Help Concoct a Leather Conditioner Recipe

[cjartist]

26 minutes ago, fredk said:

my soft wax is sort of about 45% NFO, 45% beeswax, 10% olive oil

My hard wax is roughly the same but about 10% carnuba added

I don't measure precisely, its, umm, sort of dumped into a bowl, warmed up and mixed

Cool.  You use the carnauba for hardness? Or is it just harder in the container?

[fredk]

Carnuba adds hardness to any wax mixture. Too much can make the finish brittle and flakey when it has dried. Car waxes have a large amount of carnuba in them but car bodies ain't supposed to bend or flex like a belt or a tote-bag

edited to answer one of your other questions; I use my soft wax on the flesh side of belts. It soaks right in and just a little buffing with a polishing brush gives it a modest shine and smoothness. On the outside of belts and bags I apply resolene first then my hard wax. It takes a bit more effort to buff up using a scrap of linen, denim or a stiff polishing brush. The heat generated by the buffing in both is enough to melt the mix into the leather. I've never yet used a heat scource on them on applying to the leather. Just in winter I need to warm the hard mix to soften it enough to use.

 

Edited May 27, 2017 by fredk

[NVLeatherWorx]

22 hours ago, Rockoboy said:

I have read somewhere previously (but I cannot remember where) that the main thing to remember when thinking about preserving leather is " when leather is tanned, what does it lose? It loses fats, not oils"

By this information, one would assume that using neatsfoot oil might not be the best thing to preserve, protect or rejuvenate leather.

The best thing would be the fats which were removed in tanning and which may continue to be lost to the atmosphere as the leather continues to dry out and degrade with the passing of time.

On the other hand, maybe using neatsfoot oil, beeswax, carnauba etc might do some good, but not as good as the best coating, sealing, rejuvenating option available.

Personally, I have no idea, these are just an idea of something that I read, that seemed to make some sense to me. Comments, ideas?

I just found the thread discussing the use of fats (tallow or similar) to preserve leather. "Using Tallow To Condition Leather."

Neatsfoot oil is a byproduct from the cow and is a natural oil that is of that animal.  Using Neatsfoot oil cannot be compared to the use of other, non-organic (as in from that species) conditioners/oils/waxes.  The reality is that Neatsfoot Oil is technically a fat (ever notice what collects in the bottom of the bottle if you let it sit for awhile, it is fat).  The addition of beeswax, another natural ingredient, gives you the ability to seal the leather and protect it from moisture and other harsh elements (that is why beeswax is commonly used in the finer lip protection sticks and other such cosmetic items).  These two ingredients are actually better for leather than what most people are using and also last many times longer.

[cjartist]

Today's the day.  I went to Walmart yesterday and was going to get some vitamin E, but found tea tree oil.  So here is the mix I will make today:

• 45% Beeswax
• 50% Neatsfoot Oil
• 4% Carnauba Wax
• 1 Tbsp Tea Tree Oil

I will update this thread with the results.

 

[Dunluce]

I have done a few bits of playing about with different recipes and one of the problems I had was the amount of beeswax used in most. It seems to me that it prevented the the lotion being absorbed into the leather. What I am using at present is the following (remember this is parts not percentage)

10 parts beef fat 

5 parts lard

5 parts lanolin

0.5 parts beeswax.

i also added a few drops of citronella essential oil. I read that it has anti-septic properties and it also makes the conditioner smell really nice!

i have used it on quite a few items and it is readily absorbed and it has been in a jar in a cupboard for quite a few months without any sign of going off

[cjartist]

Very cool.  Mine is cooling now.  I used a little more neatsfoot than 50%.  I stirred it when it was molten and then cooled a drop on the counter to check consistency.  My fear also is that it will not absorb.  I guess there are a couple of options with that.  One is to oil with neatsfoot first and then use this as a sealer.  The other would be to heat the item to melt the wax in.  I never wanted to go that route though as I feel heat might stiffen the leather.

[fredk]

How soft is your mix? and what is the [roughly] temperature at which you work?

Bees' wax melts at a very low temperature.

My mix is like very soft margarine. My working area is quite cold, about 18 degrees C [64* F ?] As you rub the mix in both wax and NFO will be absorbed by the leather. The NFO will go deeper tho leaving the wax nearer the surface, to be burnished. I have never yet heated either the mix nor item to get the mix into the leather, just rubbing it in is enough.

Rub some mix on a bit of thick scrap, then cut thru it and you'll see how deep it can go.

[NVLeatherWorx]

4 hours ago, cjartist said:

Very cool.  Mine is cooling now.  I used a little more neatsfoot than 50%.  I stirred it when it was molten and then cooled a drop on the counter to check consistency.  My fear also is that it will not absorb.  I guess there are a couple of options with that.  One is to oil with neatsfoot first and then use this as a sealer.  The other would be to heat the item to melt the wax in.  I never wanted to go that route though as I feel heat might stiffen the leather.

I have said it at least twice within this thread alone, if you apply heat do it with a hair dryer and just long enough to allow the wax and oil to settle into the leather.  This will not dry out the leather or stiffen it up.  If you apply your sealer to the leather and let it sit (while still "filmy") the oils from the NFO and the beeswax will penetrate into the leather.  This is not an instant/quick fix, it is a conditioner just like any other and requires TIME to be properly used for effectiveness.  I use a hair dryer all of the time when I am applying to dog collars so that it soaks deep into the pores of the leather and then I apply another coating (first one is heavy, second is normal) and allow it to sit for about 10 to 12 hours before buffing it.  I have never had any leather stiffen from the heat and allowing it to soak into the leather gives even 9-10 oz. strap a soft, supple feel just like a Chamois leather.

[fredk]

To re-enforce the above; if you need to apply heat you are only warming the leather and the mix - you are not taking it up to cooking temperatures

[cjartist]

9 hours ago, NVLeatherWorx said:

I have said it at least twice within this thread alone, if you apply heat do it with a hair dryer and just long enough to allow the wax and oil to settle into the leather.  This will not dry out the leather or stiffen it up.

Didn't mean to offend.  There are many different opinions on a lot of things.  Just look at the recipes in this thread.  But I will take your word for it.

Early on I was interested in masks.  Mask makers often wet mold and then dry it on low heat in the oven to stiffen it.  So that is where my belief comes from.  The entire purpose of this thread was to gather varied opinions and hash out the best solution.

Now the stuff that I made is still much firmer than margarine.  I did use it today and had to use a hair dryer to melt it in. I am used to using Belvoir leather balsam where you let it set for about ten minutes and then buff it.  So I will work on my consistency with the beeswax and NF mix until I get it right.