinda on board for this approach as well. I love natural shell cordovan on my wallets so I got a pair of natural shell boots. Wearing a very light colored boot like natural felt REALLY weird...like it didn't go with anything. When I polished it up with a bit of water and Saphir cordovan cream it turned the darker, more orange and red. I think they are 100x better now. The thing to note here however is that a more vibrant light shade (like amaretto) will still retain some of those lighter, more vibrant undertones even when the patina develops on the surface.
How do you keep the stitching so white and looking new? My white stitching always browns or goes blue from my raw denim
Is there any way to lighten the natural chromexcel colour? That darkening is just too much for my taste. Thank you
I love a good patina. I wish there were more examples of Amaretto Shell so I can see what my Fat Herbie would look like 3-4 years from now.
Looks like a few people would like to see the Amaretto Shell so that may have to be my next one to wear
Hi Phil, could you show us how the amaretto shell cordovan patina looks like? Thanks
Hi, Yohan! Yes I'd love to share that with you. Right now I don't have an amaretto shell wallet that is worn but maybe it will be my next!
I have a Tony the Ant in natural xl.. it got put in a wash accidentally.. and the wallet survived! I couldn't believe it.
Ouch! I'm glad it survived. The concern with leather getting in the wash is that the soaps and detergents suck out the nourishing fats and oils that were tanned into the leather. I would advise conditioning it with a leather conditioner. I have had great results with my Tanners Blend product that I would suggest but if you have another leather conditioner you should use that!
@@AshlandLeather thank you for the reply. I love the wallet and I'm ok with it's state tbh. the inner fold is a little rough but I like the character. Just got one of your shell watch straps and it's been great. Will def pick a shell wallet just have to decide which one..
My whiskey shell is about 3 years in and looks like color#4
I have a whiskey also, it is almost like color 8 since I wear raw denim in blue and black. It has changed so much but you can still see some of the golden tones on the low areas where the leather doesn't really touch anything.
Hey Phil! Do you know something about Sam Browne army shell cordovan belts? I've seen some of these on Ebay and found no information online.
Hey, David! Unfortunately I am not familiar with them. Took a quick look and it looks pretty legit. 99% sure this is not Horween shell but perhaps a different tannery
Old patina on leather smell as good as whiskey
Patina 😘😘
It's hard to find a quality wallet with that layout. Is it the 'standart' natural CXL? Or the Horween-edition?
To be honest there is no "standard" -- I assume you are speaking about the Fat Herbie here. We try to keep them in stock in 3 shell colors (black, color #8, and natural) and 3 non-shell colors (black Dublin, English tan Dublin, and Natural CXL)
My dad had one wallet that he has had since the 80’s ..it was sooo old and had a bunch of holes so it was slowly falling apart
Oh bummer! Maybe it can be repaired? You might want to bring it to a local cobbler to see if they can fix it. There is a magic to old wallets!
Could you please clarify if the subject undergoes a waxing process or if the observed changes occur naturally?
Great question. The patina you see on natural shell cordovan in this video is from normal wear. No additional polish was applied to get the darker patina effect. There is wax tanned into the leather.
Forgive me if this is a stupid question, but i have a raw natural shell cordovan wallet. Will it ever be as glossy as treated shell cordovan?
Yes I do expect it to get as shiny (potentially) as a traditional shell. The raw shell wears in really well!
Do you have one that has 12 or more card slots?
Of the wallets we make, the Long Wallet has the most card slots with 12. This is more of a briefcase wallet. We also have the Johnny the Fox which has 8 card slots.
can black leather get patina?
It depends on the leather and finishing. In the case of black shell cordovan: it does not change color but the luster does develop in layers. On something like Horween's Chromexcel leather, the black is finished on top of natural so the scuffs and scratches reveal a lighter under tone. It develops in a very interesting way
What would happen to black shell cordovan?
The black shell cordovan does not seem to change color ever. It does change a bit with the luster. I see it develop in layers.
@@AshlandLeather thanks
I wanna eat those wallets
Why god WHY??? No wonder a man can’t save any money!!
Idk it just looks like an old wallet to me.