Reconditioning Leather Handles?

G

GarageBoy

Joined
May 23, 2003
Messages
5,952
My SOG Bowie's handles are drying out/shrinking..how do I fix this problem? (Lexol?)Thanks
 
Someone here recommended mink oil when I asked the same question. I slathered it on the leather and let it sit overnight. In the morning I wiped off the excess and put the knife away for about a week. It worked pretty well.

I ended up taking the handle apart and applying mink oil to each individual piece of leather and I had better results.

stdlrf11
 
Mink oil, good choice as described above.
I'm still experimenting with this but I have been using Olive oil to recondition old leather. I first tried it when I was told that dogs don't particularly care for it and on Horse tack it will help keep dogs from chewing the leather. Olive oil is very light compared to mink oil, penetrates fast so the leather soaks it up quickly. So far I like it. I may try a mix of olive and mink oil next. I'll let you know how it works if your interested,
 
Hi,
I've used olive oil on all my leather handles...KaBars and SOG Bowies....seems to work really well.....
Has anyone ever tried MINERAL OIL....just wondered.....

JGarth
 
Mink oil is a white paste sold in a tub near the shoe polish and other leather care products. I don't know its chemical composition. It moistens and conditions leather very well. I use it on a lot of my leather goods. It usually darkens the leather a bit.

stdlrf11
 
If the leather has gone south enough to shrink its pretty much a lost cause, you can re-lube the fibers, but they will always be brittle and shrunken a little. A beezwax based leather conditioner liberally applied and allowed to soak in deeply is the best bet to resurrect the leather as much as possible. Use a hair dryer to thin the mixture and it will soak in very deeply, just glop it on thick and keep the dryer moving over the leather and it will soak in evenly. Lexol is an excellent conditioner as well, if you have that then your good to go, just apply it in several coatings allowing it to soak in well before adding the next.

Like has been said before, take the handle apart for the best results, this allows more coverage of the conditioner.

Best overall fix, get a new stacked leather handle made, might be a little expensive by comparison to the conditioning method, but you get a much more solid platform.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
It's what you use when your mink squeaks.
Bill
Click to expand...

LOL, that's funny.

stdlrf11

Real mink oil is neither white or in a tub. That is processed Mink Oil.

Mink Oil comes from the anal glands of Minks, usually as a byproduct from Mink farms.

Before it got so popular, I was able to get a gallon of pure Mink Oil for $20+$5 shipping from a Mink farmer that had a barn full of the stuff. Still have about a qt left. This was in '83 or so.

Now it's like $20 for 2 or 3 oz.

Rob
 
Well, I don't recall the exact price, but I picked up 2 5/8 oz. of Kiwi mink oil at Mijer's last year for a couple bucks... Granted it says it contains a blend of mink oil, silicone and lanolin. Sounds like a good combination to me; probably better than straight mink oil if I had to guess.
 
To: GarageBoy I can almost guarantee that Olive oil will not go rancid. I re hydrated an elephant hide quiver thats about 100 years old with olive oil. soaked it in a plastic bag for two weeks at normal room temp. No mold, mildew, or hint of any bad smell.

to: Leatherman Thanks for the information on the Beeswax conditioners. I'm in possession of about 20# of raw beeswax. I'm going to try a beeswax olive oil blend.
 
olive oil has beenused to dress leather for a very long time, even by the greeks and romans. trust me i used to be an archaeologist.
 
I use Lexol leather conditioner to moisturize and soften up leather and pure mink oil to waterproof it. The waxy mink oil compound in a can is also okay for waterproofing leather, but it is not absorbed into the leather as readily as pure mink oil.

Richard
 
It didn't shrink that much. The cap will just rattle a bit if I jiggle it hard. I'll Lexol it ASAP
 
I learn something new everyday from this forum.
I never knew all that info about mink oil.

Cool
stdlrf11
 
bikermikearchery said:
To: GarageBoy I can almost guarantee that Olive oil will not go rancid. I re hydrated an elephant hide quiver thats about 100 years old with olive oil. soaked it in a plastic bag for two weeks at normal room temp. No mold, mildew, or hint of any bad smell.

to: Leatherman Thanks for the information on the Beeswax conditioners. I'm in possession of about 20# of raw beeswax. I'm going to try a beeswax olive oil blend.
Click to expand...

Instead, try this, courtesy of MtMike. Raw Beeswax and pure mink oil, heated slightly and mixed to the consistancy of peanut butter. His, and mine, personal favorite.

Montana Pitch Blende is pretty much the same thing with the addition of pine rosin.

REALLY GOOD STUFF !!!!

AND ... No bother to mix up if you don't have beeswax and mink oil laying around.

BTW, the Minks use it for water repellency of their fur.

Google Montana Pitch Blende.

Rob
 
never buy anything you can make.
Mink oil still comes from a minks butt.
I've made neets foot oil. Stinky messy Not fun, or economical, at this time.
olive oil and beeswax. easy simple available.
 
I soaked mine repeatedly with Talas leather saver, 3-4 times a day for a week
the leather expanded, and the stuff sems to work miracles. one of the knives was a wwii pal bowie, and the handle is now tight as new
the stuf is designed for museam restoration of leather
talasonline.com
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top