Neatsfoot oil is usually put on with the oil heated or by heating the surface with a heat gun after it's applied. Putting it on cold take a lot longer to soak in. Mink oil looks lighter, because it's mainly artificial ingredients, and not a natural product. Tanneries "hot stuff" hides with oils and fats. Hot stuffing, hence the heat, distribute the oils and fats more evenly through a hide. It's not just the surface on leather you want to protect, it's all the way through, you want to protect fibers. Most veg tanned leather has very little oils/fats unless it's a type specifically made with them. Oiling is a determining factor on how long a leather produce will last. IMO, the issue is more complicated then "which do you prefer".
Hello, GREAT elements to mention! There are so many steps of leather production and use and various methods that can be allied at each one. This is a great addition to the discussion to help folks get a little deeper into understanding the complexities. And yes, it's often more complicated 😃 Often, after some education and experience, people settle into a preferred method, then it gets a little easier. Great stuff, thanks.
Hello 😃 In general between the two the difference will be subtle though the mink oil blend might be a little softer since it includes a few other elements beyond neatsfoot oil (while common mink oil blends often do include neatsfoot oil, too). A truly pure mink oil (99-100% pure, not a blend) will likely soften more. They'll be a little tricker to find, though still available.
Bick 4 is better than both depending on the type of leather you’re trying to soften up and it doesn’t darken any color. Regardless of what you use, make sure none of the products you use contain silicon like the products in this video.
@@dustang5.O Bick 4 in general performs well, though seems too as of 2017, to have neatsfoot oil and silicone in it: cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0275/0418/1290/files/BICK_4_-_CA_RIGHT_TO_KNOW.pdf?v=1631557742 Many manufactures keep the ingredients vague, and can be tricky to find out more about them. it's really tough to find all-natural conditioners! I think we've come across maybe only a handful out of hundreds of products.
@@Waldomountainman Leather Honey seems to be a helpful one with natural ingredients. It can be helpful to check ingredients periodically too as companies can change formulas over years. Where some great ones change to include some synthetic ingredients, and some might change from synthetic to more natural.
I’m wondering why any company would put silicone in any of these conditioners, with the only reason being as a cheap filler. Silicon is not good for leather or stitching threads. Easy to verify, as all of the better mink oil or neatsfoot oil conditioners from reputable companies specifically state that they do NOT contain silicon.
@@fishkluch Yes it can often make adhesive bonding more difficult, great mention.It doesn't seem to be the best ingredient to have in/around leather fibers long term.
In general it likely will. Usually, the more conditioning, or applications of a conditioner, will lead to more moisture and a slightly darker color each time. Depending on the formula it might be slight, and it usually dries lighter than it looks when initially applied.
