Mineral oil bad for leather? Or good? Or neutral?

[deboardp]

2 hours ago, SUP said:

@deboardpLOL believe me, we all have the bit about forgetting things. My husband refuses to allow me to keep things away 'safely'; it becomes 'safe' from ever being found again. So I get what you're saying.

Good to hear your prayers were answered. That will give hope to many who need it and read your post. Thank you for talking about it.

About Lanolin, I know unfortunately that many are allergic to it, my husband being one of them. But he seems to tolerate it well in my conditioner, which is simple. 

It just has Lanolin, Beeswax and mineral oil. If I want a wax it is more of the Lanolin and beeswax with a bit of carnauba wax added in for more shine, the rest being the oil. If I want a balm, more of the oil and less of the other ingredients. I usually keep changing the proportions depending on the season when I make it. So more solid ingredients in summer and vice versa in winter. The mineral oil restores color and brings a warm shine to the leather, which I like. In fact, a mix of beeswax and mineral oil can be used to bring back an shine and restore color after conditioning with other products, f desired.  I still like it better than other oils. If I have a bad experience with it, I will change the oil that I use and post it here as well.

The D-Limonene I get off Amazon. I add it last and  I just add about 10-12 drops for a small batch of conditioner - about 250 ml liquified. I just add it, stirring, until I get a strength of smell that I like.

Cod liver oil I plan to order - does it have to be Norwegian?

No, but this place uses a thorough ten step filtration process that removes heavy metals and even the fish smell, which seems to be quite a feat. 

Edited December 30, 2023 by deboardp

[fredk]

K.I.S.S.

My end of year report

All the pieces, bar one, together. This is how they were kept in the car. Temps varied from 6.5*c at night to a max of 24.5*c during the day.  Any curling evened out and they all flattened. Each piece received two coats of its oil, at approx at 2 week interval. I'll be applying another coat of it oil tomorrow and getting them back in the car

None show any fungus and the car is a ripe place for it to grow. The car is full of cardboard boxes and there is a certain amount of dampness.

Front;

Reverse; in the same order as the front picture

The flexibility and smell on each piece was judged by me and rated out of 5.  Colour is judged the same with the explanation I'm colour blind  so I can say little on that.

0 being the control pieces 

0 to 5 in flexibility = 0, no change to 5 very stiff.  

In all the photos the test piece is on the left, top right is a control piece which was kept in my leather room and bottom right is the control kept with the test pieces

Test piece in car; Flex = (-)1, S = strong leather, C = blotchy light tan

1.Baby Oil;  Flex =  (-)1, S = 0, C = Dark tan

2. Cooking oil; Flex = (-)1, S = Very slightly leather, C = Dark tan

3. Lard (pig fats based); Flex = 0, S = Slightly leather, C = Light tan

4. NFO Compound; Flex = (-)1, S = 0, C = Dark tan

5. Olive oil; Flex = (-)1, S = Very slightly leather, C = Dark tan

6. 3-in-1 oil; Flex = 1, S = very slight 3-in-1 oil, C = Dark Tan

7. Vaseline; Flex = 2, S = very, very slightly leather, C = Very light tan

The photographs exaggerate the blotchiness.

So far, I would be happy applying some of these instead of dyeing, especially #1 to #5

Edited December 31, 2023 by fredk

[SUP]

Good, detailed report @fredk.

I missed showing the backs of the leather pieces, which you have done. I should include that the next time. 

I love how dark the ones treated with cooking oil and NFO compound are. Like you said, good to use in place of dyeing. 

Which cooking oil did you use? 

