I recently came by a used 12 leather case. Not thrilled by some of the photos people have posted regarding the wearing in/patina for the 12 series of leather cases, I decided to roll the bones and see what I can do with supplies I already have.
I started with citrasolve and a paper towel, in lieu of Tub o’ Towels, and managed to remove some of the paint like finish. This worked, but was a bit of a slog. The dark areas are wet from the case being rinsed with water. Once it dried it was less noticeable.
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Next I took a 2”x2” pad of white scotchbrite, citrasolve and enough hot water to keep the pad wet and began slowly working in an up/down pattern on the case. This worked better and resulted in the removal of most of the finish. The case is wet from being rinsed off with warm water. I patted if dry with a towel. I then applied Kiwi saddle soap and wiped it off. The saddle soap has lanolin which I thought would be good for the leather as it dried.
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This is how it now looks having dried overnight. Note that it’s possible to see a dark ring where the MagSafe is located. This leather is THIN.
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My next steps are undetermined but I’m thinking I’ll use a bit of coffee to darken it up and then buff beeswax into the leather. I’m open to other suggestions, if someone has ideas of finishes or sealants. The leather feels dry now so I feel like it needs something to protect it from drying out and cracking.