# Neatsfoot Oil



## snoopyinfrance (31 December 2011)

OK guys, please help
I've been using Neatsfoot compound for as long as I can remember and have just had a friend 'tell me off'
She says I should use oil, not compound as the compound will rot stitching.  
I don't use it often and always use it sparingly.
What do you have to say about them and which would you use????
Thanks


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## Ashgrove (31 December 2011)

I wouldn't use either . 
I've heard a few saddlers say oil of any kind is bad for leather.

I use Ko-Cho-Line for dry leather or if the leather is going into storage. For all other times I use Grand Prix Leather Gloss.


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## Capriole (31 December 2011)

I wouldnt use oil either, Ive also had it drummed into me by saddle makers


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## ofcourseyoucan (31 December 2011)

stubben hammanol is fab..


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## jmb (31 December 2011)

hmmm, i thought I was very good oiling my tack with neatsfoot today, but maybe not? Why is it bad? and if its bad for the tack why is it so widely sold/selling? What should we be using?


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## flirtygerty (31 December 2011)

Ditto JMB, what should we be using, most of my leather tack has developed mould, although the tack room seems dry, I now have a sun room chock full of tack, I have been wiping off with wet wipes, followed by cleaning with glycerine then conditioning, some of the saddles are expensive it's a shame they are getting spoilt


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## Maesfen (31 December 2011)

Too much oil can weaken and stretch the leather, it's almost as bad as not oiling it at all.  Everything in moderation.  Was always told by a proper old saddler to oil well before use when new then use for a month before oiling it again (clean it in between obviously) then it shouldn't have to be done again for quite some time like end of hunting season when it won't be used for some time.  Only exceptions to his rules would be if it got a real soaking when it should be allowed to dry naturally, never by a fire or radiator and then oil the underneath of the leather only.  I still have a saddle, made by him that is almost 50 years old and the leather (and stitching) is almost as good as new and it's had a pretty hard life; you don't seem to get that good a quality leather now.

ETA, If you have mould on the leather then wipe it off with a dry cloth first, then a damp one; that way you won't be pushing the mould further into the leather.  Before you put anything away for a long time, give it a good clean and use something like Koacholine to wipe over it but don't use saddle soap as that seems to increase the chance of mould building up.  Bridles etc, wrap up in something like a cotton pillowcase but never polythene as that can't breathe which should inhibit mould too.


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## Nollaig Shona (1 January 2012)

jmb said:



			hmmm, i thought I was very good oiling my tack with neatsfoot today, but maybe not? Why is it bad? and if its bad for the tack why is it so widely sold/selling? What should we be using?
		
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flirtygerty said:



			Ditto JMB, what should we be using, most of my leather tack has developed mould, although the tack room seems dry, I now have a sun room chock full of tack, I have been wiping off with wet wipes, followed by cleaning with glycerine then conditioning, some of the saddles are expensive it's a shame they are getting spoilt
		
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From what I read on another MB (where someone wanted to know how long to leave their new bridle soaking in a bucket of neatsfoot oil  ) modern day leather has been treated in a way that makes neatsfoot oil 'redundant' (we all used to use it in vast quantities 30 + years ago) and that it ruins the leather - something to do with the tanning process IIRC - and as Maesfen said it'll stretch and weaken the leather.

Curriers grease (whatever that is) is the Best Thing Ever for leather, but Ko-Cho-Line will do if you can't get it.


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## snoopyinfrance (3 January 2012)

Well, thank you all very much.

I have never used the oil very often.  Mostly after the tack got a good soaking and had dried naturally actually, so that's a relief.

I will be putting the oil aside and just using the Stubben treatment that I have then....

Friends and I have been struggling with mould too.  Interesting to hear others are suffering.  Well, I'll also be looking out for cotton pillow cases to store the tack in.  

Thanks again and Happy New Year everyone!


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## sbloom (3 January 2012)

Leather Therapy products are useful where mould might be a problem - they contain phenol which is an antifungal.  Tea tree oil can be added to cleanser or conditioner in tiny quantities but it is drying.

Oil soaks in between the fibres and loosens and stretches them which is what makes the leather feel supple - it is in fact weaker.  It doesn't really waterproof leather - beeswax does that - and doesn't moisturise it.  I advise my customers to clean their saddles with old fashioned woven dishcloths and elbow grease , use a cleanser only if absolutely necessary, don't use glycerine as it attracts moisture and therefore dirt as it gets sticky (and MUST be rinsed off if used as a cleanser), and use a good conditioner now and then.  If you can use it when the leather is damp it helps seal in moisture - so if your saddle gets soaked, dry it slowly but apply conditioner before it is bone dry.  And it is better to apply more often but very sparingly than slapping a whole load on.

The conditioners I recommend - Stubben Hamanol, Effax Ledebalsam, Leather Therapy Conditioner and Oakwood Conditioner.  There may be others that are good, but definitely do not use anything that may contain solvents (petrochemicals) as this is very harsh for leather.


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## snoopyinfrance (3 January 2012)

sbloom said:



			The conditioners I recommend - Stubben Hamanol, Effax Ledebalsam, Leather Therapy Conditioner and Oakwood Conditioner.  There may be others that are good, but definitely do not use anything that may contain solvents (petrochemicals) as this is very harsh for leather.
		
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I use the Stubben and Effax.....
I'm a good girl and I didn't even know it - at least I got that bit right!


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## cremedemonthe (3 January 2012)

As others have said DON'T oil it!
I use oil ONLY to add a "leathery" smell back into old tack before sale (secondhand) and I use cod liver oil, which is superior to neatsfoot and such a small amount you'd hardly notice it, I don't add oil to feed or soften leather.

I tend to make my own hide food which is a fat/grease and hand finish my own hides but anything you can buy that has lanolin, tallow and beeswax in it's ingredients will feed, preserve and soften leather, it's far thicker and will stuff the fibres and cells of the hide like it would do if the hide was still on a living animal when it produced it's own oils and fats. Apply the fat/grease whatever you decide to buy, to the flesh side of the hide (the underneath) which is more "open" and will allow more to enter into the fibres. Apply a little to the grain side (outside) and mainly use that to buff up to give it a shine, the fat applied underneath will come up through the fibres to help stop water penetrating into the leather as well as feed it.
When I buy in a product I use Aussies made by Fiebings, Oz


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