Wetting Strings And Conditioning Finished Items

[BIS Leads]

I have been using Bick 4 to wet my kangaroo lace and use it again before and after each rolling of my finished leads.

It is starting to cost a lot for the amount I go through especially for the freight as it's heavy.

I was trying to find a homemade concoction that would replace it.

I found online, a vinegar and olive oil; a beeswax and neetsfoot oil; and a beeswax, neatsfoot oil and parrafin wax recipies.

My question is to you experienced and wise leather braiders, what would you use to prewet the lace?

What do you use to condition the final product?

What are you thoughts on any/all of the above concoctions?

Would you share your recipie? Would a homemade concoction last on the shelf, or would it need refrigeration?

Thanks so much in advance!

[TXAG]

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=52217

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=50712

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=44342

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=21815

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=5238

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=16039

Edited January 17, 2014 by TXAG

[BIS Leads]

Thanks for the links. I'd only seen a couple of those while doing my searching.

Interesting info on David Morgans site. The braiding soap is ivory/water/lard. But he recommends the Pecard Dressing which is primarily petroleum(vaseline) & beeswax.

Way different recipies. And he states tallow, ie lard, builds up on leather and "attacks leather fibers".

So, I have another question. If you use the Ivory/lard/water type mixture, do you wash it out?

So if it has to be washed, then dried, I'd assume you'd condition with something else before using.

[TXAG]

You'll probably get as many different answers to those questions as there are people.

I use white saddle soap, personally...don't really feel like messing with lard or using ivory soap, cooking it, etc.

[bluerider]

The last step I go through when making kangaroo lace is to hold it under my thumb as I pull it through a can of fiebing's white saddle soap. I run it through flesh side down and then flesh up. I then pull the lace through a soft rag to get any excess saddle soap off and then let the lace dry before braiding.

There is enough soap still left after braiding to use a burnisher, though occasionally I will apply a very light amount of fiebongs after i'm completely done burnishing.

[BIS Leads]

Thanks. I just ordered some white saddle soap and am going to compare with the Bick 4.

[nrk]

Thanks. I just ordered some white saddle soap and am going to compare with the Bick 4.

have you tried 'Conditioner,Rawhide Cream,Vaqu' or 'Conditioner,Aussie' from Springfield leather?

[Peter T]

Hi BIS Leads, I have gone the other way to you where I have tried quite a few home made brews and have ended up at Bick 4. My main reason for this is due to darkening the leather. Most of my home made brews darken the leather a bit much for my liking when I'm doing 2 tone work where I really want to keep the colours close to the original colour as possible. Bick 4 is pretty good for this. It says on the container that it will not darken leather. It does a little bit, but the least of anything else I tried.

I know what you mean about the cost though. It does add up. For this reason I'll only use it on certain items where the colouring really matters. I have a home made brew that is my favourite plaiting soap that I use on most things, particularly single colour whips, where it doesn't matter if the leather darkens. It contains 5 cups mutton fat, 2 cakes Dove soap, 3 cups water, 1/4 cake parrafin wax and a squirt of dish washing detergent. I made a batch of this a couple of year's ago and am still using it. It's in a 2 litre bucket and cost me less than $10. It cost me $15 for the smallest bottle of Bick 4 so it's certainly cost effective to make your own.

I don't put anything else on at the end of a project after using either of these. Both of them will help the leather, not harm it. If there's a bit of soap residue I just brush it off with a small scrubbing brush (one with bristles not too soft or too hard).

I have only seen yellow saddle soap. I would be interested to know if the white saddle soap darkens the leather much.

Pete

[BIS Leads]

Just got the tin of white saddle soap. For $30 I know this is going to take me a while to use up! Way bigger tin than I thought it'd be.

And it was only what I pay for 2 bottles (16 oz) of the Bick4. I'm thinking I could add some water to some and make it more the consistancy of the Bicks, but Im going to try it straight first. I'm testing it on scrap leather first, but after a few minutes, I'm not seeing any color difference on pink kangaroo leather from the soap compared to the one with bick4 applied.

[TXAG]

Yep. At the risk of being incredibly grammatically incorrect, white saddle soap is where it's at...