Boredom is it's own reward...

After cleaning and Pledging the outside of a "new" bellows, I thought it was time to treat the inside. Being hot and not in a rush for anything, I stopped for a minute and read the back of the "Son of a Gun" spray bottle... For the first time!

Everything sounds good. Silicon, lubricates, protects, etc... Should be fine for cloth as that's just tiny fibers that rub together and need lubrication and protection from water and UV rays... Then I read the warnings. I'll do that sometimes when I'm bored In the short list of things NOT to spray SoaG on (like brake pads!) is _fabric_... Last time I checked, fabric was cloth...

I've never thought twice about using SoaG on cloth. All the cloths I've used to wipe down SoaG were perfectly okay afterwards. But they say not to do it...

So, this brought the question up in my mind. What to use to protect and preserve cloth, especially cotton. The insides of bellows get a lot of wear and they do dry out and become inflexible. What would be good to use on them?

Must be something around because all those old antique cars had cloth seat covers in them, not to mention old furniture, and a host of other antique items...

Anyone else ever think of this???

How about Scotchgard®? I had heard awhile back that they were pulling it off the market, but I'm sure I've seen it since then.

Funny thing, the same thing my wife said

I've used Scotchguard to make some things water repelant. Somehow I had the impression that it was not a product that was actually good for the material. Maybe those tiny crystals I saw after application?

I suppose I'll have to break down and read the can

I think you're right about it going off the market, but I think it was reformulated and brought back. I remember something about the new stuff being almost as good as the original...

i have had a couple of cameras with cloth bellows (large) but with cardboard stiffeners for form. a couple had fraying wear on edges from a lot of flexing. apart from this i think the most important thing is to protect from moisture. for more radical treatment i suggest contacting conservation dept of a museum.hope this helps