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+--- Thread: Leather/Brass care (/showthread.php?tid=10929)
Leather/Brass care - Ti.Horatius - 11-09-2007
Salvete Omnes,
What is best for caring for a new balteus (leather/belt plates)?
Thanks,
Optime Valete
Re: Leather/Brass care - Hibernicus - 11-09-2007
Not modern leather treatments.
Not olive oil.
Perhaps, try a nut oil.. walnut is easy enough to get at grocery stores
Re: Leather/Brass care - Velite - 11-12-2007
Hibernicus, why not olive oil?
I'm very interesting...
Valete
Re: Leather/Brass care - Magnus - 11-12-2007
Won't olive eventually break down and rot? Plus won't it do wierd things to brass?
Why not use neatsfoot oil?
Re: Leather/Brass care - rusty myers - 11-12-2007
We neatsfoot all of ours
Re: Leather/Brass care - maius - 11-12-2007
I use neatsfoot oil on all my leather gear, works great.
Maius/Bill
Re: Leather/Brass care - M. Demetrius - 11-12-2007
Neatsfoot oil, plus exposure to sunlight, gives a nice, rich color to leather.
As for olive oil, I have a balteus and a baldric that are over 3 yrs old, and they seem to be holding up just fine so far, just two good wipes with a sheepwool applicator, wipe off excess and hang in the sun for a couple of hours. It gives the leather a dark, reddish brown color. People told me after the fact that olive oil will break down the leather and other horror stories, and maybe that's true, but it hasn't happened yet. I use top quality olive oil, maybe that makes a difference. Same stuff I cook with.
Re: Leather/Brass care - A_Volpe - 11-13-2007
Demetrius
Just make sure you don't confuse that, and cook your leather with said olive oil
I thought some people had experimented with olive oil for polishing/protecting helmets and armor? Not for leather care.
What about neatsfoot oil, I thought that was the best thing, just to not apply it too heavily, a light coat now and then to prevent cracking and stiffening? I've had no ill effects using neastfoot for 6 years now.
Re: Leather/Brass care - arklore70 - 11-13-2007
I have had no ill effects from neatsfoot oil at all, and a friend of mine who runs a Tandy Leather store in San Antonio recommends neatsfoot oil as well.; he uses it on his Celtic and Viking leather gear.
Here is a post, that is rather long, but if you scroll down it, it does have some experimentation with various hamata samples with protectants against the elements.
http://www.romanarmy.com/rat/viewtopic. ... a+rust+oil
v/r
Mike
Re: Leather/Brass care - Wes - 11-13-2007
I do know if you use a nice, sweet nut oil, it will smell nice, but it makes it a bit more attractice to wee critters that try to make it inside in the colder months.