aarondhgraham
New member
Hello Captain Charlie,,,
That's just good advice all around.
Neatsfoot oil compound has petroleum products in it,,,
Makes it cheaper to produce but is hard on linen and cotton threads,,,
It doesn't seem to be all that harsh on nylon thread but it is still an inferior product.
To all you good folk who say never oil your leather,,
I would like to emend your statement a bit.
Never oil your leather too heavily.
Leather must have oil introduced into the fibers to prevent them from breaking,,,
Especially if the leather has been water formed or heavily tooled,,,
When I finish a saddle I paint the warm oil on it with a brush,,,
I will apply oil to the entire saddle letting it soak in,,,
Then I will do it two more times.
Eventually that saddle will have soaked up more than a full pint of oil.
That's the last time that ever needs to be done,,, Ever!
From then on cleaning it with saddle soap will keep a surface condition,,,
Once a year a light (very light) surface application of neatsfoot oil will keep it supple.
The problem is that when someone hears "oil your leather",,,
They slop the oil on like suntan lotion,,,
It only needs a light surface film,,,
It will soak in in a days time.
There are a lot of good products out there,,,
Lexol, Dr. Jackson's Rejuvenator, etc,,,
But pure neatsfoot oil is just fine,,,
Just don't overdo it.
Aarond.
P.S. Just in case anyone is wondering,,,
I am a graduate of two saddle making schools.
Pleasant Valley School of Saddle Making,,,
Associates Degree in Shoe, Boot, and Saddle from Oklahoma State University at Okmulgee.
Honestly, I'm not trying to brag, just to show that in this case,,,
I really do know what I am talking about.
.
That's just good advice all around.
Neatsfoot oil compound has petroleum products in it,,,
Makes it cheaper to produce but is hard on linen and cotton threads,,,
It doesn't seem to be all that harsh on nylon thread but it is still an inferior product.
To all you good folk who say never oil your leather,,
I would like to emend your statement a bit.
Never oil your leather too heavily.
Leather must have oil introduced into the fibers to prevent them from breaking,,,
Especially if the leather has been water formed or heavily tooled,,,
When I finish a saddle I paint the warm oil on it with a brush,,,
I will apply oil to the entire saddle letting it soak in,,,
Then I will do it two more times.
Eventually that saddle will have soaked up more than a full pint of oil.
That's the last time that ever needs to be done,,, Ever!
From then on cleaning it with saddle soap will keep a surface condition,,,
Once a year a light (very light) surface application of neatsfoot oil will keep it supple.
The problem is that when someone hears "oil your leather",,,
They slop the oil on like suntan lotion,,,
It only needs a light surface film,,,
It will soak in in a days time.
There are a lot of good products out there,,,
Lexol, Dr. Jackson's Rejuvenator, etc,,,
But pure neatsfoot oil is just fine,,,
Just don't overdo it.
Aarond.
P.S. Just in case anyone is wondering,,,
I am a graduate of two saddle making schools.
Pleasant Valley School of Saddle Making,,,
Associates Degree in Shoe, Boot, and Saddle from Oklahoma State University at Okmulgee.
Honestly, I'm not trying to brag, just to show that in this case,,,
I really do know what I am talking about.
.