too much beeswax in leather?

[druid189]

is linseed oil okay for leather? I had thought about it when all this started..I feel committed with the neatsfoot, I am on a budget so I only buy what I need. I WILL be applying pure beeswax to my wood handles for water proofing, not sure if it needs oil in there or not, from what I have read pure beeswax absorbed into wood is more than adequate to protect it from the elements, am I wrong in this thinking?

On another note, I have thought about how I am going to proceed with this current mix I made. I think i'll stick with the 1:1 and only apply 1 coat for an initial absorbtion. And it will be a thinner coat, not a liberal coat. Then after that I'll do pure beeswax into the leather for another 2 coats. I am hoping that the neatsfoot will be enough to keep the leather from being rock hard.

I might test this on a small piece first. Thanks again for all the help guys, I'll be posting pics soon of my first sheath.

Linseed oil is primarily used on wood as a preservative. I would not think it necessarily a good idea to use on leather on its own....except as perhaps an "initial" oiling of that leather if it were too dry to begin with. In honesty, there are more appropriate dressings for leather.

Neatsfoot oil is one of those "more appropriate" products for leather.

Beeswax is also appropriate for both wood and leather...as a lubricant and waterproof agent. Using heat to gain absorption is the best method I have found.

Take a beeswax candle and rub it onto a scrap of leather and a scrap of wood. Make sure the test piece is completely covered.

Use either a heat gun on LOW or a hair dryer on HIGH [with heat] and make passes over the items to see how it gets "sucked in." Feel the items after it cools.......no residue and no 'tacky' feeling. Now sprinkle water on them to see the repellent nature it shows.

EDIT: If you look at my waterproofing compound posted above, it does contain a small amount of linseed oil........but it's not the "primary" ingredient....that is actually the beeswax. in this 'concoction' it's awesome on leather.....but again, it's part of a mixture and diluted by the other compounds.

 

[vilePossum]

couldn't you substitute neetsfoot oil for the linseed?
if i were to guess it is used in combination with the turpentine (which is also more of a wood care material) to make the beeswax more pliable at room temperature and maybe increase the penetration as well as maybe give the leather some flexibility back.

i will actually try this tonight, i received the beeswax yesterday but realized that i only had aceton not turpentine at home... i also only have neetsfoot compound (working with what's available, real pure neatsfoot oil is hard to get in germany or grossly overpriced).
i wonder what further use the turpentine has... maybe transportation like alcohol...

 

[druid189]

I don't know what the differences are other than Linseed is rendered from flax seed, where neatsfoot oil is rendered from animal bone. One was always used to preserve wood and the other leather. I've never used pure linseed on leather because....well..other than being diluted in the mixture...I was always told it was for wood. I don't know what substituting the oils will do to the compound, or how it will behave on leather.

 

[vilePossum]

Is this how it is supposed to look like? Also I couldn't get turpentine, only turpentine replacement. And because I didn't want to use my wife's measuring cup I weighted it.. Lol


Btw this is using neatsfoot compound.

 

[Brommeland]

In my experience, neatsfoot compound causes more problems than it solves. The mineral oil can dissolve edge coatings/dressings and it is really not good for the leather either. My recommendation would be to stick with pure neatsfoot oil - it is all animal oil without any petroleum. Good luck!

 

[vilePossum]

If it were that easy. sadly pure neatsfoot oil is ridiculously expensive here in Germany, not to mention hard to get. Go figure. Though I might have found a decent source on German Amazon. I still have half of the beeswax and might try that or linseed next.
This batch is intended for the sunglasses case which only uses the mixture, compound and glycerin soap for slickening. But thanks for the warning.

 

[Omega Leather Works]

If it were that easy. sadly pure neatsfoot oil is ridiculously expensive here in Germany, not to mention hard to get. Go figure. Though I might have found a decent source on German Amazon. I still have half of the beeswax and might try that or linseed next.
This batch is intended for the sunglasses case which only uses the mixture, compound and glycerin soap for slickening. But thanks for the warning.

Possum, I wonder if one of us Yankees could ship you a bit of pure neatsfoot oil? I don't think it would be a problem on my end. It's very reasonably priced here. I have a couple of pounds of beeswax as well. I could ship you a piece. What all is hard to obtain there? I can pitch in some thread samples and a few pieces of hardware, I just need an idea of what you cannot easily get. Shoot me a pm or email.

Dwayne, this isn't a sale just to clarify. Just a friendly gesture. You know how I roll.

 

[druid189]

Is this how it is supposed to look like? Also I couldn't get turpentine, only turpentine replacement. And because I didn't want to use my wife's measuring cup I weighted it.. Lol

::snip::

Btw this is using neatsfoot compound.

ehhhhhh......sort of. Mine looks like that while it's still a liquid but is a bit more "white/yellow-ish" [like around the edge where it meets the can] when completely cured.

 

[vilePossum]

Possum, I wonder if one of us Yankees could ship you a bit of pure neatsfoot oil? I don't think it would be a problem on my end. It's very reasonably priced here. I have a couple of pounds of beeswax as well. I could ship you a piece. What all is hard to obtain there? I can pitch in some thread samples and a few pieces of hardware, I just need an idea of what you cannot easily get. Shoot me a pm or email.

Dwayne, this isn't a sale just to clarify. Just a friendly gesture. You know how I roll.

thank you so much for your kind offer. i'll try the amazon thing first, it's just 9€ for hald a liter, so it's okay. also i am not sure i will continue down that road of finish...

here is a picture how it looked this morning (last one before further derailing the thread). maybe i didn't stir it enough during cooldown. also used the yellow beeswax droplets available everywhere.



what kind of puts me off is the overwhelming smell of turpentine, which is also sticking to finisched products like the sunglass case.
in that regard i might try something like the orignal poster with a beeswax/oil mixture without the turpentine.

btw, i recently recalled that linseed oil also forms polymers and as such hardens the material it is applied to. a feature commonly used when treating knife handles. depending on your use case it might be a pro or con for your leather work.
i know some archers who routinely treat their quivers with it, so i don't think it is that bad for leather.

 

[druid189]

thank you so much for your kind offer. i'll try the amazon thing first, it's just 9€ for hald a liter, so it's okay. also i am not sure i will continue down that road of finish...

here is a picture how it looked this morning (last one before further derailing the thread). maybe i didn't stir it enough during cooldown. also used the yellow beeswax droplets available everywhere.

::snip::

what kind of puts me off is the overwhelming smell of turpentine, which is also sticking to finisched products like the sunglass case.
in that regard i might try something like the orignal poster with a beeswax/oil mixture without the turpentine.

btw, i recently recalled that linseed oil also forms polymers and as such hardens the material it is applied to. a feature commonly used when treating knife handles. depending on your use case it might be a pro or con for your leather work.
i know some archers who routinely treat their quivers with it, so i don't think it is that bad for leather.

Yep, that's pretty much it.

The turpentine smell actually goes away about an hour after you spread it on the leather and heat it up to absorb it. While it's in the can though, yeah, it can be a bit overwhelming. keep the lid on tight.

Do it outside:

1. spread the mix onto the outside of the project evenly.
2. Use a heat gun on LOW and warm it up so the project absorbs the mix. only takes a few seconds once the heat hits it. Keep the heat MOVING though, don't burn the project.
3. leave it out there for about an hour and the smell should be completely gone [mine always is, anyway].

 

[Omega Leather Works]

No problem Possum, if you change your mind let me know.