Ashland Leather's Shell Cordovan scratch maintenance guide

Through normal use scratches and scuffs will lighten and diminish without any manual intervention. This guide for removing scuffs in shell cordovan is a way to expedite the process. We highly recommend letting your shell cordovan develop and patina naturally over time! But if you find you have some scratches that you want to remove immediately, and if the Ashland simple shell cordovan polishing method doesn't give you the results you want, try this more focused method to remove any major scuffs!


For this demo, we scratched the outside of one of our used Whiskey Shell Cordovan Fat Herbies with a key.

First thing to do is quickly brush your wallet with a fine horsehair brush to remove dirt and start to warm up the natural oils in the leather.

Next, apply a small amount of polish or paste wax on the scuffed or scratched area.







Use a smooth object (the back side of a spoon, deer polishing bone, or glass) and rub the scratched area. Remember to support the wallet with your hand, or place it on a soft cloth, so you don't accidentally scratch the back of it with the surface of a rough table.







Buff off excess wax or polish with a dry cloth.

Repeat applying polish/wax, smoothing, and buffing out as needed.

Give a quick, final brushing and enjoy!