Using Vegetable Oil?

[Starman]

Hello all,

I'm brand spanking new to the site, and only very recently began trying to do some leather work, so go easy on me! I hope this is in the right place.

I was advised that I could use a readily available vegetable oil to saturate and soak a belt made of shoulder leather in order to make it extremely soft and flexible. It would take a while to get all the excess oil out, but once that's done, you're left with an extremely flexible leather that will not dry out.

I was hoping to get some feedback from the pros here on whether or not this was a good idea, before I committed to it!

Thanks for your feedback!

[mlapaglia]

What kind of leather are you starting with and what thickness?

. As far as I know its never a good idea to over saturate any leather with any oil. If you want to restore some leather you can use olive oil or neets foot oil. Vegetable oil can be any combination of oils and not always the same from the same manufacturer.

If you want really flexible leather get leather from the neck or the belly. I am sure there are other things that can be done and there are people here that can tell you but I would not soak any leather in vegetable oil. I wouldnt soak leather in any oil. Only use as much as you need.

[Randy Cornelius]

Hello all,

I'm brand spanking new to the site, and only very recently began trying to do some leather work, so go easy on me! I hope this is in the right place.

I was advised that I could use a readily available vegetable oil to saturate and soak a belt made of shoulder leather in order to make it extremely soft and flexible. It would take a while to get all the excess oil out, but once that's done, you're left with an extremely flexible leather that will not dry out.

I was hoping to get some feedback from the pros here on whether or not this was a good idea, before I committed to it!

Thanks for your feedback!

If you are dealing with Vegetable tan leather, yes you can use 100% pure vegetable oil or Olive oil to treat the leather. But soaking it will not necessarly make it etremely flexible. When replacing sturrip leathers I will soak the leathers before replacing them as it is very hard to oil them up where they go up through the tree. But after a good soaking they will be somewhat flexible but not like I think you are wanting. I have stopped using neatsfoot oil becasue of the issues with it being different from one manufacturer to another. I would suggest using Lexol conditioner, I use this to soften old leather to bring some life back to it.

Randy

[Jordan]

Veg oil will go rancid eventually, regular olive oil will not

[Starman]

What kind of leather are you starting with and what thickness?

. As far as I know its never a good idea to over saturate any leather with any oil. If you want to restore some leather you can use olive oil or neets foot oil. Vegetable oil can be any combination of oils and not always the same from the same manufacturer.

If you want really flexible leather get leather from the neck or the belly. I am sure there are other things that can be done and there are people here that can tell you but I would not soak any leather in vegetable oil. I wouldnt soak leather in any oil. Only use as much as you need.

I was looking at a working a couple of different thicknesses, actually: 3/4 oz as well as 5/6 oz. It's either the shoulder or belly, not sure.

I tried using neatsfoots oil, but it didn't seem to make a noticeable difference to me. Why do you say not to saturate the oil? I've been experimenting with small pieces of the leather, and aside from a lot of excess oil, saturating it seems to work better than just coating it and reapplying it. When I really fold and squeeze the saturated leather, it responds well, without 'cracking' or 'marking' the leather at all. Is there something else I'm missing?

[Starman]

Veg oil will go rancid eventually, regular olive oil will not

Excellent advice, Thank you!

Also, when dying the leather, does it make a difference whether it's dyed before or after coating it in olive oil?

[Jordan]

I have always dyed first and finished any edges (burnish) then a light coating of olive oil (not extra virgin unless you like the stronger odor) and buff it real good. Apply more coats for darker and softer finish. Also darkens in direct sunlight. There are many ways to do stuff, this one makes me happy.

[mlapaglia]

I was looking at a working a couple of different thicknesses, actually: 3/4 oz as well as 5/6 oz. It's either the shoulder or belly, not sure.

