stillwater belt cleaning

[Mike n NC]

Okay, call me crazy but if he is complaining about stinky leather, why on God's green earth would you want to subject it to the foul odor of Neat's foot oil? Yeah, it's great stuff. But it stinks!

By the way, anyone ever seen a Neat anyway? How big are its feet and how did they get the oil out of it? :-P

First, if the oil you have stinks it has gone rancid. Toss it. Neatsfoot has very little odour of it's own and what it does have fades as it drys. It that still doesn't trip your trigger, there are as many "leather conditioners" out there as there are people to buy them. You can even get it par-fummeed for those with a delicate nose.

Second, I have a cousin that raises Neats. Very docile, small, four legged creatures. Think ground-hog with longer legs and huge feet. Oil is actrually a misnomer...it is toe jam.

Mike

[Bil]

Second, I have a cousin that raises Neats. Very docile, small, four legged creatures. Think ground-hog with longer legs and huge feet. Oil is actrually a misnomer...it is toe jam.

Mike

Okay, I think I'm going to vomit now.

So anyway, I guess mine is rancid. I have always thought it stank bad and figured it was just the way it is. Every bottle I've bought has stank to high heaven but then again I've never cared because I use it on my boots and, well, who cares if my boots stink? I have always preferred mink oil (paste) for my other leather work. I find the odor pleasant and I think it does a good job.

[An t-Ileach]

Mink Oil's OK. Personally, I don't like neatsfoot oil either. I use an Australian stuff by Oakwood - nice smell of eucalyptus, and is really penetrative. Or there's Hooper's Saddle Food. I'm not sure if Weaver's in Mount Hope Ohio do it, but they do a wide range of mail order leather stuff.

And as people have said, use saddle soap to clean the leather.

The difference between belts and clothing is usually that belts are still made from bridle leather (or some approximation to it), which is vegetable tanned, whereas clothing/upholstery leather is usually chrome/chemical tanned and thus more water resistant.

[auld argonian]

Isn't there some legendary shoe polish/leather preservative that's available only in the UK or Australia...it's a very simple name...help me out here...they have a funny website....

auld argonian

[auld argonian]

...ah! Dubbin!

And the website is not their own but a satirical one:

http://www.dubbin.com/

One more of those things (besides a Simon Stove) that just can't be had in the US and must be imported from the Land of Oz or thereabouts!

best

auld argonian

[Tiran]

Or for an easier way to get it you could just come to Canada. We have it around here, my dad always swore by it. I usually use mink oil because its cheaper, and a bit less greasy (Dubbin always reminds my of Vaseline) but Dubbin is still the good stuff.
The benefits of the commonwealth I guess. lol