 

 

[fredk]

Cooking oil is rape seed oil. I shud have put that

Edited December 31, 2023 by fredk

[SUP]

Thank you @fredk  I will add that to my list of "oils I can use to darken leather instead of using dye" 

 

 

[fredk]

3 Monthly Report; A bit late

I had to check when I started, I thought it was later than 10/1

As of 1/1/24, 3 months on, none of the pieces have gone rancid or smell bad. Some smell of nothing at all. No sign of any fungal growth

The first set were re-oiled and put back in the windscreen of the car on 1/1/24

I never did a second set but I will do them in about a months time. They will be for hanging up outside

[chuck123wapati]

mine is about the same temp in the green house is in the low 40s, no visible changes, no smells.

[deboardp]

On 9/19/2023 at 12:42 AM, ScottWolf said:

As to mineral oil or Parafin wax, Liquid Parrafin or any of the other names used for it in other locations, its all the same, a petroleum derived product. Mineral oil itself is not a leather conditioner like Tallow or neatsfoot, etc, it is a barrier, in that it keeps moisture in, which is why its used extensively in women's skin care products, cosmetics, etc. It can be used as a solvent in a product, as it dissolves other ingredients and is also considered a cleaning agent  as it will break down sebum  and cosmetic residue on peoples skin. For leather, its great for sealing moisture in and works best as a finishing product, after the leather has been conditioned,  and it also adds a polish or shine to the leather.

Well, it may not be great, I don't know, but this is what Carl Friedrik has to say about it:

https://www.carlfriedrik.com/magazine/best-oil-for-leather

"In our test, we applied baby oil (which is perfumed mineral oil) to a leather wallet and, as expected, a sheen quickly developed. The leather also became softer. While these are both welcome traits, the long-term effects of using mineral oil are extremely detrimental to leather.

Unlike natural oils, mineral oil is occlusive, meaning it forms a protective layer over surfaces that it comes into contact with and prevents moisture from escaping. When moisture becomes trapped within leather, dry rot sets in and this accelerates the deterioration of the fibres. So while mineral oil might appear a practical, inexpensive solution for leather care, the reality is more nuanced. Loss of colour and reduced durability are two common effects of frequent use."

 

[SUP]

Firstly no offense meant to anyone here. 

Carl Friedrik? He sells ready made leather items and leather creams, doesn't he? I  take all that such people say with a pinch of salt. Besides, "loss of color"? Quite the contrary, in fact. Mineral oil is known to restore color and it is used 50% with beeswax to do just that and to restore a shine.

There is not one item out there which is praised to the skies by someone for its efficacy in conditioning leather and which is also not  soundly disparaged by someone else as worthless. Whom do we believe? Ego the need for our experiment. 

From what I see out there, so many seems to disparage everything except what they themselves sell or themselves use and are convinced is good.  Not seen any real proof yet. Maybe 10 or more years from now, those of us who are alive or those who carry on will be able to make definitive statements about the items we are testing.

All the oils and waxes only act as occlusives or lubricants. Mineral oil acts as a lubricant too. Nothing gets 'absorbed'. Just lubricates. We need to see the entire picture to know what is finally good together on leather. At what stage do we add waxes, when to use oils or both or neither. As @chuck123wapati said a few comments ago, the extent of hydration of leather will be about that of the surroundings. So when the humidity is about 50%, which is ideal, if our leather is not already dehydrated and dry,  if we use lubricants and then occlusives, it would work well, is it not? If the leather is dry or even if it is not, we could dampen the leather and rub in waxes, forming emulsions as you said @deboardp, which when the water dries, leaves the leather soft. A good occlusive like mineral oil can be pre-added or applied later. Resolene or Mop & Glo or any similar finish would then protect the leather..

Earlier, it was just people in localized areas sharing their experiences. Now it is world-wide and we can get so much more information. In this case, at least for me, it has simplified everything, once I separated the chaff from the grain. Hydration? always water, world over. Lubricants? Different, depending on what  is available easily. Occlusives? The same. Finishes. Ditto.  All finally giving the same result - soft, healthy, beautiful leather!

 

Edited January 9, 2024 by SUP

[SUP]

Checked my leather pieces. No mold or smell on any of them either.