Neatsfoot oil??

Bugkiller99

Bugkiller99

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Spent the day out in the sun on the range yesterday. Sweating like a pig. Got home, wiped down my carry pistol, even though it had not been shot.
Thought, hmm, probably need to clean up my holster. So I pulled out the saddle soap. While it was out, wiped down several other holsters. Pulled out the can of neatsfoot oil, opps, empty.
So I went to the hardware store this afternoon to get some. Walked up to the clerk and asked for it.

Nothing
Silence
Crickets

Finally, a what’s that? Never heard of it.

After some explaining, and searching I found it.

Don’t kids use neatsfoot oil on their baseball gloves? I live in the middle of horse country, for gosh sakes. And you don’t know about neatsfoot oil?????

Am I missing something?
 
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Never oil a holster whether it is Neatsfoot oil or mitt and glove dressing. Once a holster is oiled, they tend to soften, especially if oiled repeatedly. They also lose their retention qualities.

If the holster is stained with perspiration, simply leave it alone. Those stains usually won't come out.
 
I've got a 30+ year old G. William Davis oil finish holster that hasn't softened at all. It took a couple years to quit weeping oil, but you could probably still drive nails with it.

Seriously, I've used Neatsfoot to restore the natural oils in several neglected holsters and never softened them. I didn't soak them, just gently wiped the oil on and then off after a short time.

Now on natural finish holsters, neutral shoe polish is what Safariland used to suggest.
 
That's all I've ever used and it works good for me. All my leather
is natural, I don't know about using it on died leather even from
the undied rough portions. It is also good to bring back leather
stacked handles such as used on KBar knives and Eswing hammers.
 
Bugkiller99 said:
Spent the day out in the sun on the range yesterday. Sweating like a pig. Got home, wiped down my carry pistol, even though it had not been shot.
Thought, hmm, probably need to clean up my holster. So I pulled out the saddle soap. While it was out, wiped down several other holsters. Pulled out the can of neatsfoot oil, opps, empty.
So I went to the hardware store this afternoon to get some. Walked up to the clerk and asked for it.

Nothing
Silence
Crickets

Finally, a what’s that? Never heard of it.

After some explaining, and searching I found it.

Don’t kids use neatsfoot oil on their baseball gloves? I live in the middle of horse country, for gosh sakes. And you don’t know about neatsfoot oil?????

Am I missing something?
Click to expand...

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Never ask a question of someone making minimum wage.
 
Played baseball all through high school and in the service, used neatsfoot oil on every ball glove I ever owned, it did what it was supposed to do, soften it up and make a perfect pocket when you wrap a baseball in it and let it set. Worked for this old country boy.
 
zzzippper said:
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Never ask a question of someone making minimum wage.
Click to expand...
So true. It is a case of don't know, don't care. You'd think they would want to learn something about their job, but they don't.

It reminds me of that Seinfeld sketch where George is amazed that Eric the Clown has never heard of Bozo and is not at all interested in who Bozo is. Eric says
"This is just a gig, man. It's not my life."
 
Tractor Supply carries it. I still have most of a pint of it somewhere. I have used it on quite a few holsters without problems.
 
I used it for many a year oiling the leather saddle bags on my Harley’s. They always looked great and kept their shape. I dismiss the naysayers about the use of Neatsfoot oil on leather products . Regards Paul
 
Neatsfoot oil is used to soften leather - great for a baseball glove. You don't want to soften your holster. Regular shoe polish or Renaissance wax. Other wise clean it with water and leave it alone. This is assuming it is a QUALITY holster such as Milt Sparks - Delfatti - etc.
 
However,

I should have mentioned that following retirement, I worked for DeSantis Holsters for four years. During that time, we received a number of ruined holsters from customers who oiled them and expected the company to provide a free replacement under warranty. The customers might have used olive oil for all I know. Whatever they used, the holster was no longer safe to use.

In my more than 50 years of gun carrying, I've never needed to oil a holster.
 
Last edited:
Bugkiller99 said:
Don’t kids use neatsfoot oil on their baseball gloves?
Click to expand...

When I was a kid, we didn't use neatsfoot oil. I don't remember even hearing it mentioned. We used regular ol' 3-in-1 Oil. Seriously. We didn't know any better, and frankly, we didn't know the difference, nor did we care.

I don't recall any "sporting goods stores" in my town in the fifties...we bought our ball gloves at the dimestore or any place else that sold them, maybe small department stores like W. T. Grant's or Kress. And our little school didn't have an "athletic department" that furnished us with equipment, either. It was every boy for himself.
 
Years ago (I'm well past 60 years of age) my father taught me how to use neatsfoot oil on boots, saddles, cinches, etc. It seems that over the years synthetic substitutes have gained favor over the old standby. If you read the information provided by those who market substitutes, neatsfoot oil is terrible and it will, over time, promote deterioration of leather. I continue to use it for the classic uses I have been familiar with (horse tack, work boots, etc.), but do not use it on good, well maintained, holsters. Old dry ones that are a step away from being discarded may benefit (some old military surplus, etc.), but I usually use a good saddle soap and wax. A basket case may benefit from a dose of Ballistol, too.
 
This was found on the Baseball Express website

Look at the ingredients.

Mizuno Strong Oil Glove Conditioner

• Premium glove conditioner
• Helps condition and moisturize leather for increased durability and easy break in
• Made from material oils and conditioners
• Triglyceride, petroleum jelly and liquid paraffin
 
I played baseball and softball for many years and used neatsfoot oil, twine and a ball to condition my gloves.

Last week I signed Logan (10) up for spring little league. He picked out this. Although part nylon, it needs no break-in. I don't know how they treated it but it is good to go.

 
Way back tinder we used neatsfoot on all our leather. One of the things the team provided was neatsfoot oil. Darn gloves were used hard and the bus smelled like a locker room enhanced with neatsfoot. most of us had more than 3 gloves. I kept two tied up with a ball in 'em. Luckily I realized I needed a real job and only played for a couple of months. Minor league baseball is a hard life. Or it was in the mid 60s
 
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