new guy question on oil finish

[IVANKERLEY]

ive read through my search results on here and neatsfoot comes up alot, will any other oils like mineral oil, etc work?
more concerned about longterm effects and stability, i just completed a .50 cal muzzle loader rigid ball flask and used mineral oil, was feeling experimental , seemed to work well love the color it darkened too, didnt seem to soften it up any, i may do a few more of these and would like to know what to use
thanks
Gene

 

[sheathmaker]

Pure Neatsfoot oil, NOT COMPOUND!!! Extra Virgin Olive Oil or you can mix the two. Nothing with petroleum distillates.!!!!!

Paul

 

[IVANKERLEY]

thanks,so i guess the mineral oil was a bad idea seemed to work ok, could olive oil go rancid over time? dunno still learning. ialos tried some of my "Bore Butter" ML lube on a lark, rated food safe has beeswax in it from what ive read, seemed to work ok, didnt soften the leather and it has dried fine
thanks for the help
gene

 

[rayban]

Might be a good idea to just stay with products that were made to do the job at hand.....neetsfoot oil for leather, olive oil for cooking, etc......take advantage of all the R&D time and effort those good folks put into coming up with those products for us.

 

[IVANKERLEY]

Might be a good idea to just stay with products that were made to do the job at hand.....neetsfoot oil for leather, olive oil for cooking, etc......take advantage of all the R&D time and effort those good folks put into coming up with those products for us.

agreed, but experimenting can be fun actually i was asking because if i crank out a few of these i want to be able to give them out with a clear conscience so neatsfoot is on my list to buy for the oil finish
thanks guys
gene

 

[Leethal Cutlery]

If Paul Long says you can use olive oil, then you can use it. He is the master!!

 

[sheathmaker]

I used the Olive Oil and the mixture of the two back in my saddle making days. That was also before the drum dyed colors were readily available and we worked with Russet exclusively. The Olive Oil gave the Hermann Oak a most beautiful color (most of the time). Temperature, humidity, and the particular side of leather were also factors.

Pure Neatsfoot is just about bullet proof for a tried and true system that has stood the test of time.

Paul

 

[Wild Rose]

Might be a good idea to just stay with products that were made to do the job at hand.....neetsfoot oil for leather, olive oil for cooking, etc......take advantage of all the R&D time and effort those good folks put into coming up with those products for us.

FWIW - Olive oil has been used on leather for thousands of years before neats foot oil was even thought of and is still used by many of the finest leather craftsmen working today. Based on intensive research by both myself and several other historical types, t he oldest date for neatsfoot oil usage we have been able to come up with was in the early 1700's and one of it's first usages was for fine gun oil and not for leather. Also outside of the Fiebings brand there is no traditionally made neats foot oil (made from the lower leg bones ans sometimes hooves of young cattle) that I am aware of - all other neatsfoot oil on the market today is processed from hog lard and has been so since the 1930's, just check out the MSDS...

I've used olive oil (Extra Virgin cold pressed only) for over 40 years and have never had it go rancid. As for mineral oil - I will have to respectfully disagree in part with Paul. I would say it depends on the quality of the mineral oil. Ballistol, for instance, is a highly refined water soluble mineral oil and I know many serious outdoor users who have used the stuff on my gear and love it and have reported excellent results with no downside after long time usage. Also IIRC Al Stohlman recommended using mineral oil at times (when prepping for dying?) - vet grade is another highly refined version and is available at most any farm/feed store.
With ANY oil the thing to remember is it can be over done, veg/bark tab leather should have about an oil content of between 18-22% max - beyond that it can and will cause damage via destruction of the cell walls - that's why over oiled leather is floppy...

 

[IVANKERLEY]

FWIW - Olive oil has been used on leather for thousands of years before neats foot oil was even thought of and is still used by many of the finest leather craftsmen working today. Based on intensive research by both myself and several other historical types, t he oldest date for neatsfoot oil usage we have been able to come up with was in the early 1700's and one of it's first usages was for fine gun oil and not for leather. Also outside of the Fiebings brand there is no traditionally made neats foot oil (made from the lower leg bones ans sometimes hooves of young cattle) that I am aware of - all other neatsfoot oil on the market today is processed from hog lard and has been so since the 1930's, just check out the MSDS...

I've used olive oil (Extra Virgin cold pressed only) for over 40 years and have never had it go rancid. As for mineral oil - I will have to respectfully disagree in part with Paul. I would say it depends on the quality of the mineral oil. Ballistol, for instance, is a highly refined water soluble mineral oil and I know many serious outdoor users who have used the stuff on my gear and love it and have reported excellent results with no downside after long time usage. Also IIRC Al Stohlman recommended using mineral oil at times (when prepping for dying?) - vet grade is another highly refined version and is available at most any farm/feed store.
With ANY oil the thing to remember is it can be over done, veg/bark tab leather should have about an oil content of between 18-22% max - beyond that it can and will cause damage via destruction of the cell walls - that's why over oiled leather is floppy...

Thanks for that, i didnt use so much mineral oil so that it lost its rigidity, just enough that it got to the color i liked and seemed to dry fine, in regards to the Bore Butter, tried it on a lark because it contains beeswax, an oil (read both olive or mineral, nobody seems to know) and a slight scent... figured it was worth a try. I will definitely try the olive oil and the Ballistol ive heard of from some of my muzzle loading forums, i may pick some up in the future
Thank you gents for the advice, appreciated
gene