New To Leather Work "finishing Leather"

[johnggrg]

Ok I am new to leather work and have only done a couple projects so far. My current project is a slip on shoulder pad for my rifle sling. My question is this. Would Mink oil be enough to protect the leather. Haven't gotten in to dying as of yet so. So this would be raw leather with JUST mink oil. I did this to a wallet I just made and it darkened it but seems really dull. So that is why I am asking if the mink oil would be enough to protect it. I am not to concerned with a shine but after looking at the wallet makes me wonder if it is protected enough. Any help would be greatly apreciated. Thank you. John

[TwinOaks]

For your slip on sling pad, I suggest foregoing any type of oil treatment if all you're going after is a pad. If you were to make one from tooling leather, it would require some type of weather resistant finish, to be sure. For the pad, I suggest using chap/upholstery leather. The tannage of chap/upholstery leather is better suited to that type of use, and for the padding, I suggest neoprene. That should provide you with a fairly weather resistant sling pad.

Now, all that being said, Mink oil is a conditioner, not a finish. Most products that are oiled but not otherwise finished are done so with the intent of the leather picking up a natural patina over time and usage. For a 'finish', you'll want some form of top coat, be it, laquer (neat-lac, clear-lac), acrylic (Resolene, one of the ____-sheen products), or wax (carnuba cream, LeatherBalm).

[johnggrg]

For your slip on sling pad, I suggest foregoing any type of oil treatment if all you're going after is a pad. If you were to make one from tooling leather, it would require some type of weather resistant finish, to be sure. For the pad, I suggest using chap/upholstery leather. The tannage of chap/upholstery leather is better suited to that type of use, and for the padding, I suggest neoprene. That should provide you with a fairly weather resistant sling pad.

Now, all that being said, Mink oil is a conditioner, not a finish. Most products that are oiled but not otherwise finished are done so with the intent of the leather picking up a natural patina over time and usage. For a 'finish', you'll want some form of top coat, be it, laquer (neat-lac, clear-lac), acrylic (Resolene, one of the ____-sheen products), or wax (carnuba cream, LeatherBalm).

TwinOakes thank you for the reply. As far as the leather I already have the 5-6 ounce leather and the sheepskin with fur on already cut and ready to go. I already had the stuff and figured put it to use. But as far as the treatment goes I will take your go with something other then Mink oil. As far as the finish. Are those flexable? Don't know that much about finishing coats.

This pad will end up being a temp till I get better. I'm just using what I have on hand for now then as I get better spend some money on better material and finishs as I learn more. Can you suggest any good reading on the subject? John

[TwinOaks]

The finishes are flexible, and after re-reading your post, the mink oil may do just what you want. It really depends on whether the mink oil is an actual oil, or whether it's a dressing/paste/get for application to boots- I've seen a liquid version in a bottle, and a paste/gel version in a tub. A lot of those have silicone(or some other water repellent in them). If it's a boot/shoe dressing, it will repel water pretty well.

As for suggested reading.....you're already here. We have a forum devoted to the discussion of dyes, stains, antiques, glues, waxes, finishes and conditioners.....in fact, that's the name of the forum. If you'll look just above the 'fast reply' block, you'll see a little bar on the right side of the screen that says "how do I do that?". That is the forum jump bar. Click the down arrow, and scroll down until you see the forum mentioned, and click on it. You can then either read topics as you like, or do a search for specific terms. Going to the Advanced Search lets you specify that you want to look only in "dyes, stains........etc" There's pages and pages worth of reading there, along with several book references. I don't have any specific book reference to give you though.

[johnggrg]

The finishes are flexible, and after re-reading your post, the mink oil may do just what you want. It really depends on whether the mink oil is an actual oil, or whether it's a dressing/paste/get for application to boots- I've seen a liquid version in a bottle, and a paste/gel version in a tub. A lot of those have silicone(or some other water repellent in them). If it's a boot/shoe dressing, it will repel water pretty well.

As for suggested reading.....you're already here. We have a forum devoted to the discussion of dyes, stains, antiques, glues, waxes, finishes and conditioners.....in fact, that's the name of the forum. If you'll look just above the 'fast reply' block, you'll see a little bar on the right side of the screen that says "how do I do that?". That is the forum jump bar. Click the down arrow, and scroll down until you see the forum mentioned, and click on it. You can then either read topics as you like, or do a search for specific terms. Going to the Advanced Search lets you specify that you want to look only in "dyes, stains........etc" There's pages and pages worth of reading there, along with several book references. I don't have any specific book reference to give you though.

Thank you for the reply. As far as the Mink oil the stuff I already have is the liquid in the bottle. It says no silicone and that it waterproofs. But I was thinking of maybe trying the neetsfoot oil. I probably misspelled that but hope you know what I mean. One question about that. Do you think there is a differance in the finished look mink oil v neetsfoot oil?

Thank you again for the help. John

[TwinOaks]

If it has no silicone, then it's probably carrying a wax of some sort. That's just fine. Without having it in hand, I'd have to say it's time to test. Get just a small scrap and coat it. Then you'll know what it's gonna do.

Both mink- and neatsfoot oil will somewhat darken the leather. A small sliver of the leather is all you really need for test purposes. Why not try both, and see which you like better.

[johnggrg]

I have used the mink oil already when I made a wallet. It did darken it but that was ok. It left the wallet with a dull surface. I hav never used the neetsfoot oil. As there was no one around my house that had that I bought some from ebay. But don't have it yet. Can you tell me what the finished surface looks like after using neetsfoot oil? Just so I know what to expect. Thank you. John

[TwinOaks]

It will just be a slightly darker color, unless you absolutely saturate it. With the NF oil, stop applying it a few coats before you think it's had enough. Otherwise, it'll leech oil out onto everything it touches (when saturated).

NF oil is primarily a conditioner, used to restore oils, etc. after leather has been cased, carved, tooled, etc. For best results, apply a light coat and let it soak in. If there's any really dry spots, they'll get lighter pretty quick and you can add another very light coat to those areas. Then.....set it down and leave it alone for a day. The oil will soak into the leather quickly, but needs time to even distribute through the whole thickness. There won't be any 'shine' to it caused by the NF oil. For that you need to add a topcoat. Now, there is a recipe for absolutely beautiful leather that involves NF oil and sunshine. Just like YOU get sunburned, so can leather. Lightly oil it, then place in the sun for a day and it should turn out gorgeous. It still won't be sealed, but it's an easy way to get a good look. If you want really good water resistance, stop by Academy (or another sports store) and look for "Sno-Seal". I did some test pieces, and the water just beaded up on the surface after application. That Mink Oil you have may do the same thing....hence the suggestion to test a few scraps before using it on the piece you're working on.

[johnggrg]

Thanks alot for all your help. I will take some pics and try to load them when done. But remember I am a beginer and it won't be perfect but usable. John