Too Much Oil

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Apr 3, 2010
Messages
317
I've been experimenting with oil-tanning some ready-made, already finished sheaths lately and the results have generally been excellent, with the leather turning into a deep, dark brown. I'm not a sheath maker btw.

A couple of the sheaths didn't change as much as I was hoping, so I decided to tan them a second time. Big mistake. The oil soaked in and completely disappeared with the first treatment, but the second dose over-saturated the leather and now it just won't dry up. I can squeeze the leather at the folds and cause it to 'sweat' oil. This is a week after the 2nd application. So far I tried the cloths dryer on high, soap and hot water, and a little sun bathing. There's very little improvement. The sheaths are in great shape otherwise.

Any advice appreciated. These are everyday sheaths with no sentimental value.
 
Wrap it tightly in the most highly absorbent paper towels that you have and also stuff some paper towels on the inside of the sheath. Put them in the warmest spot that you have like maybe the trunk of your car or even out in the sun for a week or so on the dashboard of your car and the heat should help liquify the oil somewhat and the paper towels will absorb the oil slowly like a sponge. Don't try to rush it by sticking the sheath in an oven or some other not so smart way.
I have had to do that a couple of times and it worked for me.

For years now for all my leather goods instead of oil I just use Snoseal or some other wax based treatment like Montana Pitch Blend which protects and preserves the leather much better.
 
Thanks, Alex. I like your idea. What do you think about taking it a step further and using talcum powder instead of paper? I think it'll wash off just fine even after a week.
 
I like Alex's idea....I do something similar...just have it lay on a towel where it gets sun...dashboard, picnic table, etc. and every now and then wipe it with the towel to get the access oil off.....eventually it gets to where I like it.
 
I recommend you try the paper towels first. Although the talcum powder might work it may get into the pores of the leather and you may never get it all off.
 
Alex is on the right track with the absorbent paper towel idea.

Do Not: Wash with soap and water. Don't want them wet at all. It will take maybe weeks for them to dry out now from what you've done.

Do Not put them in the dryer or any other source of artificial heat

If you do put them in direct sunlight it will accelerate the darkening process on the surfaces exposed to the sun (think sun burn) but where it is shaded it will not. Needs to be turned frequently so that all surfaces get sun. Won't do much to get rid of the oil with out something to absorb it.

If you put it on the dash or in the trunk and forget it through the heat of the day it would be much like putting it in an oven which is a grand NO.

Next time this happens...and it should never happen again, because you use the oil sparingly, once and stop! Any way get hold of some Diatomaceous Earth and literally bury the sheath in it and leave it for about a week or ten days. DE is about the consistency of talcum powder. The DE will absorb (wick) quite a bit of the excess oil out of the leather. Then blow the DE off of and out of the sheath really well with compressed air. All of this exercise should serve as a really good reminder about using oil SPARINGLY, ONCE and then stop. (Redundant for a purpose)

Good Luck!

PS: Rayban's solution works also if used exactly as he describes and you don't leave it on the dash too long at a time.

Paul
 
Alex, thanks again for the advice. I forgot to mention that I'm familiar with Montana Pitch Blend. I read about it at Teller Canyon Forge's website a while back planned to to get some since. This application was different though. I was using the olive oil to tan fully finished sheaths. This method pretty much gives you different results with every piece of leather. Some get really dark and rich, some stay the same tone and just darken a little. Here's a before/after example of a good result with just one treatment. This Barkie came with a sucky sheath and the replacement I found fit perfect, but it didn't match up well. After the tanning, it's a perfect set.

DSC_0188b.jpg

DSC_0195b.jpg



Rick, appreciate the help neighbor!

Paul, thanks for the detailed reply and all the good info. I do have to drench these to get the oil in every corner in & out, but if I just do it once and wipe off the excess quickly, I think I'll be fine. Talcum sounds risky and I don't have access to DE. What I do I do have is an ample supply of fine sawdust, which doesn't stick and won't work its way into the leather. I'm going place these in a ziplock bag full of sawdust, shake it good and place in a moderately warm spot. If anyone sees a downside here, let me know.
 
A "drench" is not necessary to get oil into every corner and crevice unless you are in a super big hurry like it has to be complete in 10 seconds or less.

Oil will "level" relatively quickly (2 to 8 hours) after application and in so doing it reaches most of those corners and crevices. If, after it levels, you have reason to believe a spot was missed you can dot some more oil right there. This method will avoid the over saturation problem you have experienced.


PS: The FINE sawdust idea is certainly worth a try. It might work as well as anything else if it is really fine.

Where in Texas?

Paul
 
Where in Texas? What's big, flat, hot, humid, with tons of traffic, lot's of concrete and way too many people? Yes, Houston. My outdoors season is just getting started here and I'm really looking forward to it.

And yes, I'm a 10 second kind of guy and carefully detailing the inside of the sheath would take way too long. But I can move fast, so drench and wipe-off will only take a minute or so next time, leaving plenty of dry leather at the core to soak it all up.
 
Does over saturation actually harm the leather ?

Some of the ways too much oil will harm leather or just be a pain in the rear for you are:

Will attract dirt and dust and it will migrate into the fibers of the leather.
Will/can rub off on clothing, auto upholstery, or other places you'd rather not have oily/dirty.
Will cause leather which has been wet formed to lose its optimum shape.
Will cause leather to soften up quite a bit making some applications no longer really safe. Knife sheaths and holsters in particular.
Tensile strength may be compromised.
Finally, saturated leather just doesn't look as nice as properly treated leather.

Paul
 
3 days later I'm disappointed to say the rice didn't do the trick. I packed the sheaths with rice, placed them in a ziplock bag, then filled the bag tightly with rice. It was a good idea, and the rice did shake right out of the pouches without leaving a trace, but the oil is still there.

Messy sawdust is next.
 
shoot, sorry to hear that one :/


No sweat brother, it was definitely worth a try. I'm going to keep the thread updated so we can all learn.

One thing I forgot to mention is that the ziplock was a poor choice. When I opened it after 3 days, the inside felt a bit damp and the rice was stale. It's going to be a paper bag next time. Stay away from ziplocks.

I tried a quick drench and wipe on another sheath. Good news: no excess oil. It dried up nicely. Bad news: it didn't take the oil uniformly. Every part of it darkened, but some darkened more and some less. A day later I looked again and decided I actually like this 'variegated' look. And it looks fantastic with an old Remington hunter I have with a black & red rosewood handle. So now I have a way to make it look like this, and I think I can still get it uniform by massaging a bit of oil into the light spots after the wipe-off. Most importantly, no excess oil!

I'm not recommending anyone do it like this. Every piece of leather reacts differently and some might be ruined by the oil. If you're going the quick way, wipe immediately. Otherwise, the method Paul described is far safer.
 
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