How To Best Apply Neatsfoot Oil?

[MerlB]

Hi all,

I am still fairly new to leather craft, so please excuse if this sounds like a dumb question to you...

I recently bought a big can of Fiebing's Neatsfoot oil, as I have read in many posts, that people like to apply this stuff for various reasons. My main goal by using the oil would be to get the leather soft and flexible again as dying with Fiebing's tends to stiffen the leather quite a bit (I only use Fiebings Professional Oil Dye as thats pretty much what you can get at affordable prices here in Germany so dont bother recommending other dyes ).

The big can comes with a built in brush, so my first attempts were applying the oil with this brush. However I ended up with my leather being soaked in oil in some areas and not enough oil in others and it is pretty uneven all in all.

Instead of wasting a lot of time and material I thought I'll better ask here for some advise in using neatsfoot oil.

So far I have applied the oil first and dyed afterwards, but while searching the forum for similar threads I figured that many only apply the oil after dying.

So, question: how do you apply neatsfoot oil to get an even coverage and do you apply the oil first and dye afterwards or better the other way round?

Thanks a lot!

Cheers,

Nils

Edited July 18, 2014 by MerlB

[barehandcustoms]

I buy those huge sponges from the hardware store and cut them into small sizes.I will reuse the same oil sponge numerous times to apply my finish until it gets discolored. I keep one next to each type of oil finish and they work great. I tried several other methods before settling into using a soft sponge. It is just what works best for me.

Plus the oil will stay in the sponge for days so you aren't wasting oil.

I have always dyed first and then applied oil afterwards. I generally let the leather dry out overnight after I wet mold and then dye the next day. A few hours after I have dyed a piece then I will apply a heavy coat of oil. I also apply one more thin coat before I ship an item.

I always do the oil dye first because the oil finishes tends to prevent the oil dye from soaking deep into the leather. I expect the product to be oiled throughout its lifetime but I doubt it will ever get dye applied to it again. So I want the dye to penetrate as deep as possible when I apply it.

Edited July 18, 2014 by barehandcustoms

[JoeSnuffie]

I do the same thing barehandcustoms does with sponges. You pay a couple dollars for a large sponge and turn it onto a bag full of tiny sponges. I try to cut them into about 1x1x2 inch pieces.

[camano ridge]

I dye first then apply neatsfoot oil. The dye as you stated will dry the leather it draws out some of the nutrients. THe idea with the oil is put soe back into the leather. I do finger tip applications. if you do get blochiness wait a couple of days. It takes time for the oil to migrate through the leather, if you get a lot in one area it will take longer for it to even out.

If you do oil first give at least 24 hour for the oil to migrate before dying.

Edited July 18, 2014 by camano ridge

[MerlB]

Thanks guys!

[Bob Blea]

I warm up my Neatsfoot oil prior to applying it (was a suggestion from a saddle maker) as it supposedly makes it penetrate more evenly. I use either a piece of sheep skin or a cotton ball depending on what is convenient. I don't usually dye my pieces so I oil after tooling is complete, but if I am dying something I will do that first then dye.

[DavidL]

I warm up my Neatsfoot oil prior to applying it (was a suggestion from a saddle maker) as it supposedly makes it penetrate more evenly. I use either a piece of sheep skin or a cotton ball depending on what is convenient. I don't usually dye my pieces so I oil after tooling is complete, but if I am dying something I will do that first then dye.

I find some leathers may have accumulated oils unevenly or something similar because when I dye my piece one area will absorb more of the dye. Would you first remove the oils from things like from your fingers or from a rag your wiped the leather with some naphtha, saddle soap, or degreaser then apply the neatsfoot?

[Bob Blea]

I'll use an Oxalic acid solution to clean leather on occasion, but often I don't if I'm just antiquing a piece. If I was going to dye it then I would clean it by gently wiping it with the Oxalic acid solution to remove any oils. I would definitely recommend oiling well after the cleaning (any dyeing) because the Oxalic acid really seems to dry out the leather.

[footrat]

I use synthetic wool daubers from Tandy. Big bag of about 100. I wait until I have several pieces to oil, and one dauber usually fares well for the entire lot. The rough sides of leather will usually smash the dauber down so it's not as fluffy and absorbent, but it still works fine.

What I make is expected to last years in the hardest environments (structural firefighting), so I use heavy harness leather, and I oil the crap out of it. I oil it front and back until it won't hold any more, and I also oil the edges. Then I rub it down with Aussie Leather Conditioner to hold the oil in.

[NVLeatherWorx]

I was taught long ago that you should apply your Neatsfoot Oil after your leather has dried from stamping/tooling and before dye/stain application. I pour some oil into a small glass bowl, put it into the microwave for about 30 seconds, apply liberally using sheep's wool/synthetic wool pads, and then let it set for about 8 hours so it can penetrate. I apply a second treatment following the same process. Once the second treatment has set for at least 8 hours I can then apply my dye/stain and then let it dry for at least 8 hours. Apply another treatment of dye/stain if necessary and let dry at least 8 hours. Once my dye/stain has set, buff off any excess/pigment materials, apply another oil treatment (following same process as in the beginning) and let set at least 8 hours. From here you apply your top coat/sealer/protectant as needed and you should be done. This is how I was taught years ago (before microwave's we would heat it in a small pan until you could see the surface shimmer). Heating the oil does allow it to penetrate better and it also mixes the oil elements and keeps them bonded together. You will notice that once you have heated the oil, you will not see the typical separation of the lubricating elements from the particles.