What applicator do you use to apply pure Neatsfoot oil to grain and flesh side?

[jasonsmith]

2 minutes ago, fredk said:

1. warning, about warming. Heating the oil up in a microwave COOKS it. It warms up ok but each time its heated in a microwave it cooks. Bestest is to heat a jug of water in the micro then put your jar of NFO into that. The NFO doesn't need to be super-hot, just hot enough to flow nicely

What I had planned to do is I have new small tupperware containers with lids. My plan was each time I make a new piece, I'd pour some of the neatsfoot into the tupperware, and then microwave that like 10 seconds or something. But I could just fill the sink up with hot water and set the container on the water with the lid on as it would float on top of the water and heat it up that way I guess.

How long do you normally leave the neatsfoot in hot water before you use it?

[fredk]

1. NFO is fats & oils. Cooking breaks own the integrity of the fats. Not exactly the same, put an egg in a micro for 10 sec. See how that changes, and 10 sec will hardly warm it

2. A jam jar 1/2 or 1/3 full of NFO placed in a jug of near boiling water should take just a few minutes to heat up. Do this whilst preparing your leather to receive its nutrition and you won't notice the time

Edited December 1, 2023 by fredk

[jasonsmith]

10 minutes ago, fredk said:

1. NFO is fats & oils. Cooking breaks own the integrity of the fats. Not exactly the same, put an egg in a micro for 10 sec. See how that changes, and 10 sec will hardly warm it

2. A jam jar 1/2 or 1/3 full of NFO placed in a jug of near boiling water should take just a few minutes to heat up. Do this whilst preparing your leather to receive its nutrition and you won't notice the time

Thanks. What I'll do is run hot water in the sink and let it sit in there for several minutes. The water going to my sink can get pretty hot.

Just wondering. When you do Neatsfoot, are you putting it on both sides of the leather, or do you just do one side? And what applicator do you use? i.e. a tshirt?

[fredk]

1. Just on the flesh side

2. I often use a 1/2 inch paint bush

3. Be careful;  its too easy to put too much on. Too much NFO is near impossible to remove and then your work is ruined. Use very little. Depending on the size of your piece one or two brush fulls, in the centre, should be sufficient  You want to see it disappear. Its there, working deep inside the leather

[jrdunn]

1 hour ago, jasonsmith said:

Thanks. What I'll do is run hot water in the sink and let it sit in there for several minutes. The water going to my sink can get pretty hot.

Just wondering. When you do Neatsfoot, are you putting it on both sides of the leather, or do you just do one side? And what applicator do you use? i.e. a tshirt?

Just an FYI, very hot tap water is in the 110-130 F range.  Water boils at 210 F.  That's a pretty big difference.  I usually only put NFO on the grain side.  It quite a bit easier to get too much on the flesh side(more absorbent).  I also put it on before dying.  It helps prevent blotches.  Probably not an issue with black.  JM2C, Jim

[Handstitched]

I just use scraps of  (trimmed)  sheep skin cut into about 2-3" squares, for NF oil, dyes, and sealers  etc.. A few fibres are not that much of an issue, they come right off. 

The NF oil that I have  is a bit thick, so, I just thin it out with a little bit of metho , works fine    Theres no way I'll be heating it up , too dangerous . 

HS 

[jasonsmith]

5 minutes ago, Handstitched said:

I just use scraps of  (trimmed)  sheep skin cut into about 2-3" squares, for NF oil, dyes, and sealers  etc.. A few fibres are not that much of an issue, they come right off. 

The NF oil that I have  is a bit thick, so, I just thin it out with a little bit of metho , works fine    Theres no way I'll be heating it up , too dangerous . 

HS 

The Neatsfoot oil I have is the Feibing's pure. I originally got the Compound but then read of people saying not to use that version. So I took it back and exchanged it.

I've been using sponge painters brush to do the dye, but I get some streaks, and so want to be able to do circular method. And so will probably switch over the pieces of wool or something similar where I think you are less likely to get streaks. Not sure if I'd use the wool for the sealer as I'd think you'd get the fibers stuck in the sealer. Last time I did leather work, I used sponge painters brush to do the sealer.

[bruce johnson]

 fine nap paint roller. Roll off as much excess as you can it seems like the right amount for each coat to me. Goes on pretty even without swirl or overlap marks. My wife uses a clipped woolskin scrap pad on single projects. . 

[jasonsmith]

49 minutes ago, bruce johnson said:

 fine nap paint roller. Roll off as much excess as you can it seems like the right amount for each coat to me. Goes on pretty even without swirl or overlap marks. My wife uses a clipped woolskin scrap pad on single projects. . 

I looked it up and I may pick one up to try out as it's not too expensive. I think what I'd do is get two trays. And pour some oil in one tray to soak the roller. And then use the 2nd tray to squeeze out the oil so the roller isn't soaked in oil. Maybe I'd use some kraft paper to roll off the excess oil before rolling it on the leather.

As a roller would work out I think since my leather pieces are cut from a 12" x 12" piece of leather. Just curious, when you apply Neatsfoot oil. Do you apply it to both sides, or just one side? I'm thinking of maybe just doing the grain side as I know the flesh side can be tricky messing with. As I'll be dying mine black, but it can sometimes come out uneven where I'm hoping the Neatsfoot would darken it more and even it out some.

I did learn from a mistake. I cut all the slits for my spots, then dyed the flesh side. And did the Tokonole with glass on the flesh side. And I think the Tokonole got through the slits and made the black dye on the grain side to all weird looking in the areas around the slits. So that piece is ruined.

Next piece I do, I'm going to dye the flesh side, do the Tokonole and smooth with glass, and then I'll dye the grain side, do the Neatsfoot, then punch my slits and punch my holes and finish it with a top coat on the grain side. And after I cut it all out, I'll have to dye the edges and maybe wipe on some Tokonole on the edges just to seal off the dye.

[jasonsmith]

I came across this foam roller at Wal-Mart in the hobby section. The foam is 3/8" thick on one side. Might could do well as a way to dye larger pieces of leather. Though may lose die to the foam unless you could squish it out and back into the bottle via a funnel. But will experiment using it to spread a thin layer of pure neats foot oil on the grain side a day or so after dying:

Hello Hobby 2 Pc Foam Paint Brush Set with Handle, 2.25" - Walmart.com