Post by lew on Jul 22, 2015 18:23:26 GMT -5
Any collector of Indo/Algérie militaria is going to find leather equipment unavoidable- boots, belts, trim on packs, et al, and there's no problem with that. Proper care is essential if one wants this stuff to remain serviceable for any respectable amount of time.
DO NOT do what I did when I was first starting out and use Neatsfoot oil, Neatsfoot compound, or anything containing tallow or paraffin.
Eventually, these compounds will migrate to the surface and leave a white, greasy mass of heavy oils and leather decomposition byproducts on your otherwise nice boots. Also, the aforementioned products do not do a good job of protecting leather and some may actually accelerate decomposition. Added to these points is the fact that Neatsfoot oil/compound is an animal product either in part or in full. As such, it contains dissolved salts. Those salts will deposit deep in the leather. As the leather is flexed, the salts act as an abrasive and tears apart the dead cells that comprise the leather. Picture fruits or vegetables that have been frozen and then thawed; the ice cyrystals act like tiny daggers and lance open the cells, which then lose their water content.
Now, if your leather goods have had Neatsfoot or paraffin and tallow-containing treatments applied, all is not lost. Follow these simple steps:
1) Remove the item from service.
2) Using a detergent*- I prefer Kirkland's environmentally-friendly dish soap in the bulk container- and a nylon-bristled scrub bush, go to town on the boots and remove as much oil and greasiness as you can. I applied the detergent directly to the offending pair of boots, splashed a bit of water on, and scrub-a-dub-dubbed. Apply some detergent to your hand and rub that in to hard-to-reach places (Not on yerself! Perv.
).
3) Let it sit for a few minutes and let the detergent do what it does and emulsify and encapsulate some more of that oil.
4) Fill a bin with enough tepid water to cover the boots or whatever it is that yer workin' with.
5) Chuck article in water and leave it over night.
6) Some (or all, depending on how much oil was previously applied) of the remaining oil within the leather will work its way to the surface of the item as it is displaced by the water. The salt will likely be gone with one to two soakings. Drain the water in the container.
7) Repeat step #2, removing the film on the surface of the leather.
8) Let dry overnight**. It doesn't need to dry completely, but it will become apparent the next day if you need to repeat the process.
*Soap is not recommended as soaps, by their nature, are alkaline (pH above 7) and will remove too much of the leather's natural oils. A detergent will get the job done.
**Let the item air dry. DO NOT attempt to accelerate the drying process with a hair dryer, placed near a vent or furnace, lighting a bonfire, or whatever methods you savages have at your disposal.
After the boots are brought back to a workable starting point, apply a quality leather dressing. I've only experience with Pecard's, and it's fantastic. Apply a coat and let it sit for a couple of days. Wipe of the excess and see if it needs another coat. Apply every 4-6 months, depending on location. A hot, dry, and dusty environment is going to require more regular rinsing and reapplication of the leather dressing. Obernauf's is another dressing that gets good reviews, but I have no hands-on experience, and can therefore not recommend it.
Use the leftover Neatsfoot oil in an oil lamp or whatever you like. Just don't use it on leather.
DO NOT do what I did when I was first starting out and use Neatsfoot oil, Neatsfoot compound, or anything containing tallow or paraffin.
Eventually, these compounds will migrate to the surface and leave a white, greasy mass of heavy oils and leather decomposition byproducts on your otherwise nice boots. Also, the aforementioned products do not do a good job of protecting leather and some may actually accelerate decomposition. Added to these points is the fact that Neatsfoot oil/compound is an animal product either in part or in full. As such, it contains dissolved salts. Those salts will deposit deep in the leather. As the leather is flexed, the salts act as an abrasive and tears apart the dead cells that comprise the leather. Picture fruits or vegetables that have been frozen and then thawed; the ice cyrystals act like tiny daggers and lance open the cells, which then lose their water content.
Now, if your leather goods have had Neatsfoot or paraffin and tallow-containing treatments applied, all is not lost. Follow these simple steps:
1) Remove the item from service.
2) Using a detergent*- I prefer Kirkland's environmentally-friendly dish soap in the bulk container- and a nylon-bristled scrub bush, go to town on the boots and remove as much oil and greasiness as you can. I applied the detergent directly to the offending pair of boots, splashed a bit of water on, and scrub-a-dub-dubbed. Apply some detergent to your hand and rub that in to hard-to-reach places (Not on yerself! Perv.
). 3) Let it sit for a few minutes and let the detergent do what it does and emulsify and encapsulate some more of that oil.
4) Fill a bin with enough tepid water to cover the boots or whatever it is that yer workin' with.
5) Chuck article in water and leave it over night.
6) Some (or all, depending on how much oil was previously applied) of the remaining oil within the leather will work its way to the surface of the item as it is displaced by the water. The salt will likely be gone with one to two soakings. Drain the water in the container.
7) Repeat step #2, removing the film on the surface of the leather.
8) Let dry overnight**. It doesn't need to dry completely, but it will become apparent the next day if you need to repeat the process.
*Soap is not recommended as soaps, by their nature, are alkaline (pH above 7) and will remove too much of the leather's natural oils. A detergent will get the job done.
**Let the item air dry. DO NOT attempt to accelerate the drying process with a hair dryer, placed near a vent or furnace, lighting a bonfire, or whatever methods you savages have at your disposal.
After the boots are brought back to a workable starting point, apply a quality leather dressing. I've only experience with Pecard's, and it's fantastic. Apply a coat and let it sit for a couple of days. Wipe of the excess and see if it needs another coat. Apply every 4-6 months, depending on location. A hot, dry, and dusty environment is going to require more regular rinsing and reapplication of the leather dressing. Obernauf's is another dressing that gets good reviews, but I have no hands-on experience, and can therefore not recommend it.
Use the leftover Neatsfoot oil in an oil lamp or whatever you like. Just don't use it on leather.
