Thread: Too much Neatsfoot!!!!

Some home improvement or hardware stores actually have stuff to soak up threading oil for steel pipe so im pretty shure it will do the same for neatsfoot. Its like catlitter in looks but its made to soak up oil spills. The normal procedure with it is to pile it on the spill and grind it with your boot and then let it set n work. Anyway I know FASTENAL carries it. And good luck with your strop.

I really like the research folks are doing on this problem, pretesting solvents and all that. Nice work, guys!

Yea, I have done that intentionally as an experiment and I like the results. I would not put anything on the strop that you do not want on your bevel and edge such as cat litter, sawdust and any powders.

They will imbed in the pores and never come out. Wrap it in paper towels and put in the sun for a few days the towels will wick the excess out and you may like the new draw.

As an illustration of how absorbent leather is… I got an old leather razor roll in a group purchase. It was in good shape but the leather was dry and hard, not cracked. Since I didn’t care too much about the roll I painted on a coat of Ballistol, a gun cleaning solvent and great leather conditioner. It did soften the leather and I had it lying flat on a paper towel to wick off the excess.

I had a bunch of 10 pieces of leather I had cut into strops and waiting to be finished. In my crowded shop one day a corner the roll was inadvertently laid partially over a stack of 5, 8 /9 ounce leather strops. It was a few days before I notice it. The Ballistol had wicked though all 5 strops and stained them. Not a huge problem since I planned to treat and stain them anyway but I was impressed by how absorbent the leather was and really how little conditioner we really need.

I too do the hand rub, but mostly to clean the dust off the strop. Rub a clean white paper towel over your strop some day and you will be surprised how much dust settles on it daily. That is what you are stropping on.

Originally Posted by slicey

You know, I'm more curious to know how you came to be reading a 1937 issue of popular mechanics in the first place.
and here I thought the magazines in MY doctor's waiting room were out of date.

Neighbor gave 'em to me, he knows I'm fond of old stuff. No idea where he came across them. It's been a fun journey back through time reading through them.

Have yet to see any advertisements for straights but have seen a few small ads for DE stuff. Was hoping to find a full page ad for the NEW OHV Harley-Davidsons of 1937 but no such luck.

I'd probably just wrap the strop in brown paper and put some weight on it and change the paper every few days till she dried a bit.

Confession time: A few years ago I bought a new Neil Miller strop, probably screwed it up, and then definitely saved it, and I'm only telling this story because I feel like it might help you with your strop horror.

I've had leather gear my entire life. Baseball gloves, boots and shoes, holsters, various bags and pouches, pool cue cases and hats. I seem to have had it all, and I've only used three products: neetsfoot oil, glycerin soap, and Dubbin. Well, that's not accurate; I've used a bit of Lexol and shoe polish, but never for very long, and not very often. Typically it's the big three.

So: I got this beautiful strop, and because it was near the sink in a crowded bathroom I used dubbin on the stropping surface. For those of you who don't know what dubbin is, it's a natural shoe-polish-like leather conditioner that leaves a bit of a sealed waxy surface, and it's perfect for waterproofing boots. I rubbed it in pretty well and the strop works perfectly. It resists water, is pretty smooth, and works great.

Here's where the neetsfoot oil comes in. I don't subscribe to the use-as-little-as-possible school of neetsfoot oil use. I lived in Colorado (read: DRY) for almost 20 years, and were it not for the liberal use of neetsfoot, I'd have a basement full of cracked dry leather. I currently use it on the backside (the fleshy side) of my strop every few months. Though I don't soak it, i certainly use a lot, enough to darken the entire flesh side. The good news is that the dubbin on the strop side prevents the oil from soaking though the surface (which would ruin the draw.)

So: if you've used too much neetsfoot oil, and it leaves a sticky residue on your razors, then consider using glycerin soap to clean the surface and then using dubbin to seal it up. This should prevent the oil from getting to your razor.

My strop is still excellent, by the way. It's soft, supple, protected from the elements and works great.

i'm trying to get some excess oil out of a strop i'm restoring, and stumbled on this thread. Slicey's joke cracked me up - the punchline is classic! 5 years later!

Originally Posted by slicey

You know, I'm more curious to know how you came to be reading a 1937 issue of popular mechanics in the first place.
and here I thought the magazines in MY doctor's waiting room were out of date.

Originally Posted by Wullie

I was reading a 1937 POPULAR MECHANICS magazine I acquired the other day and it had a remedy for oily belts.

It said use sawdust first, followed by powdered chalk to remove excess oil from leather.

I thought about Kitty litter. Very absorbent!

I over oiled my SRD leather modular strop with oil and I was told to take dawn soap, apply with a lint free towel, then rinse with the lint free towel, press against paper towels to draw out the water and oil. Let dry in the sun. I also have used lighter fluid to remove oil. Repeat if necessary. Dawn is amazing for removing oil.

Originally Posted by MarkinLondon

Confession time:

Priceless!!

I did the same thing as a beginner....hoping that the oil will keep the leather well lubricated. BIG MISTAKE!

I put about 7-8 layers of neatsfoot oil on a horse butt leather, and after it dried out it became hardened to a point that it became unusable. It didn't crack, but felt like I was honing on a piece of rock. Had to get rid of it....

Originally Posted by ksst

Priceless!!

I did the same thing as a beginner....hoping that the oil will keep the leather well lubricated. BIG MISTAKE!

I put about 7-8 layers of neatsfoot oil on a horse butt leather, and after it dried out it became hardened to a point that it became unusable. It didn't crack, but felt like I was honing on a piece of rock. Had to get rid of it....

I do hope that All that are replying to this thread realize that it's 5 years old.