An actual Leather Conditioner recipe

[CdK]

I made a larger batch of the balm as described in the first post by @ScottWolf with carnauba wax and lanolin added. Came out good and is the consistency of shoe polish at room temperature. Apply just a dab and spread and then rub with a cloth or soft brush and it shines nicely with no oiliness or sticky. I filled 24 x 2oz metal cans and still have a bunch of balm in the large pot I used. The pic was taken before they had cooled down.

 

[ScottWolf]

2 minutes ago, CdK said:

I made a larger batch of the balm as described in the first post by @ScottWolf with carnauba wax and lanolin added. Came out good and is the consistency of shoe polish at room temperature. Apply just a dab and spread and then rub with a cloth or soft brush and it shines nicely with no oiliness or sticky. I filled 24 x 2oz metal cans and still have a bunch of balm in the large pot I used. The pic was taken before they had cooled down.

 

 

Those look good to go. Glad to hear the recipe is working out for you.

[Simone75]

Holy cow! @ScottWolf: Thank you so much for this recipe! I have a pull-up leather sofa that desperately needed some love and care. The "special products" available for this purpose are not only outrageously expensive, but in my opinion, they don't deliver the right results either. I roughly followed your recipe from the first post:

50g beeswax
50g cocoa butter
100g almond oil
15g lanolin
5g carnauba wax
About 30 drops of orange oil

The sofa has retained its character developed over the years, but now it feels like pull-up leather should feel (before, it was "cold" like standard smooth leather). Absolutely wonderful and brilliant! I am so incredibly grateful that I came across this post! Thank you!

Best regards from Germany,
Simone

[spectre6000]

@ScottWolf, I've been coloring/darkening some plain veg tan milled hides in the sun for the last few days, and I'm going to need to condition them in the end to make up for the damage. The application will be a leather jacket, and I'm hoping to be able to leave behind a bit of a waxy/glossy sheen. What combination/ratio of ingredients would you suggest to mix up for this? 

[ScottWolf]

1 hour ago, spectre6000 said:

@ScottWolf, I've been coloring/darkening some plain veg tan milled hides in the sun for the last few days, and I'm going to need to condition them in the end to make up for the damage. The application will be a leather jacket, and I'm hoping to be able to leave behind a bit of a waxy/glossy sheen. What combination/ratio of ingredients would you suggest to mix up for this? 

Adding more carnauba wax would give it a sheen if buffed out but it will be very temporary as the conditioner is absorbed into the leather. If you want a more permanent glossy sheen, you might want to consider using something like Angelus 4 coat satin or 4 coat high gloss urethane clear coat as a finishing product. https://angelusdirect.com/collections/4-coat

[spectre6000]

I'm trying to avoid plasticky finishes. Re-waxing from time to time is acceptable for the project (reproduction of an 85 year old horsehide jacket). You seem to have a good understanding of how the various oils and waxes interact with each other. My assessment is beeswax, cocoa (pretty hard), some liquid oil (thinking jojoba because of the longer saturated carbon chains, and I have a bottle somewhere), and carnauba as the modifier. Percentages are where some experience I don't have would be helpful. Being able to get it applied is obviously important. Not being greasy and leaching oil is also very important. Getting a waxy sheen is a goal.

[OverTimeLeathercraft]

On 9/1/2020 at 1:16 AM, ScottWolf said:

2nd version of the recipe with Lanolin and carnauba wax in tins.

Hi @ScottWolffollowing your recipe from the first post with Lanolin and Carnauba wax option. Does it mean every 25g cocoa butter ratio, we add 2 teaspoons of Lanolin and 1 teaspoon of carnauba wax. If I am using 100g of cocoa butter ratio, which mean I need to add 4 teaspoons of lanolin and 2 teaspoons of carbauba wax? 

[OverTimeLeathercraft]

3 hours ago, OverTimeLeathercraft said:

Hi @ScottWolffollowing your recipe from the first post with Lanolin and Carnauba wax option. Does it mean every 25g cocoa butter ratio, we add 2 teaspoons of Lanolin and 1 teaspoon of carnauba wax? If I am using 100g of cocoa butter ratio, which mean I need to add 8 teaspoons of lanolin and 4 teaspoons of carbauba wax? 

Some typo. Updated my comment. 

[ScottWolf]

6 hours ago, OverTimeLeathercraft said:

Some typo. Updated my comment. 

Yes, scale it proportionately so that you maintain the ratios 1:1:2:.5:.25

[OverTimeLeathercraft]

11 hours ago, ScottWolf said:

Yes, scale it proportionately so that you maintain the ratios 1:1:2:.5:.25

Thanks for reply! Already ordered the ingredients can’t wait to try it out. I am using Shea butter and grape seeds oil instead of cocoa butter and sweet almond oil! Hopefully the outcome is good!