Fiebing's 100% Pure Neatsfoot Oil 8 oz - Leather Conditioner & Preservative with All Natural Animal Oil - Waterproof, Soften, Restore, & Strengthen Leathercraft Shoe, Boot, Belt, Saddle, Couch, Purse

Takes patience for very stiff leather , may need to apply let it sit and apply again. Reconstituted the integrity of an vintage trench coat

I bought a piece of leather equipment that's at least 100 years old and the straps were brittle, so I worked this stuff into it. It did restore a degree of flexibility to the leather - enough for a photoshoot but not even this can restore the strength and suppleness of consistently cared for leather. this may be obvious, but it's a liquid, not a cream, so it's easy to get sloppy with - this was important for me because it's a garment with cloth and leather - I made shields out of foil so I could brush the oil on. anyway, haven't heard of this as a problem, but sometimes animal based products have a way of attracting bugs, so just something to keep in mind if your item is a collectible and you're going to store it. I did wrap the straps in foil so the oil wouldn't stain the cloth part. The animal smell is noticeable and I do not find it appealing so I did not use it on two baseball gloves like I had planned.NOTE: if you refrigerate this, it will turn to a solid - in a solid state, it's much easier to apply a much smaller amount and work it into the cloth before rubbing it in. it'll stay on the surface long enough for you to work it in to your rag instead of immediately saturating it. working with a strip of leather about an inch wide and about 60" long, I used no more than 1/4 of a teaspoon in two separate applications. I spread some of it into the cracked leather with the point of a toothpick which limited/localized the discoloration. test this product on an old belt or some work boots, it'll give you an idea of how it will change the appearance of your item and how to work with it. wish I'd stumbled upon this earlier.

I prefer the pure neatsfoot oil for leather (vs the compound, which can have synthetic oils mixed in and can sometimes damage stitching). A generous coating of Fiebing's, rubbed in thoroughly, did wonders for my old and very dried-out baseball gloves, a WWII-vintage holster, and some other smaller leather items. A second application a few weeks later continued the restoration and rejuvenation of the leather. Best to give your leather goods fairly regular applications from the get-go, of course. But if things get away from you, the pure neatsfoot oil is what you need to bring the leather back.The neatsfoot oil soaks in readily and does not leave a greasy or oily finish on the leather. If you get to the point where the leather has drunk up all the oil it needs, you can quickly clean up any surplus on the surface by rubbing it again quickly with a clean rag.Two notes:1. If you have very light-colored leather that for some reason absolutely must stay light colored, you might not want to use neatsfoot oil, as it will darken the leather some. It is, after all, an oil that works by soaking into the leather. To my eye it gives the leather the really mellow, somewhat aged look of a fine item used hard and well cared for. Your tastes may be different.2. While the Fiebing's is great for belts, straps, tack, holsters, baseball gloves, etc., I prefer to rub mink oil into leather boots (with extra attention to the welts and seams) that I'll be wearing through a lot of moisture and mud and sloppy outdoor conditions.

A good product at a reasonable price from a reliable and well known mfg

I'm giving this 5 stars to make up for those who are giving this a 1 star because they don't know how to read. Why is it their fault that you did not read the description of the product and overpaid?Tractor Supply has it a bit cheaper, but they were out of stock and I needed it quickly. I paid a little bit more(still a great value), but I got it sooner than amazon predicted. It's a great product and works well....which is why it warrants 5 stars. The fact that others overpaid because they were lazy, should not affect the review of the product.I accidentally ordered leather leashes from my leather maker in the wrong color. I emailed him and he told me to use this product as it will darken the leash to match their collars, but it also made the leashes so much more soft and supple. I had a lot of darkening to do (light oil to almost black), but it only took about 3 coats for it to take. Great product, very happy.Also, read the freakin description before you buy a product....SMDH

When I started in leathercrafting I wasted a bunch of money on dyes and finishes to get natural shades of browns & tans, in reality what I needed was neatsfoot oil. A neatsfoot oil finish combined with a top coat is my go-to finsh for my leathwork I use it on 99.9% of projects. It darkens and softens your leather in a very even and natural way. If you are a beginner, neatsfoot oil is a must have. Youll learn little tricks to get a gradient of shades and youll find you rarely need to mess with dyes. I can get the darkest brown to the lightest tan just with neatsfoot oil. Also the single best thing you can use to rejuvenate old dry cracked leather... I post some work of Neatsfoot oil finishes.

I bought a Bible a few years ago that a Naval officer serving aboard the Battleship California during WWII had purchased in Australia, brought home, wrapped in newspaper dated 1948 and stored in a chest in his attic for well over sixty years. The Bible was in beautiful condition, but the natural leather was dry, faded and stiff. I bought a bottle of this oil and proceeded to apply it in coats on the leather. I applied and let it soak four or five times over the course of a few months. One day I took it out of it's box to apply another coat and just marveled at the softness and suppleness of the leather. The deep blackness was back and it just looked and felt like new. That Bible was bound in the early forties, no doubt, purchased in 1943, the receipt was still in the box, so it's going on eighty years old, but looks and feels like brand new, now. This stuff is wonderful. Get some Pure Neatsfoot Oil. Your leather will just soak it in and it will become part of the leather.