Shooting Bag Maintenace

[FishDFly]

I purchased a nice possible/shooting bag and called the maker concerning what to put on the bag to maintain it.

He must have been in a hurry, very short converation.

I was drafted, I know what shoe polish is.

I know the difference between pure neats foot oil from horses and petrochmical neats foot oilis.

What is the difference between conditioners, bees wax, leather balms, conditioners, et. all?

 

[George]

I know the difference between pure neats foot oil from horses and petrochmical neats foot oilis.

Well, maybe not quite. Neat is the old term for cattle, oxen, so neat's foot oil is from cattle, not horses. :grin:

I use my patch lube mixture of lard and beeswax, heat it so it absorbs, works very well. My shot pouches are 20+ years old, show very little wear and tear.

Spence

 

[FishDFly]

"Well, maybe not quite. Neat is the old term for cattle, oxen."

My mentor was a vet. (animal doctor) figured if any would know it would be a vet.

Mine is made by Horse Health Products from IL.

I never question Mentors.

 

[George]

One of us has alternative facts, apparently.

Spence

 

[FishDFly]

Gone, did not come here to discuss 4 legged critters and where they feet go to, looking to take care of my new bag.

Thanks

rde

I now know less than I did.

 

[George]

Sorry, didn't mean to sidetrack your thread, my bad.

If you try horse-foot oil on your bag, let us know how it works out.

Spence

 

[FishDFly]

Just trying to find the best for the bag is all.

 

[Ames]

I use my bag and horns for hunting. Hunting with front stuffers I have to make the first shot count. Don't need to get at them quickly. Therefore, I keep my bag and horn between my clothing layers where they will not snag brush. Or be exposed to nasty Northeast weather. Thus, no further finish on the bag beyond the condition it was purchased in.
Just my way, that's all. I don't treat them. If I did it would be my shooting lube, mink oil. My 2 cents. :thumbsup:

 

[coloradoclyde]

Just trying to find the best for the bag is all.

My take is that the type of conditioner one uses on leather is dependent of the desired outcome....Different products have different characteristics.

 

[Black Hand]

...looking to take care of my new bag.

I now know less than I did.

Mink Oil, Pitchblend, Sno Seal, Tallow, Pure Neatsfoot oil, Bear grease or nearly any other type of dressing used for boots/shoes.

 

[Black Hand]

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/neat
From Middle English nete, neat, from Old English nÄ“at ”Ž(“animal, beast, ox, cow, cattle”), from Proto-Germanic *nautÄ… ”Ž(“foredeal, profit, property, livestock”), from Proto-Indo-European *newd- ”Ž(“to acquire, make use of”). Cognate with Dutch noot ”Ž(“cow, cattle”, in compounds), dialectal German Noß ”Ž(“livestock”), Alemannic German Nooss ”Ž(“young sheep or goat”), Swedish nöt ”Ž(“cattle”), Icelandic naut ”Ž(“cattle”). More at note.
Noun

neat (plural neats or neat)

(archaic) A bull or cow. ”ƒ
(archaic) Cattle collectively.

 

[Bagman]

In the day...

They used dubbin. A mix of cod liver oil, rendered beef kidney fat and other ingredients i.e. beeswax.

 

[SgtErv]

Whatever I use, and Ive been trying different things on different accoutrements, Ive learned to treat the "weather" side as opposed to the side that rubs against your clothing.

Turns out that some of it is hard to get out of clothing. Shoe polish, for instance I learn best the hard way!

 

[smo]

Richard, I think it would depend on the type of tan done on the leather. :idunno:

 

[Bagman]

I also heat my leather and melt my dubbing before application. My bags are mostly veg tanned. Occasionally brain tanned.

 

[BrownBear]

...I think it would depend on the type of tan done on the leather....

That's always been my take on it, just as you have to consider what kind of leather was used in boots before waterproofing them.

I make most of my bags from oiled and waxed leather, so I stick to oils/fats/wax for treatment. Simplest has been to dry them thoroughly after exposure to wet weather, then rub them down good with my favorite patch lube- Mink tallow ball lube from TOW.

When I make bags from veg tanned leather, I always finish them with Fiebings Atom Wax. Thereafter I use Fiebings Golden Mink Oil.

I could probably use either the TOW or Fiebings on both, but old habits are hard to break.

 

[rafterob]

You should't have to treat your bag very often. Assuming it was properly treated when you bought it. For maintenance, the occasional use of neutral shoe polish is the ticket. If you find it was not well sealed, you want to treat it with mink oil or a similar product. After a few years if it starts to exhibit signs of drying out, that is the time to treat it with neat's foot oil.

 

[BrownBear]

You should't have to treat your bag very often. Assuming it was properly treated when you bought it. For maintenance, the occasional use of neutral shoe polish is the ticket.

That's out the window in our wet climate (90+ inches of rain per year). If you don't dry it and retreat it after any good soaking, the leather will get even with you. :wink:

 

[Ames]

Hmmmm. Beef, bees and fish. Sounds like I would be bear bait.

 

[Elnathan]

Hmmmm. Beef, bees and fish. Sounds like I would be bear bait.

Wonder what the game wardens would think about that. Hmmm.... :hmm: