[RUSTYME]

What is the best treatment for leather tack etc .
I did have neatsfoot oil at one time , scary price now though .
I also had some stuff in a tin , the tin rusted and the stuff put in another container , and i have forgotten the name . It revived old stiff leather .
I have saddle soap , but wondered if there was a cheap type of oil that keeps leather soft and plyable . In times gone by , working gear would be wiped with fat , mainly pig fat i think . That does work , but if the dogs get hold of any leather treated  that way , they eat it , i know this , as a couple of working bridles ended up in the dogs a few years ago .
 

[hafod]

If I am doing a 'proper clean' I use horsemans one step which is great for lifting grease and grime then i use a leather balsalm. ( I get mine from equestrian clearance it's about £6 a pot but seems to last a long time, they also do neatsfoot oil at a reasonable price). It works for me. I know someone that 'boiled' a bridle in a saucepan full of veg oil (they were told the oil absorbed better warm!) Let's just say a deep fried bridle wasn't very supple!

[Brijjy]

I clean using saddle soap and soften with LeatherGenie! I bought it at the Royal Welsh a few years ago and I use it on my walking boots too. It smells like honey and lasts forever.

[coltsfoot]

Ko-cha-line is very good for restoring leather, and the absorbine one step is perhaps the most popular that we stock....it out sells any other make 

[Roxy]

Its all pricey - anything horsey always is.  I have been known to put bits of old harness in a bucket with veg oil, and leave to soak ....softens it!!  That's my cheaper option.  Although show harness and bridles I use the proper stuff as Judge may not  take kindly to us and pony smelling like a chip shop!!

[RUSTYME]

Ko-cha-line was the stuff i had before . It works ok , but i don't have the money to buy it now .
So , veggie oil was what i used in the end . It turned dry , stiff , unusable leather gear , into supple , usable gear almost instantly .
Cost ? , so far about 50p max . I have revived a huge amount so far , about half of what there is regards straps etc , working collars and working saddles to be done still yet , but at least i can afford this treatment , no chips for a bit though !
The dogs don't eat the treated leather as they do leather treated with pig fat either .

[Ina]

The dogs don't eat the treated leather as they do leather treated with pig fat either .

That was my first idea - most of these expensive treatments seem to have the consistency and look of lard, so why not use that? Never thought of the dogs, though!  Maybe I should think again about using it on my boots; I'll have all the neighbourhood dogs following me about...

Might be a way to make cheap dog chews: old leather scraps, rubbed down with lard?

[unicornleather]

http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/index.php?topic=55385.0

[Bionic]

Russ,would a mix of bees wax and linseed oil work? I made some as furniture polish but it really needs a bit more linseed oil and at the moment I can't be bothered to melt it again. What I have is in small tins. I can send you one to try if you would like it?

[unicornleather]

Russ,would a mix of bees wax and linseed oil work? I made some as furniture polish but it really needs a bit more linseed oil and at the moment I can't be bothered to melt it again. What I have is in small tins. I can send you one to try if you would like it?

Oil in great quantities is not good for hide. Too much beeswax in the mix stops any more conditioner/food wetting in to the hide too.
Oz