The strip of elkhide on the left is new. The strip on the right was left outside in sun and rain for over two weeks. The top portion was treated with Brooks Proofhide. The middle was is untreated. The bottom part is treated with pure neatsfoot oil.Obviously the neatsfoot oil both protected the leather and gave it a pleasent honey color. It's great stuff.
This is from the label:
"100% Pure Neatsfoot Oil is an all natural oil for the preservation of leather articles subjected to rugged outdoor use. 100% Pure Neatsfoot Oil keeps leather soft and pliant through repeated wetting-drying cycles and helps restore dried out leather to its natural pliancy."
I've been told that some commonly available neatsfoot oil is not 100% pure and is diluted with petroleum oil which actually harms leather. So I found a source for the good stuff and it's now available in 4-ounce bottles in the Velo Orange store; $5.
The bad stuff is called "neatsfoot oil compound" and it's darker, has a different odor. It's ok for barnyard boots and the like, but should never be used for nice leather goods .
ReplyDeleteThis may end up being a complete joke because I can't sew my way out of a wet paper bag but I'm going to try putting on a set of these covers because they just seem like one of those perfect things. I do, however, not see how they could improve on shellaced cloth tape, as those have the benefit of being austere and cheap, and as far as I can tell having had them on one bike for mannny years, nonbiodegradability. But I'm gonna the sew-ons just for sh!ts and giggles anyway. Good show.
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