As another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.
As I am sitting here waiting for the snow to melt, I was thinking about two manufactured leather waterproofing products. One is Hubberds which linemen used for their shoes and the other is Pecards which is apparently what historians used on old leather.
In looking for online recipes, or manufactured safety data sheets which I could not find free, and I was tired, I came across that Hubberds was beeswax and pine tar, which was a place to start, and came across these concoctions.
I mixed beeswax, raw linseed oil, pine tar, and turpentine from a post I found here. I use it as a finish / preservative for wood, leather, waxed cotton, and as a rust preventative and lubricant for knives and tools
Burt's Bee Salve has these ingredients:
sweet almond oil, olive oil, beeswax, sunflower seed oil, lavandin, rosemary leaf oil, eucalyptus globulus oil, lavender flower oil, tocopherol, rosemary leaf extract, soybean oil, canola oil, linalool, limonene.
I think I am on the right track with this blurb in what all of these oils are about.
I found a leather conditioner/protectant recipe in an antique book. It was used for fine leather items, leather bound books, etc. It called for dissolving bees wax in warm turpentine, dissolving castile soap in hot water, then mixing the two together. It formed a creamy paste when mixed together, and both cleans and protects the leather. But most of the time I use a mix of bees wax, beef tallow, and cod liver oil. This was the old (1800's) army formula, used for all leather harness, and other leather items kept in inventory by the military. Or there is a leather treatment used by collectors of antique leather equipment called Preservation Wax. Here is a link to a fantastic article on taking care of leather goods: http://www.jarnaginco.com/confedcatframe.html. On the left, click on "Leather Definitions".
.Castile soap is just soap made with olive oil which is a fatty oil and as stated with the caustics in it, it would clean leather too.
This page is off subject but even has lip balm recipes.
Beeswax Recipes
That is not what I am looking for though in boot oil. I did though for my records just spend a half hour editing that PDF file and it will be posted for tomorrow as it irritates me in a free internet in trying to help people that PDF files are created to log jam information.
This though is a good soft wax for antique furniture which would seem to work on about anything too.
Here’s the recipe converted to Standard American.
Take 7 ounces of shredded beeswax and melt it in a double boiler (a glue pot will work fine). When the wax has melted, take it off heat. Stir in 3.5 ounces of mineral spirits and add 10.5 ounces of turpentine (the real stuff, not the fake).
When the mixture cools it will become a substance that is about the consistency of peanut butter. I keep it in glass jars in the shop.
Apply the wax with a soft, lint-free cloth. Let it absorb for about 15 minutes. Then buff it with a second clean cloth.
The basis of these recipes is to both re hydrate natural materials from wood to leather, and to provide a repellent which keep things like porcupines, mice to bugs from eating the material. Natural resins are perfect for this and waxes are long wear water repellents while providing hydration.
As the edit on the beeswax took more time than I have, this is where the pondering ends as I have chores to do outside in the zero degree snow weather.
This is an army pack or tent canvas waterproofing apparently.
Get you a gallon can-can be bought new at Wally or a paint store
2lbs beeswax -also can use parafin wax.
little over a quart raw linseed oil-note not boiled
1oz pinetar
real turpentine
orange oil-not needed but I use it
around 1 oz of spruce pitch-this can be omitted too
All measurements are subjective to how you make it
This stuff is flamable so be careful or use a pot of boilibg water to set the paint can in
into the can goes around a quart of linseed oil and some turpentine to thin
The beeswax is cut up and thrown in the can and heated until the wax melts
add your pinetar and stir all
add more linseed to bring the level of mixture within an inch or so to the top
when hot add in orange oil and pitch
Adding the pitch or more wax makes the finish a bit harder,adding more linseed makes it softer
I usually do this on warm summer days
Paint all your packs and such then chase the mixture with a heatgun to make it soak in
leave in a well ventillated spot for the smell to dissapateThis stuff works real well on canvas coats, packs and hats.Works real well for leather but be careful with the heatgun on leather goods
Will darken anything you treat
Nuff Said.
agtG
