Neat Oil And Bee'z Wax Read It But!?

[OLDNSLOW]

cant remember what thread it was in and interested in trying the process, I am going through a steep learning process so all the help I can get helps a great deal. I am going to make a few things with a cheap cut of leather (belly) then want to groon the leather then from what I read was a 50/50 mix of oil and wax by weight, who here recalls, or uses that method as the final step, and is the mix 50/50 I did put some together today to see how it would mix up and the was seemed to be very thick.

I hope the original writer as well as other can chime in on the use of the mix, the original poster noted that it created a water proof finish, but is it needed as I understand that the groon will create a water proof and scratch proof finish all its own. And if that is the case what then is the best way to finish an item done in groon? Thanks all to those that will chime and remember that the reason people like myself come here to learn from others as we limp along in the learning process!.

O n S

[King's X]

I remember reading about someone's exploits with Neatsfoot oil and wax, but unfortunately my age is preventing me from pinpointing it for you.

[Tugadude]

I cut and pasted this from a poster by the name of "Chain"

35% Beeswax

5% Carnuba Wax

60% neatsfoot oil or virgin (to match the bees wax maybe) olive oil

May need to adjust the wax/oil ratio to get the desired consistency.

Carnuba wax available here: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/350521416091?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

Olive oil won't go rancid and was used by the Romans on leather a 1000 years ago. Samples of Roman leather have been found and are in great condition. A lot of the old time leather workers use it.

The Carnuba wax is the hardest known natural wax so will add some protection as well as shine (shines better than bees wax)

[JLSleather]

Maybe the question should be... is that 50% by WEIGHT, or 50% by VOLUME?

[Red Cent]

Vinagroon is not waterproofing. Scratch proof depends how long the piece is in the vinagroon.

[cgleathercraft]

Maybe the question should be... is that 50% by WEIGHT, or 50% by VOLUME?

I've seen both on several posts. I think it's personal preference. Make a small batch of both and see what works best for the desired result.

I made some from a recipe on youtube. 16 oz beeswax 8oz boiled linseed oil 8oz turpentine. Its harder than I expected. it's sitting in a pot till I find a use for it. Plus some people don't like the use of turpentine.

If I don't like it as a finish/sealer i'll mix it with some wood shavings and dryer lint and make fire starter blocks with it.

[Chief31794]

I use Aussie from Feibings, pretty much the same thing and I don't have to worry about mixing it, a chemist I ain't!!!

Chief

[OLDNSLOW]

Thanks for all the info.

[mlapaglia]

A few years ago I tested by volume and weight and found that by weight works better. I use 2 parts carnuba, 2 parts beeswax and 3 parts neatsfoot oil. All by weight. Rub it in and hit it with a hairdryer to melt the wax into the leather. Let set ffor a little while. 20-30 minutes, then buff. The increase in Neatsfoot oil is to make it more of a paste wax than a hard wax that needs to be heated just to spread it on the leather.

[Art]

When I did a lot of knifemaking back in the '80s and '90s, I came up with a formula for a oil/wax concoction for knife sheaths. I'm sure this was from discussions with other knifemakers, so I can't say it is "mine".

I found an old electric turkey roaster that came down from my parents, back in the '50s everyone had one and this one is from that era. It must have been a good design as I still see new ones today. Anyway, I filled it about 50% with oil (neatsfoot, the real stuff back in those days) heated it to about 150°F or so and added beeswax until it kind of filled the roaster. Mind you I got the beeswax from a friend who kept bees and it came in 40 lb blocks for a hundred bucks or so, still have one or two. I would dip a sheath in this mixture for 15 seconds or so and it was pretty much done. I didn't have Carnauba as there wasn't much of an internet back in those days. The mix worked well with the outdoors types, it stood up to everything especially water. It worked well in the Sandbox, took a lot of wear but held-up, not pretty but it survived.

Like I said, this finish was more prevalent in the '80s and '90s, I haven't seen it around much today. Keep in mind also that we had a lot better leather than is being produced today, if you try this now, check how a test piece is affected by the heat.

Art

[BondoBobCustomSaddles]

Like Chief said, Aussies works and you don't have to experiment with the mix.

Bob

[Art]

Montana Pitchblend Paste works well also. It is all natural if that means anything to anybody. Pecard's while not a beeswax concoction is also pretty good in this department. Montana Pitchblend Oil (it is the paste without the beeswax) is really a great saddle oil too.

Art

[huffdad]

I prefer mixing the 50/50 by weight. It gives a better consistency than measuring by volume. It is my preferred finish, although I'm fairly new to this game and have much yet to learn.