Saddle Soap Vs Mink Oil (Or Anything Else)

[Fiddlegirl89]

When I braid my kangaroo lanyards, I've been using white saddle soap on the lace first. A friend told me about someone else using mink oil on lace first, so I tried that yesterday. Is there any reason to use one over the other? I had a harder time braiding with the mink oil, because I've gotten use to the tackiness of the saddle soap...helps with gripping and pulling everything tight, for me. With the mink oil, I rubbed it on the lace with my fingers, let it sit for a minute, and then wiped off whatever was left with a rag. It was still so slick, though, it was hard to get a grip and I feel like it took me longer to braid the same length.

I thought maybe the mink oil would make the finished product look better, but I didn't really see a difference. I had one lanyard done where I had used saddle soap, and then I compared it to the one I braided using mink oil. It was a little hard to compare because one was black and the other brown, but I couldn't really tell a difference, and neither could anyone else in my family. (but they aren't braiders...) Sometimes I see a little white residue on the braid, after using saddle soap, and that isn't a concern with the mink oil. Should I post pictures? I could, if that would help...

So, is it all personal preference, or is one really better than the other? I've seen on here where you make your own braiding soap...is that really that much better than Feibings Saddle Soap, or, again, is it personal preference?

Thanks!

[Aggiebraider]

Hey Fiddlegirl,

I had been using Fiebings white saddle soap for my braiding until a couple months ago. I think it works well enough if you can get it lathered up and rub it in really well so it penetrates. I switched to making my own soap, and its really easy but I want to tweak my recipe some to get the consistency where I want. The recipe is 1 bar of Ivory soap, 1/2 cup of olive oil, and half a bar of Fiebings Glycerine saddle soap. Shave the glycerine with a cheese grater or a vegetable peeler. Warm 1.5 cups of water in a pot and add the glycerine slowly and let them melt. then add the ivory (works best if its shaved down too) and then add the olive oil. Stir this until its all melted, but make sure it doesnt boil. Then pour the liquid soap into a blender and blend it a while so it gets aerated and all the lumps are out. Then pour this into whatever container you want to use and cool it at room temperature. The last batch I made ended up like mashed potatoes in consistency but I want it to be more like cool whip so I might add more oil next time. It works great because you can just scoop some up with your hands and it applies really well. You can also add beeswax to help seal your work and make it a little water proof. I will probably make a small batch with beeswax to be a final application on a finished piece.

Hope this helps,

CW

[roo4u]

i have never used anything on my roo and probably wont for less than 16 strands or so.....i understand why the whip plaiters use braiding soap but if you are only doing 4,6 or 8 strands why would you need to? roo is so nice and soft, unless your using dry hides or commercial lace. in which case you would definitely need to do something.

[Fiddlegirl89]

Oops..forgot to say what kind of lace I was using! Right now I use pre-cut lace from Springfield Leather. I'm braiding 6 strands. I guess it's pretty pitiful I don't even know what REAL roo feels like, huh?!

Thanks for that recipe...I may try to whip up something like that. I've seen that a lot of folks use Ivory in their braiding soap, but would any soap work? My family makes soap, and we always have tons that doesn't come out pretty enough to sell. I use that for laundry soap when I make our own, so it would be really good if any soap works for the braiding recipe! I would think it would be fine...

When I use Fiebings, I just hold the lace against the saddle soap and pull the lace through, (once on each side of the lace) instead of lathering....is that bad?

Thanks for the help!

[lilpep]

sorry to just jump in, i modified my soap the other day a bit and it works great. for me so i'll share a bit.

i use one bar dove moisturizing soap and one bar cocoa butter soap about 1/2 cup olive oil (like aggie) i also bought some beef kidnyes at the market and rendered the fat from those it doesn't render alot but its enough. i melt down the soap with water and simmer till it have the consistency i want. it hardly changes the color so it works great for braiding and other leather goods. hope it helps

[Aggiebraider]

Roo,

For a while I didnt soap mine much if at all either, and then I went to doing it religiously and it makes a big difference, even on lower numbered plaits. It lets me pull the braid in so much tighter and allows the strands to slip against each other. That is the biggest benefit is that it reduces the friction you are applying on the strand you are braiding from those that it passes over and under. This especially becomes apparent when you soap your button strings as they will be pulled under a lot of times, depending on how big your button is

CW

[Fiddlegirl89]

Does it work fine to keep the homemade soap at room temperature (as opposed to the fridge?) Also, the beeswax will tweak the consistency too, so that would be something to think about if I were to add beeswax to mine...

Thanks! Oh, and I need folks to jump in with input!

[lilpep]

fiddlegirl

i keep mine at room temperature in a disposable plastic container with a lid. i used a bit cocoa butter lotion once with a bit of beeswax and to tell you the truth i didn't like it too much it seemed to keep the oils from penetrating.

[Hedge]

I use white saddle soap.

I'd recommend staying away from mink oil or any oil for that matter. Oiling the leather during braiding is just going to saturate it. And oil saturated leather doesn't last long. It loosens the binding effect of the leather fibers.

(I know, some of you are familiar with oiled harnesses. I don't know how they keep it from rotting, but my experience with saturated cowhide and 'roo weren't pleasant.)

[Fiddlegirl89]

Thanks! I ordered a new can of white saddle soap, and I am LOVING it! The can I was using from was way too old...it was all dried up and clumpy. I didn't realize just how bad it was until I got the new! So, I think for now I'll stick with the saddle soap.

[KnotHead]

Good idea. I will use on certain occasions Pecards leather dressing. A little bit of that goes a long ways.

B...