Neatsfoot Oil Tips and Tricks, Hot Oil, Tinted Oil, and More - - Livestream #3

In this video I cover the basics of oiling veg tan leather using Neatsfoot oil including hot oiling, tinted oil, plant/vegetable based oils, and more.
For hot oiling, optimum temperature is 120F.
For tinted oiling, use Fiebings Leather Dye (not Pro Dye) at a ratio of 94:6 oil/ dye ratio. Heating isnt necessary.
You can find me on IG at / bmgeisler
If you like what you see and you'd like to help support what I do, consider purchasing an Aspen Saddlery logo tee.
www.aspensaddlery.com/product...

[@MagsDurandal]

This is one of the most insightful talks into this subject I've seen! Loving the channel!

[@larrycumba2741]

Really appreciate this. Bought some culatta import vegtan. Cheap at $5.00 a foot but nice grain and carves and stamps nicely. As you know it is very light in color but doesn’t burnish at nicely as Hermann. Great for staining. Doesn’t darken like Hermann when oiled. Your info on tinting oil is the only thing I have found. Thank you for your help. Your detailed explanations are very helpful. To some they may seem unnecessary but I like the why and why not. Please keep up the good work. Thank you, Larry.

[@chandlersanders]

Heard about you on the Lost trades podcast. Love your content and craftsmanship! Looking forward to more!

[@BMGeisler]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@fredcdobbs823]

Coconut oil is the least reactive to oxygen compared to Neatsfoot & Mink oil oxidation which causes rancidity. IV Number: measures the reactive carbon double bonds present in oil (the weaker molecular bonds in oil - common in unsaturated fats). The the IV number the the oxidative stability. Coconut oil has an IV value of 10, the lowest of any plant/animal oil. Lanolin has an IV of about 20, Neatsfoot oil (bovine tallow) has an IV between 50 to 70, Olive oil has an IV of 80, Castor oil has an IV of 85, and Mink oil has an IV between 80 to 95.

[@johnearhart8811]

This was excellent. I really enjoyed the video

[@jordanmunro8689]

Hey have you ever combined beeswax with your hot neatsfoot oil and soaked say knife sheaths or holsters? What kind of ratio would that need? How would you oil a set of split reins? A customer wants to double up there reins and all I have is economy veg tan… thanks for any insight and great video!

[@matthewpfeiffer7948]

Question on when to apply the oil during a project. With belts it easy to do after glue up and even sewing. But with let’s say a bag, would you recommend doing it before assembly while taking care not to oil any glue lines? It seems all but impossible to get an even coat and not have splotchyness or pooling after in areas after it’s been put together on items that are more 3 dimensional. Amazing video by the way!

[@BMGeisler]

I generally oil everything after assembly. I'm primarily a Western saddlemaker, so trust me when I say that you can oil 3-dimensional objects evenly. It just takes practice. The exception here is oiling areas that you can't oil once the item is fully assembled e.g. the insides/ back sides of things. For those you've got to do that prior to assembly.

[@readytostartshooting]

May i ask what tool you use as your boarder please. And where i can get one?

[@christiandelestrade2980]

Hi can you glue leather after being conditioner with neetsfoot oil? If yes how long does it take for the neetsfoot to dry? Thank you Take care

[@calehamilton8155]

Do you only oil the top side? Or do you oil from both sides of the belt? If both, do you have to let the top side dry completely before flipping?

[@BMGeisler]

If it’s going to be lined you don’t oil the bottom because it will cause problems with your adhesive. If it’s unlined you oil both sides. When you do that, you don’t need to let the top dry before you flip it.

[@JackMantis36]

Thanks Ben! I'm busy restoring a old circle Y saddle that's been standing on a display for over a decade. The leather is still in good condition but hard and dry. What's the best way to apply and how much should I be administering in order to get it as soft as possible and put back into service...Thanks in advance JM

[@BMGeisler]

I apply the oil using a piece of woolskin. Use as little as you can get away with initially and test it on a small portion to see how it behaves. If it seems to improve, apply light coats waiting a day or so in between. If it's too far gone, rather than rehydrating it, it'll just turn into a greasy, crumbly mess.Depending on how dry it is, it may not be salvageable.

[@JackMantis36]

@@BMGeisler Thanks man...really appreciate the intel.

[@methegringo7516]

Great Advice. What would you recomend as a top coat on a belt that goes through some rainy weather?

[@BMGeisler]

You can’t truly waterproof it and acrylic type finishes make conditioning tough. I use Tankote on my saddles and that’s always been enough.

[@methegringo7516]

@@BMGeisler Thankyou and hope you are well through these troublesome times.Keep up incentivating...its good for the Soul!

[@MrJames_Bondage]

I imagine it would, but would you say tinted neatsfoot oil would work on a goatskin duffle bag to make it darker? I tried to use obenaufs lp soley to waterproof it but I kind of want a darker color, which the obenaufs didnt do.

[@BMGeisler]

This technique is for use on unfinished veg tan lather. Depending on how the duffle that you have is finished the results could vary from poor to disastrous. I wouldn’t recommend it.

[@Butchssn709]

Gorgeous Work! does the tinted oil work with Angelus Dye?

[@BMGeisler]

It does not.

[@dfrensdorffleatherworks7927]

Nice video! What do you use on top of the Neatsfoot after it has dried?

[@BMGeisler]

dfrensdorff leatherworks It really depends on what I’m making- for belts I’ll generally use Tankote or RTC.

