Leather/Brass care

[Ti.Horatius]

Salvete Omnes,

What is best for caring for a new balteus (leather/belt plates)?

Thanks,

Optime Valete

[Hibernicus]

Not modern leather treatments.
Not olive oil.

Perhaps, try a nut oil.. walnut is easy enough to get at grocery stores

[Velite]

Hibernicus, why not olive oil?

I'm very interesting...

Valete

[Magnus]

Won't olive eventually break down and rot? Plus won't it do wierd things to brass?

Why not use neatsfoot oil?

[rusty myers]

We neatsfoot all of ours

[maius]

I use neatsfoot oil on all my leather gear, works great.


Maius/Bill

[M. Demetrius]

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.

[A_Volpe]

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.

[arklore70]

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

[Wes]

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.