who said to oil overnight?

[fran]

i think someone said to put new bridle in a bowl covered with oil overnight to soften. which oil. cand anyone remember who suggested this?

karen

[anna85]

It might be vegetable oil - i've heard of that being done before - but i really really wouldn't. It absolutly pongs and makes the leather go sticky if you don't get it all off. We soak ours in Neatsfoot oil but by repeated applications rather than just putting in a bowl.

[hilarydawn]

We used to do this years ago when all tack came in that light tan colour. Raw and undyed?
Anyway, I wouldn't do it now with the modern dyed and treated leathers. Would probably go over floppy and all sticky. Leather that's been over oiled never really recovers.
My OH uses a leather dressing but I don't like the smell so I give mine light coatings of neatsfoot.

[JoM]

It was probably me!!!!!

We pop our new stuff in a baking tin and pour some veg oil in the bottom and just leave it to soak over night (we dont drown it!! LOL) Just a covering in the bottom of the tray. It does come out a bit gooey and needs a good polish, but it makes the leather lovely and flexible.

[jay]

I soak my new leather in neatsfoot oil too....don't like wrestling with stiff leather

[SuzieP]

I treat new leather with neatsfoot, but brush it on with a half-inch paintbrush. Bridles seem to soak the oil in very quickly and so the new parts get several coatings before use. Saddles don't seem to soak it up as much. I don't give girth straps too much oiling - I've been told it can make them stretch. Same with stirrup leathers.

Older tack I give an oiling from time to time just to keep it from drying out.

[alisonduke]

I once soaked some reins in neatsfoot oil overnight and completely ruined them
The oil would seep out when I was using them and the reins generally became really slippy!
I now use leather conditioner or use a rinsed out hoof oil brush to put on neatsfoot oil.

[mabel]

I use flexalan if the leather is quite stiff and give it several coats with a brush. Otherwise I use a cream like oakwood or the stubben stuff (can't remember the name LOL)

[greydales]

You should only oil the underside (rough side) of the leather, as this is the absorbent part. Too much oil saturates the leather and will make it prone to stretching, also it can rot stitching. I brush on some Flexalan to the rough side of new leather and this works fine. Oakwood is a lovely conditioner and it smells nice!

[harleydales]

I soaked a bridle overnight once - and it GREW!! Started off pony sized and would have fitted a shire by the end. I've never done it since!!

[akehurstannabel]

I use stubben hammanol which is like a cream/ointment kind of consistency. Seems to work well. Jo x

[khristyne]

I heat neats foot oil in a jug until it is hand hot then dunk each piece in until it stops bubbling. Then I wipe off the excess and manipulate the leather until it is pliable. I have never had any probs with this method and it leaves it lovely and pliable without any stickiness.

After that I use Stubben soap and cream.

[akehurstannabel]

Ooooh that sounds like a messy job!!!! Jo x

[fran]

thanks all!

i put a tin of neatsfoot oil in a deep tray then dipped each piece of tack in it , lifted and drained then on to a towel to soak in for twenty four hours. just like dipping fish in batter. it turned out just fine.