neatsfoot oil - how much is too much?

[el_pipou]

Hi,

I have owned a couple pairs of cowboy boots for about a year and have been conditioning them with only neatsfoot oil.

The boots I got have usually been offered to someone a few years ago, this person then wore them a couple times and let them sit in a shoebox for years. So technically they're almost unworn, but rather dry (not to the point of getting cracks however)

(if you wonder why I choose that kind of boots its because I get them for about 30 bucks whereas Id have to pay hundreds otherwise wich I cant afford)

winter is coming, and I dont want my boots to get dry because of wet-dry cycles, or to rot...

they dont seem to ever get enough oil, whenever I apply some, they drink it up in seconds if not instantly. wich to me would seem to indicate that they are way too dry and need more oil. however im a newbie and im afraid of ruining a perfectly fine pair of boots because of my ignorance.

how to know when there is enough oil? should I keep oiling until the oil stays on the surface for a few minutes? what happens if I over-use oil?

ps: how the leather feels to the touch ; definitely not dry, but firm.

 

Edited Monday at 11:38 PM by el_pipou

[fredk]

Its very hard to judge the right amount

39 minutes ago, el_pipou said:

how to know when there is enough oil? should I keep oiling until the oil stays on the surface for a few minutes? what happens if I over-use oil?

That is definitely too much. Too much can surely ruin a pair of boots

To limit how much NFO I'm putting on I have a NFO/bees wax/carnauba wax mix that I apply all over. I let that sit a while then I buff the waxes to a semi-glossy shine. I've never had anything so dry that it needs more than one NFO/wax application. Perhaps in your case, another coating in a weeks time, then another after another week should see it getting enough feed

 

[Dwight]

Neatsfoot oil is meant to replace the oil that was latent in the original hide.

It is very easy to get too much in there  . . . kids usually do that with their baseball gloves . . . thinking sloppy and floppy will catch a ball better 

It don't.

My oiling is done with a cheap 1 inch pig hair paint brush from Harbor freight.

I put it on quickly . . . just enough to see it is wet . . . and quit.  The "wet" stage disappears very quickly . . . 

My item will be just barely noticeably darker the next day.  Usually only determined by putting a piece of the original leather up to the oiled one . . . squinting a bit . . . to find a difference .

May God bless,

Dwight

[bruce johnson]

Less is more and reapply as needed. Think of leather like that dry stiff kitchen sponge. Like a sponge, there are little gaps between the fibers. A dry sponge is stiff. Add a little moisture and it absorbs - some swelling of fibers and some remaining in those gaps.  The sponge is now soft and flexible. This is the place with oiling leather to usually stop. Yes you can add more and it will take it - just like the sponge. And just like the sponge - add too much and it drips back out. The sponge actually loses a little "body" and gets floppy - just like over-oiled leather. 

Oil is not a waterproofer. If you are worried about weather effects then you need something else. One brand is SnowSeal. My granddad and uncle fought over grandma's goose grease, Mink Oil paste, there's a bunch. 

[Northmount]

14 hours ago, el_pipou said:

I have owned a couple pairs of cowboy boots for about a year and have been conditioning them with only neatsfoot oil.

I moved your post to Dyes, Antiques, Stains, Glues, Waxes, Finishes and Conditioners.