# Softening the Oberon...



## akpak (Mar 5, 2009)

For those of you who got stiffer Oberon covers, what have you done to loosen it up?

My River Garden is bending back further after some use, but I'd still like the rest of it to be more "buttery"


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## KindleKay (aka #1652) (Jan 20, 2009)

My Tree of Life was only a *bit* stiff....I would just fold it back and kind of squish the fold while I was reading...seemed to work.  My new Dragonfly Pond I got yesterday needs some squishing, too...


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

Mine was a few months old when I received it with my KK. I guess just regular use, because it was perfect when it got here.


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## bordercollielady (Nov 21, 2008)

I just received my Red RG (without the felt) yesterday and it bends back fine.. I wonder if they are trying to fix the problem.  I am a happy camper now - I can hold it folded back without the feel of the felt on my fingers.


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## Linda Cannon-Mott (Oct 28, 2008)

akjak said:


> For those of you who got stiffer Oberon covers, what have you done to loosen it up?
> 
> My River Garden is bending back further after some use, but I'd still like the rest of it to be more "buttery"


akjak that will happen naturally with time, the more you handle it the softer it gets. The natural oil from your hands softens it also. Usually when reading I am working the spine with my fingers but my RG was folding back flat after 2 to 3 days . Think of a new pair of leather shoes when you first get them and 4 to 6 months later.


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

I can't say my Dragonfly Pond was stiff, but it certainly was stiffer than it is after a week+ of playing with it.  I'm another fold pincher, constantly mucking about with the fold while I'm reading.  I've also taken the K2 out of it several times & pinched the spine with it in the closed position.  Because mine wasn't stiff to begin with and would stay in the folded back position on its own, I left it that way overnight most nights when I finished reading.  The last few days, I've been closing it again when I go to bed--it was starting to show a tendency to prefer staying folded back. 

So I'd say just keep working at it!  Mine is now downright floppy when it's opened.


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## nelamvr6 (Jan 29, 2009)

Just bending it over time will soften it up nicely.

I put some "Leather Amore" leather dressing on my last one as soon as I got it.

If you dress your leather once or twice a year it will last literally for generations!


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## L.Canton (Jan 21, 2009)

The leather itself will soften with time, and I'm sure you could purchase a leather conditioner as well to help soften it faster.


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## akpak (Mar 5, 2009)

So you guys have only been "conditioning" your fold... not the rest of it then?


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## nelamvr6 (Jan 29, 2009)

I dress all my leather twice a year.  All of it, in the car, the sofa, the Kindle cover, all of it.


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## Guest (Mar 25, 2009)

Got my ROH on Monday and it folds back beautifully. Maybe try taking the plastic stiffeners out and see if that helps?


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

akjak said:


> So you guys have only been "conditioning" your fold... not the rest of it then?


I'll probably use an actual leather conditioner on the whole thing (I need a good one for our couch anyway!), but from a folding back perspective, yes, I've only been working the spine area. But...I don't have a wraparound design on mine, Pond only has tooling on the front. With a full wrap design, I'd probably spend at least some time with the Kindle out of the cover & the stiffeners removed temporarily, working each part of it with my hands to loosen it up. Possibly over a dowel or rolling pin? That way, any wrinkles that might occur as part of the softening process would be over the whole thing, and wouldn't adversely affect the design in the spine section.

I don't think though that the full wrap designs are ever going to be as butter soft as the non wraps. The processing of the leather really does seem to harden it a bit, and I just can't see the heavily tooled areas being as flexible as the original leather.

Gee, I guess I'll have to get one for myself just to see, right?


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

Copied from the Oberon site:
General Care:
Try to avoid leaving your leather journal or leather accessory in direct sunlight, like the dashboard of your car when it's 99 degrees in the shade. The color will fade, and along with pen marks you swore you'd never, whoops, make, these conditions are difficult to correct. Promise us you will never use paint thinner or other chemicals to remove marks or spots. They will lighten the color and make a small spot worse.

Dry or scuffed appearance:
Small scuffs can be remedied by simply rubbing them with your finger. A light, even coating of 'Leather Lotion', a product available in most shoe repair shops, can be applied. The application of any cream or oil will darken the color of leather. Never use gooey stuff like Mink Oil, Neats Foot Oil or oily dressings.

Dirt or food stains:
So you let your peanut butter and jelly sandwich drip into the surface of your leather journal. After a few weeks of pristine care it is bound to happen. Here are some tips: try removing spots with the light touch of a clean eraser. Don't go wild. For tough jobs, dampen a soft cotton cloth with plain water. Rub the spot, then the whole surface, so that the moisture is consistent. It will look mottled at first but should dry just fine.


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