An actual Leather Conditioner recipe

[Ajdsimon]

I made a batch of the initial recipe, and so far so good! I reconditioned the bag I made for my mother, and it really gave it more “life”. Thanks man!

[Adouthit]

On 2/20/2021 at 3:25 PM, ScottWolf said:

UPDATE: here are a few other variations on the original recipe that I have tried and found to be good to go.

*alternative ingredients*

• 2 tbs. of coconut oil
• 2 or 3 tbs. of beeswax (depending on how firm you like it)
• ¼ cup of sweet almond oil
• ¼ cup of castor oil

 

Another variation of ingredients that works as well, but will cost more has the following ingredients:

 

25g | 0.88oz  Beeswax

25g | 0.88oz  Shea butter

17g | .6oz      Jojoba ( beads or oil)

17g | .6oz      Castor oil

17g | .6oz      Coconut oil

2 teaspoons   Anhydrous Lanolin

 

**If you want to make any of these recipes tacky, add tree/pine resin. This can be bought on Amazon in rock form. You will need to crush it with a hammer if the rocks are large. Add it to the mix and allow to melt while stirring it in with the other ingredients. You may want to melt it first in a separate pot until it is liquid and then add it to to your other ingredients. Start with a small amount (19g / .7 oz) in a test batch to determine how tacky you want it before doing a larger batch or using more resin.

Any thoughts on what to use on rawhide. I've briefly looked for an MSDS for rawhide cream and wasn't successful. I've read Tallow is good for rawhide. So possibly tallow and beeswax?

I've still been fiddling with leather lotion and conditioner recipes involving mineral oil and amber petroleum jelly. 

It's generally 1/2 cup mineral oil or amber petroleum with about 2 Tablespoons of lanolin, tallow, NF, castor oil and raw linseed oil. The beeswax and carnauba wax are a dependent on what you like. I usually use about two teaspoons beeswax and a teaspoon or two of the carnauba. Too much and it sits on top and takes more work to get it into the leather.  With the lotion, I add an emulsifier and a little water. Lastly Vitamin E for a preservative.

It's okay but using the mineral oil or amber petroleum can be more pricey than other options. I don't mind using them as a carrier for the other items but by themselves they're not very good. So the stories I've read on the net of whipping out the Vaseline to use on your saddle in a pinch don't hold much merit with me. 

 

[ScottWolf]

On 3/1/2023 at 6:18 AM, Adouthit said:

Any thoughts on what to use on rawhide. I've briefly looked for an MSDS for rawhide cream and wasn't successful. I've read Tallow is good for rawhide. So possibly tallow and beeswax?

Tallow does wonders for bringing things back. Are you talking about something like dog bone rawhide hard and wanting to make it soft/pliable? Take a look at Colorado Leather balm if you don't want to make it yourself.

 

[Adouthit]

I bought a hunk from Tandy for a saddle skirt repair. I find it tricky to work with and am not having any fun with it. Thanks for the input! I'll take a look at your recommendation. 

[Burkhardt]

What kind of repair requires rawhide?

[Adouthit]

Oh, this tex tan balanced ride has rawhide where the latigos go. It's different and I'm not fond of it but I guess it's best to fix it with what the manufacturer used. 

It's broken both sides on the keeper so I reinforced it with some latigo leather on the inside and the rawhide on the outside. I should have had this fixed awhile ago but I'm procrastinating.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/NcziGNaUBZmmixoX8

[Burkhardt]

9 hours ago, Adouthit said:

Oh, this tex tan balanced ride has rawhide where the latigos go. It's different and I'm not fond of it but I guess it's best to fix it with what the manufacturer used. 

It's broken both sides on the keeper so I reinforced it with some latigo leather on the inside and the rawhide on the outside. I should have had this fixed awhile ago but I'm procrastinating.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/NcziGNaUBZmmixoX8

That looks like a nightmare.

[Burkhardt]

On 3/2/2023 at 12:55 PM, Adouthit said:

Oh, this tex tan balanced ride has rawhide where the latigos go. It's different and I'm not fond of it but I guess it's best to fix it with what the manufacturer used. 

It's broken both sides on the keeper so I reinforced it with some latigo leather on the inside and the rawhide on the outside. I should have had this fixed awhile ago but I'm procrastinating.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/NcziGNaUBZmmixoX8

 

[Adouthit]

On 3/2/2023 at 8:08 PM, Burkhardt said:

That looks like a nightmare.

It was... I'm still new to repair work and I did a terrible job. Live and learn I guess.

[sheree]

What happens if you only use beeswax and lanolin, ratio 1:3, for leather balm? Would it work well? If not, why? Thanks.