Cleaning up an old sling?

[Spade Cooley]

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]

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.