Using oil for conditioning?

[abn]

Over the years, I've heard folks talk about using either extra-virgin olive oil or pure neatsfoot oil to rehydrate and/or finish their leatherwork. Is one better than the other? I've used both, and still don't know.

Opinions and preferences appreciated. -Alex

[Billsotx]

I have a preference: Lexol. It changes color especially natural russet color hardly at all. It rejuvenates. There is no residual oiliness to the touch. It is less like to stain clothing. It's easy to apply; follow directions on the container. Otherwise experiment you may learn something unique.

[Johanna]

I have always been told never to use vegetable or olive oil on leather, not even in a pinch. Maybe somebody else can post exactly why not?

Johanna

[Gregory B. Moody]

their leatherwork.

Opinions and preferences appreciated. -Alex

That is a pretty wide category.... I would never use olive oil or anything like that because it can turn rancid...

For preserving veg tanned projects several things have been proven over the years.. and some are WAY better at not turning your project into a very dark item... no matter how light it started out...

I would only use straight Neatsfoot oil on saddles in places where clothes were never going to come into contact with it.... Al Stohlman warns in one of his books about Neatsfoot oil ' migrating' .. moving around... meaning it will get on your clothes... and it will turn your item very dark over time...

The best ones I know of are Lexol ( for upholstery ) , Carnauba Cream, and Nuetral Shoe Polish ( for carved items ) . Little or no darkening effect even over decades... the only downside is that you should apply them on a regular basis. How often depends on your climate and their use.... Greg

[pepin1948]

I'm with Billsotx, I love Lexol. I got a bottle of Lexol NF free as a raffle prize, and I used it up in no time flat. I also found it useful for putting on the leather before I dyed it! Somehow, it made the dye application better and less streaky. Mostly it was great for cleaning up pieces that had been to several fairs and gotten dusty...no customer's gonna buy something that's covered in dust, for sure.

[abn]

Thanks, everyone, for the responses. I read up on Lexol on the company's web site, and it does seem like a superior product. I appreciate the recommendation.

[candyleather]

With my wood works and the knife sheaths (veg tanned leather) I use for finished Sinensis Chinese Camellia Oil, inside and outside of the sheath. Camellia oil is acid-free, not volatile and not susceptible to resinification, making it the ideal oil to protect tools, knives and firearms from rust and the leather from the dampness.

For to moisturize I use a commercial cream for leather. Sometimes the same "anti-ageing creams", the moisturizing cream that women use sometimes. I like smell this blend: leather with this cream!!!

You can read more about the camelia oil in this link writed in english, is a german website of fine woodworking tools:

http://www.dick.biz/eindex.htm

[Studio-N]

Over the years, I've heard folks talk about using either extra-virgin olive oil or pure neatsfoot oil to rehydrate and/or finish their leatherwork. Is one better than the other? I've used both, and still don't know.

Opinions and preferences appreciated. -Alex

All my sources have always said that olive oil can go rancid. As for neatsfoot oil, it is a generic term for processed

animal oil - usually cow. Oil and water don't mix, so neatsfoot oil is often used in cases where some amount of water resistance is

needed. Same with Stink Oil (uh sorry, Mink oil).

Many conditioners include a high content of talo, i.e. FAT. Then there is lanolin which is the oil from

sheepswool. Commerically, I like Lexol. It doesn't change the color of the leather, and I can use it on anything.

peace.

[Johanna]

I just reread this whole topic, and I figured someone better mention Dr. Jackson's Hide Rejuvenator from Tandy. It is the easiest add on sale in the world, and can new life to dried out leather. That's how you sell it. Do one small section of a customer's leather item, and they will buy the magic potion. It has saved a lot of neglected biker gear for me, and baseball gloves love that stuff. It will darken the leather slightly, but it absorbs well, without making the leather mushy. A little goes a long way. I use sheepswool to apply it, and dry sheepswool to buff it in when I am done. It will clean leather furniture on a dishtowel. (One end wet, the other one dry to buff.) I have no idea what's in it, but it smells good. It comes in a little tub, and looks like buttery Vaseline. Never put petroleum jelly on leather. Never use mineral oil (baby oil) either. There's probably a chemist here who can explain exactly why, but it's not good for the leather, and it shows.

Johanna

[Studio-N]

Here's a story about Dr J's Hide Rejuvenator:

We got a call from a customer a couple of years ago. He had been using it constantly on his work boots.

He would leave these on the porch. Apparently, the boots started to attract flys and he wanted to know if this was normal.

In short, Dr J's HR has a large content of rendered fat in it and that is what the flys were liking.

When I talk about Dr J's, I like to make an anology to 'shocking' a swimming pool full of alge. The high fat content is necessary

on an old funky peice of leather, but after the initial shock treatment and softening of the leather, a normal conditioning agent such as Dr J's Legendary Leather Care cream or Lexol is better for regular care. peace.

[yaklady]

As far as the difference between olive oil and neatsfoot oil, here's what I learned from Will Ghormley in a class I took with him a couple of years ago.

Neatsfoot oil softens leather by breaking down the fibers within. Extra virgin olive oil softens by lubricating the fibers. Hence, too much neatsfoot oil can eventually break down the leather so much, it will stretch and fall apart. I learned this first hand as a kid when I got lazy in oiling my tack. I shoved the reins all the way in the bottle of neatsfoot oil to get the job over with in a hurry. It wasn't long before the reins became squishy and started stretching. That wasn't a good thing with the crazy horse I was riding at the time. The reins did stretch to the point of breaking and I had to replace them.

I have not been using olive oil long enough to have any real experiences like that, but have tried soaking leather with it, and have had no bad experiences. Nor have I had problems with the oil going rancid on the leather. That could have something to do with our dry climate.

Yak is good in extra virgin olive oil. Have you ever had Kung Pao Yak?

Kathy

[unicornwoman]

I really love Lexol. Down here in Texas, the hint is that you put a tiny bit of Lexol into the water you use to case leather prior to carving. It helps protect the leather from the effects of wetting and makes the carving go smoother.