too much neat oil? remedy ?

[polishfarmer]

 

 

i was trying to get the insane squeak out of some leather suspenders and a belt i made a few years ago that i wanna actually wear now..

 

i basically rubbed neat oil into them with my bare hands until they were fully covered.. i even liberally poured some out of the bottle at certain joints and crevices that squeaked more.

it darkened it a whole lot.

now im worried i used way too much oil. because i read thats a thing....

i have baking soda and charcoal should i use those to get excess oil out?

someone also recommended putting it in a bucket with speedy dry or some other oil absorber.

or should i just wash in cold water with maybe some castile soap?

or maybe just wash it with saddle soap? that should pull off some of the excess oil right ?

or put it in the sun and let it sweat out ?

 

like the suspenders smell like cow hooves or dog treats now they are pretty damp. oily to the touch. kinda gross

 

this is my one and only leather working project that i ever made successfully..

 

or maybe im just over reacting ? how long should it take for the leather to stop being greasy ?

 

Edited August 28, 2021 by polishfarmer

[Klara]

My horse tack always dried out much too quickly, but I  couldn't give you a time. 

I would wipe the suspenders off with absorbant paper and then hang them up to dry out of direct sunlight. And then wait for a few days to see what happens... 

 

[battlemunky]

There is such a thing as too much neatsfoot oil. You may have fully saturated the work and it could be screwed. The only thing to do is wait. maybe try some of the cat litter/rice/other idea tricks that have been suggested and see how it goes, if not you may just have to remake the piece.

Let us know what ends up working out.

[polishfarmer]

how does it get ruined ? like it just stretches to much after that or what ?

[battlemunky]

A great question that I don't know the answer to, regarding what is happening inside the leather. All I know is that when it gets over saturated it'll get a bit smushy and muddy and is ruined. Maybe if it is left to dry for a longer than the piece would've been needed for amount of time it may be ok? I've only seen it when there is too much oil and it can't evaporate/off-gas quick enough. Usually from dipping in NFO, or worse, soaking. 

[Constabulary]

wiping with denatured alcohol / ethanol a few times?

Edited August 29, 2021 by Constabulary

[fredk]

'Ruined' needs clarification

The leather just gets very soft and always feels oily to the touch. The NFO continuously leeches out onto anything it touches

For something that will be used outside, eg horse tack or chaps the NFO will eventually be used up and the leather will dry out to the point when it'll need more NFO applied

On some things which don't get that exposure it takes much longer to remove the excess, if it removes it at all

I once applied too much NFO on a worked leather covered game board. I tried all the suggestions given already. I had very limited success with any of them. Then I had the 'eureka', or 'Condor' moment - I was spending more £/$ on a cure than the leather was worth, and more time trying to fix that board than the time I could, and did, remake it

PS. I had moderate success with lacquer thinners, aka cellulose thinners

[Sheilajeanne]

What fred said!  When horse tack is concerned, there's rarely such a thing as too much NFO. Not enough NFO will eventually cause tack to crack and break.

Where suspenders are concerned, you are never going to get the original colour back, though they may eventually dry out enough to not shed oil onto your clothing.

Make a new set, or go with the elastic kind!

[Handstitched]

I have learnt over the years that ' what goes into leather , stays in leather ' , literally . Its like  trying to put the 'Jeanie'  back into the bottle.

Its more costly and time consuming trying to correct the ' slight deviation from the original plans'  than it is by simply  re-making them .  I have also  tried cursing and swearing and throwing it  across the workshop .........but it doesn't work and doesn't make it any cheaper  

HS 

[tsunkasapa]

Cover them in cornmeal, it will draw out a lot of the oil.

[Les No6]

On 8/29/2021 at 8:04 AM, polishfarmer said:

how does it get ruined ? like it just stretches to much after that or what ?

It decicates the leather, rots the fibres, increases oxidation and causes embrittlement it also stinks! NOT TO BE USED ON HORSE TACK!!!

Edited September 7, 2021 by Les No6
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