softening leather

[rad2duhbone53]

Heres a fresh fish looking to soften up leather. I just got the bulk of my uniform and see that the leather ( belt, cartridge sling, brogans, are stiff as all get out. What solution (I'm a fraid to ask) does anyone use to soften up their leather acoutraments? I'm about to skip my puppy paw buckle across the pond.

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: softening leather

Hallo!

"What solution (I'm a fraid to ask) does anyone use to soften up their leather acoutraments?"

New leather is NUG stiff.

Short answer... time and use.

;) :)

Longer answer...

The stiffness of the leather is due to the how the skin cells or "fibers" align in relationship to each other in the leather (hide/skin).
Part of that is dependent upon the amount of moisture that is present in the leather, that initially coming from tanneries being relatively low.

As shoe or accoutrement leather ages and stresses due to bending and movement, the cells break down, and shift out of alignment which causes increasing "softness."
Maintaining a proper moisture level through light oiling or light wax/greases extends it life, and with use, keeps its flexible and increasingly "soft" and "supple."
(However, excessive oiling causes the skin cells to swell and burst, further disrupting their former alignment and furter softening the leather on the road to its destruction. Excess waxing can seal in moisture and cause destruction from rot/fungus.)

IMHO... lightly oil the leather, and then work it a bit to start the "softening" process. Followed by periodic maintenance wipings, especially after soakings in rain. Then, time and use will take care of things.

Others' mileage will vary...

Curt

[Pvt Schnapps]

Re: softening leather

Or, from H. L. Scott's Military Dictionary (1861), under "Medicine" we have:

To prevent the feet from blistering, it is a good plan to soap the inside of the stocking before setting out, making a good lather all over it; and a raw egg broken into a boot, before putting it on, greatly softens the leather.

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: softening leather

... and a raw egg broken into a boot, before putting it on, greatly softens the leather.

Oh my goodness! I wonder how the this is supposed to work?

[OldKingCrow]

Re: softening leather

Heres a fresh fish looking to soften up leather. I just got the bulk of my uniform and see that the leather ( belt, cartridge sling, brogans, are stiff as all get out. What solution (I'm a fraid to ask) does anyone use to soften up their leather acoutraments? I'm about to skip my puppy paw buckle across the pond.

Who made the gear ? Proper period leather is pretty supple from the vendor.

That will tell more about the hides and process.

A 1/4 inch Paki hide tanned with modern acids is going to be different than naturally tanned, thinner leather used by approved authentic vendors.

I would follow the advice of a Lomas, Duval or Welch who made and often processed the hides.

Chris Rideout
Tampa, Florida

[OldKingCrow]

Re: softening leather

Oh my goodness! I wonder how the this is supposed to work?

Reminds me of the venerated practice of filling new ice skates with shaving cream and skating with them sans socks to utilize the lanolin in the shaving cream to breakdown the interior leathers. Now most hockey skates are made from synthetic moisture wicking materials and it wont work.

CR

[ACo.]

Re: softening leather

Or, from H. L. Scott's Military Dictionary (1861), under "Medicine" we have:

To prevent the feet from blistering, it is a good plan to soap the inside of the stocking before setting out, making a good lather all over it; and a raw egg broken into a boot, before putting it on, greatly softens the leather.

Nothing like shoes (and feet) that smell like rotten eggs. :D But seriously folks....

Herr Schmidt's advice is good (not saying that Pvt. Schnapps' advice is bad, it would appear to be "period correct"). But so-called "hard" leather is a good thing. Soft leather will break down quickly under certain applications. Example? A stiff belt will not roll over under heavy use and will wear to the correct suppleness with use, the same thing with the cartridge and cap boxes. Time and patience will do wonders for you. Worn in gradually, shoes will fit to your feet and be comfortable for you. When applying oil, use pure oils, neatsfoot oil compound is terrible stuff, use pure neatsfoot oil and apply lightly, don't "drown" the item or damage will be done.

[Pvt Schnapps]

Re: softening leather

Oh my goodness! I wonder how the this is supposed to work?

I have to confess to not having actually tried this. It's not so much my fear of what happens to the boots, but of what a nice pair of hand-knit wool socks would be like after you fill them with soap suds, raw egg, and sweat. Something tells me every varmint in creation would take an interest in the evening's bivouac. I've already had a dog turn a "type II" forage cap into a type three-sixteenths after I enhanced the natural tastiness of the varnished leather brim with enough salt.

Still, I am kind of curious...

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: softening leather

Hallo!

There are some fats in the yolk of eggs, plus the egg white is about 87% water- both will moisturinze the dryer) leather.

I assume the advice, if not just Period lore, works if a soldier has likelier access to eggs but not oils such as fish oil or neatsfoot oil.

On the other hand, one can do the same with just water, and save the stink of decomposing egg "rotten egg" smell.

:)

Curt

[D F Smith Historic]

Re: softening leather

HI All,

Time , Oil , Proper Care & Cleaning , and use is the best.

Try to hurry that up to have "the look", and more often than not the leather or stitching gets damaged and lasts half as long......

Don S

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: softening leather

Hallo!

Herr John W...

Did you get my Piggers PM?

Curt

[rad2duhbone53]

Re: softening leather

To all;

Thank you for your replys.I do remember reading from an Ohio man he placed his brogans in a 5 gallon pale and filled it with water and let them stay in the bucket for three days. Then he put them on still soaked from the pale and proceeded to wear them for the rest of the day.As for the leather, I will heed your advice and proceed to enjoy my acouterments in the rain and so forth while treating them periodically with oils.

Again thanks
Harry Paige
Fresh Fish

[Val E. Forge]

Re: softening leather

A 1/4 inch Paki hide tanned with modern acids is going to be different than naturally tanned, thinner leather used by approved authentic vendors.

Extremely good point, Your Majesty Crow.

And yes, Nick Duvall makes some fine tack. He has truly picked up the mantle of Hank Kluin, late of F. Burgess & Company, who unfortunately had to retire due to ill health.

[Tom Dodson]

Re: softening leather

Missouri Boot and Shoe sells Huberd's shoe grease which seems to work quite well at softening, water proofing and conditioning leather. Neatsfoot oil also works nicely for softening leather. It has helped to break in baseball gloves for many, many years.
Tom Dodson

[hiplainsyank]

Re: softening leather

Then there's the whole point of why a soldiers would waste perfectly good eggs on his shoes, when he could eat them.:tounge_sm
The eggs, that is.