I tried using neatsfoots oil, but it didn't seem to make a noticeable difference to me. Why do you say not to saturate the oil? I've been experimenting with small pieces of the leather, and aside from a lot of excess oil, saturating it seems to work better than just coating it and reapplying it. When I really fold and squeeze the saturated leather, it responds well, without 'cracking' or 'marking' the leather at all. Is there something else I'm missing?

Not soaking new leather in oil is just what I have been told by people I respect. I could be wrong. I knew vegetable oil was wrong just could not remember last night why. As stated it goes rancid. I cant imagine how long it would take to get the excess oil out of a large piece of leather that was new and soaked. You would not want your product leaving oil stains on your customers clothing or furniture.

If you want super supple and flexible leather in 3/4 try this from Springfield leather. I just got some and its amazingly flexible and soft. I just got some and its unbelievable how flexible and soft it is.

[Starman]

Not soaking new leather in oil is just what I have been told by people I respect. I could be wrong. I knew vegetable oil was wrong just could not remember last night why. As stated it goes rancid. I cant imagine how long it would take to get the excess oil out of a large piece of leather that was new and soaked. You would not want your product leaving oil stains on your customers clothing or furniture.

If you want super supple and flexible leather in 3/4 try this from Springfield leather. I just got some and its amazingly flexible and soft. I just got some and its unbelievable how flexible and soft it is.

I have been given quite a lot of advice from people I know, but often they can't provide the reasons behind the decisions. I too have heard that vegetable oil will eventually go rancid, but at the same time, some here have shared that they've used it, and have never had that happen...(apparently Olive Oil doesn't go bad, though)

Thanks for the link to Springfield; i'll try them out.

Edited December 18, 2011 by Starman

[ChuckBurrows]

Why do you say not to saturate the oil? I've been experimenting with small pieces of the leather, and aside from a lot of excess oil, saturating it seems to work better than just coating it and reapplying it. When I really fold and squeeze the saturated leather, it responds well, without 'cracking' or 'marking' the leather at all. Is there something else I'm missing?

Plain and simply over oiling leather WILL damage the leather by breaking down the cell walls - veg/bark tan leather should never be more than about 20% oil. In general all oils will eventually evaporate from the leather no matter how saturated - it's the nature of the beast so to speak. Some oils/conditioners like Lexol have been processed to considerably slow that evaporation, but even they will eventually dry out - so proper cleaning and re-condtioning are necessary to maintain the health of your leather goods.

As for using regular olive oil rather than extra virgin - sorry but you are mistaken - only cold pressed EVOO will not go rancid (although actually ANY oil, either veg, mineral, or animal can go rancid given the proper circumstances i.e heat and moisture are the biggies along with smog). Regular olive oil and most other veg oils are heated in the processing and it's that heat during the process that contributes to rancidity.

re: neatsfoot oil - since the 1930's the majority is made from re-processed hog lard not from neats' feet (the lower leg section of young cattle). Lexol is a synthetic version of whale oil and is generally an excellecnt conditioner but even it can be over applied.

IMO - If you want good flexible leather that stays that way use either latigo or chrome tan although neither can be tooled.....

all my comments are based on 50 years of research as well as repairs which can be THE best teacher of what can and will go wrong whan dealing with leather.

Edited December 19, 2011 by ChuckBurrows

[abn]

Hi, Starman:

I agree with Chuck. If you're interested in a soft, pliant leather, you should be looking at latigo or chrome-tanned leather. Trying to turn ordinary veg-tan into something different by over-oiling is not optimal. All you'll accomplish is creating a belt that's weak and prone to stretch, and one that weeps oil and stains clothes.

Keep in mind that a belt should have a good measure of rigidity, anyway. Belts are load-bearing and subject to stress. Soft leathers will stretch, or the holes will enlarge. Neither situation helps keep your pants up. As such, I'd steer clear of soft, chrome-tanned leather and probably focus on latigo. If you visit your nearest Tandy Leather Factory store, I'm sure the manager would be happy to show you all of the different kinds of leather and explain how each is used.

Good luck, and welcome to LW.net!

Best, -Alex