oiling question

[pavilionpony]

Mmmm. I am confused! I made some straps and oiled them with neatsfoot (warm) like a I always do, but they still feel rough and dry on the back. Any suggestions?

[pavilionpony]

Yikes. I really dont want to cut the straps again...... .....can I save them? They are like hard on the back, all I did is dye them and oil them. Should I have oiled them first? I always thought that you dyed first, then oiled. But it doesn't look good....

[Storm]

Hi,

I would say that your approach is good. I would dye before I oiled.  It might be the leather or you could try some of that liquid saddle soap with glycerine.  Some people recommend applying the neats foot very generously and the use a portable hand held hair dryer and then apply once more. Hope some of this might help.

Storm

[pavilionpony]

Thank you storm , I will try it.

[abn]

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by saying "rough and dry on the back." Are you talking about the flesh side? I'd be very cautious about adding more oil. Over-oiling leather is one of the very few mistakes that can't be remedied...

[pavilionpony]

The backside of the straps; they feel hard and rough and I am not sure why. The face of the straps feel fine and oiled up nice. I was wondering if it was becuase I dyed them first; Charlie (my buddy that passed away) never dyed the back of straps and I am wondering if this is why. I always thought it was becuase he was being cheap about the dye....or if this was the reason he didn't dye the backs to begin with.

[abn]

I never dye the flesh side either, for a couple of reasons. (1) I'm not a fan of finishing parts that aren't seen, although lots of folks do. (2) I like the knap of the flesh side of leather, which can be enhanced to a suede-like feel by applying painter's tape and then removing it. The only downside to not dyeing the back is that you have to exercise some caution to not dirty it up when dyeing the front or edge dyeing. Painter's tape can help here, too.

I've always noticed that dyeing the flesh side leaves it a bit rough. That's normal, and I certainly wouldn't apply more oil, especially if the grain side looks good. I think most people who dye the flesh side end up smoothing it out with gum tragacanth to provide a nice look and feel. Maybe that's an option?

Good luck! -Alex

[pavilionpony]

Thank you Alex . What is gum tragacanth and where would I get it?

[bruce johnson]

Sounds like the sides are a bit more "granular fibered" on the flesh side. One way to correct that is to dampen it and lightly sand it on a benchtop belt sander. That is a leather issue and not a oil/dye/finish problem. On straps that aren't lined I do a couple things. Some I have treated with gum trag (available from most leather suppliers - Weavers, TLF, etc) occasionally. it works OK, but a bit messy. Apply it, let it sit about 5 minutes and rub firmy with a glass or block slicker. On straps like breast collar tugs, I usually have oiled and dyed them, then apply a paste dressing like Williams. I then slick right over the Williams sometimes or apply a light coat of saddle soap and pull them through a rubrag. Other things I use depending on my mood, what I have the most/least of, and how much neglect the user is going to have, are Hole's Saddle Butter, Holes Chap Wax, Black Rock, Hide Rejunvenator, or "neutral case" I bought undiluted from a member here. About all these things soften the fibers and let the slicker lay them down and smooth them.

[TwinOaks]

I dont' know about the interaction of neatsfoot oil and carnuba wax, so ANYONE if they can't be mixed, please speak up. My suggestion is basically like the last one- soften the fibers with carnuba wax, then slick them down. I did this to a set of reins using only Aussie conditioner. I more or less saturated the flesh side, then spent about half an hour per rein slicking down the flesh. End result was that the flesh side looked...burnished....for lack of a better description. Lots of pressure when you rub them down, too.