Oil Treatment Question.

[AGreenSmudge]

Hey guys, been lurking for a few weeks and this is my first post.

I am a newbie when it comes to leather working and I'm currently in the middle of my first molding project, a friction hold knife holder.

I've got the mold made and dried and about to do some minor tooling.

My question is, I know after tooling its a good idea to treat the leather with some oil for long term durability. However, I dont want the mold to become too supple and lose its ability to retain the knife (it's a folding knife held sideways). Will not treating it harm the long term durability of the holder?

Edited July 31, 2015 by AGreenSmudge

[impulse]

I would never recommend just oil on leather. Too much will actually weaken the fibres and also makes it impossible to get a sheen on the leather. However after wetting to tool or mold, it definitely needs dressing. I make my own leather balm with bees wax, paraffin wax (equal quantities) melted together with about 1/4 neatsfoot oil and a few drops of eucalyptus, as a mould repellent. There are proprietary leather creams around, but as I live in Australia, I can't recommend a brand made in US - just look for something with the above ingredients. Just a little will suffice for your project, but if you need to really soften leather, massage plenty into the flesh side.

BTW my leather balm recipe renders the leather almost waterproof.

Cheers,

Lois

[AGreenSmudge]

Thanks for the response!

I guess I should clarify.

I plan to do the full dye, resist, antique, and finish coat. My plan wasnt to treat it and just walk away.

I know from playing with dye and resist that it stiffens the leather considerably, which I think will be ok as I expect it will loosen up and break in over time. However, I didnt know if skipping any sort of treatment after molding/tooling and just finishing it out will make it too brittle and in the long run cause it to fray or break apart.

Edited July 31, 2015 by AGreenSmudge

[Bob Blea]

I always put a very light coating of oil on my notebooks after tooling. I don't find that my leather gets noticeable softer unless I put a lot of oil, and since I keep it very light they seem to hold the same firmness over time. I just put a little warmed neatsfoot oil on a cotton ball and gently rub it over the piece and then let it set, usually overnight. The leather returns to nearly the same color the next day. If the leather darkens significantly and stays that way, you've used too much.

[mlapaglia]

I lightly oil all my holsters. There is never a problem with it getting soft.