Cleaning up an old sling?

Spade Cooley · December 10, 2007, 10:59 PM

I ordered a sling for my Sweedish Mauser. The sling arrived and has a waxy substance in places covering it. It is also all over the metal and brass. Some of it has turned blue green. What is a safe way to remove this goop without hurting the sling.

I only ask because I had a bad experience once trying to clean up and old dried up sling. The sling was on an old 50/70 trap door rifle. I put a leather conditioner on it and the sling turned hard and crumbled. It was a sad case of someone wanting to do good and ruining a piece of history.

rb8941 · December 13, 2007, 10:58 AM

Check it by using it on some unobtrusive spot first but I've always found saddle soap to be great for cleaning leather. As for the metal, again check bye using a tiny bit on an unobtrusive spot first, but flitz or a similar paste cleaner will usually do the job.

December 10, 2007, 10:59 PM	#1
Spade Cooley Junior member Join Date: June 24, 2007 Posts: 296	Cleaning up an old sling? I ordered a sling for my Sweedish Mauser. The sling arrived and has a waxy substance in places covering it. It is also all over the metal and brass. Some of it has turned blue green. What is a safe way to remove this goop without hurting the sling. I only ask because I had a bad experience once trying to clean up and old dried up sling. The sling was on an old 50/70 trap door rifle. I put a leather conditioner on it and the sling turned hard and crumbled. It was a sad case of someone wanting to do good and ruining a piece of history.

December 13, 2007, 10:58 AM	#2
rb8941 Junior Member Join Date: December 6, 2007 Posts: 8	Check it by using it on some unobtrusive spot first but I've always found saddle soap to be great for cleaning leather. As for the metal, again check bye using a tiny bit on an unobtrusive spot first, but flitz or a similar paste cleaner will usually do the job.