Orange Neatsfoot Oil?

[cjartist]

I have a lot of hand me down dyes and oil.  There is one large rubbermaid container that is marked Neatsfoot oil but the oil inside is orange.  Does neatsfoot discolor?  Or is this likely some other oil like saddle or harness oil?

With that said, what is the difference?  Thanks for your input,

Cheryl

[cjartist]

Seems nobody is around tonight.  All the neatsfoot I have seen has been pale yellow.  To be more specific, the container has writing that says "20 CT Neatsoot"

[fredk]

Yes it does discolour. Mine, when fresh is a very, very pale honey colour, old stuff has darkened to a tobaccy-stain colour.

If in doubt, throw it out; it might be contaminated with dye or somat else

you could try a bit on some scrap and see what happens.

If we don't hear from you again then we'll know it wasn't good stuff 

[cjartist]

Okay, that makes sense.  If it is old, is it not good to use?  I will try it on some scrap.  I don't think it is stained.  Probably just old.  I guess I should probably smell it too.

Thanks for the reply.

[cjartist]

I Think I'm going to go ahead and use it. Smells similar to some pale yellow neatsfoot I have.  I did try it on a scrap and it seems to be okay.  This particular oil is going to be used in a beeswax conditioner mix.

[NVLeatherWorx]

Try it on a piece of scrap leather first and if it smells "musty" you will want to toss it.  After all, it is a natural oil that has been made from the processing of hooves and such and can spoil just like any other natural oil.  It may also be a compound which is a blend of the NFO and other chemical conditioning components which should not be your first choice (the chemicals actually negate any positive effect that the oil provides).