[@YarnoldJ]

Hi When I Google neatsfoot oil there are lots of negative comments suggesting that it can be bad for leather and that you should be wary of over oiling and that is shortens the life of leather. What do you think? I have always used it both on my horses tack and on leatherwork

[@BMGeisler]

Those comments are almost always from people who applied way too much to leather that was way too dry. If you're using pure Neatsfoot oil and you're paying attention applying it, there's nothing to be concerned about. There's plenty of saddles out there that are 100+ years old that were oiled this way.

[@matthewjacobs141]

Have you ever used 100% Lanolin?

[@jeffallen3382]

Isn't Neats Foot oil made from cow bone marrow? How is that any better than oilive oil for example?

[@khaktus]

What about the NF oil smell? I tried experimenting with softening 7oz veg tan leather stripe with neatsfoot (Fiebing's), but it smells like marrow bone or beef soup now. It completely overrides the natural leather smell, that I fancy a lot. Does it evaporate over time?

[@BMGeisler]

Smell? Either you’re using low-quality oil or way too much. It shouldn’t smell like much of anything after a day or so.

[@khaktus]

@@BMGeisler This was regular pure Fiebing's NF oil. It has a heavy smell. I wonder if a "rancid" batch was delivered. I tried applying it on different leather samples, with different amount of the oil.

[@Jimster99]

When adding the fiebings leather dye into the neetsfoot oil and mixing thoroughly i notice little specs of dye in the oil that wont completely homogenize into the oil. It looks like small specs of the dye are suspended in the oil, is this normal? I keep hearing that the fiebings leather dye is alcohol based and the pro dye is oil based. In my mind it makes more sense that the pro dye (oil based) would more likely blend in (homogenize) with the oil vs the alcohol based leather dye. This is obviously a very interesting topic for a lot of us, thank you in advance for any feed back.

[@BMGeisler]

The pigment in original leather dye is oil soluble, the pigment in pro dye is not. You'll find that if you try to mix pro dye no matter what you do it ends up looking like salad dressing whereas, with a thorough mix, original formula will blend.

[@Jimster99]

@@BMGeisler Thank you Ben, I appreciate the feedback and clarification, really enjoy your videos and your craftsmanship is inspirational to say the least.

[@jamescook-xploringcapetown3728]

Very cool videos, what happened to your channel? Have you stopped making videos?

[@chrismartin5166]

Howdy sir. Is there a situation where you would use mink oil or neatsfoot oil / beeswax instead of straight up N.O.

[@BMGeisler]

There is no situation where I would use mink oil at all. As far as mixing beeswax into my oil there’s no benefit to doing that either.

[@christiandelestrade2980]

How are you I am a beginner in this. Is Fiebing's Leather Dye - Alcohol Based Permanent Leather Dye - 4 oz - Mahogany The right dye to use? Beautiful work!!

[@BMGeisler]

The correct dye is Fiebing's Leather Dye.

[@christiandelestrade2980]

OK thank you. I appreciate!

[@benkanobe7500]

What type of sponge are you using? I use old cotton towels and it seems to waste a bunch of oil.

[@BMGeisler]

I apply Neatsfoot with scrap woolskin.

[@larrycumba2741]

I like eraser sponges. Very fine texture and easily cuts to size. Use them when applying top coat or oiling. When doing a top coat they don’t make bubbles as muchas a dauber or sponge brush for me.

[@christiandelestrade2980]

Hi after the neetsfoot oil do I need to use resolene or whatever else to protect in (this case a holster) from rain etc... Thank you

[@BMGeisler]

I typically use Tankote but you're free to use the topcoat of your choice.

[@christiandelestrade2980]

Alright thanks a lot Take care

[@methegringo7516]

Do you tool first or after the oil?

[@BMGeisler]

You always tool it first.

[@madisonboules9351]

Can you use the fiebings low voc dye?

[@BMGeisler]

The low-VOC dye will not work for this method.

[@stevehuscroft6167]

Neatsford oil works on leather because it's made from a bovine animals ( cow's ). Neats is old Germanic/Dutch 'noot' English ' nait ' = neat. Thus Neatsford oil.

[@nathanrainwater1657]

Great topic! Thanks man. Opens up alot if options. Big question. I love working with veg tan, my shop get kinda hot and sweaty in the summer and I've noticed if a sweaty arm touches this untreated leather it leaves a black smudge. Some projects this can ruin because getting the smudge off with everything I've tried just makes it worse. Feedback would be great. Thanks again for the video!!

[@BMGeisler]

That's a tough one. If you smudge untreated natural veg tan, you can sometimes clean it by using diluted oxalic acid. You have to make sure to go over the piece evenly, but it will take off most organic stains including iron (blue spots) and blood.

[@nathanrainwater1657]

@@BMGeisler Ty. That has been recommended and ill break down and give it a try.

[@carlrockaway1696]

So if I had 32 ounces of pure neatsfoot oil I would add 6 ounces of dye?

[@BMGeisler]

For a 94/6 ratio you would need 32oz oil/ 2oz dye.

[@carlrockaway1696]

@@BMGeisler o ok, thanks for the quick response I appreciate that

[@carlrockaway1696]

@@BMGeisler I am definitely going to have to try this

[@subscricoesmotard7288]

In Portugal purê neastfoot oil is € 10/l. Olive oil (Portugal product) is € 2,50/liter 😎. But i use neastfoot because is faster and better to leather

[@synwannleathercraft8506]

How can i makeneats foot oil at home ?

[@BMGeisler]

You can’t.

[@jo-annfat-bricks2471]

cats got to be in it.. they love stinky rectangle face looks

[@joerag7199]

Good job addict! Break any of your bones from steroids?

[@shanehester4852]

Joe you must obviously have an issue

[@danielrocha2581]

You talk toooooo much