Very Effective Leather Oil

The Rovering Member

Well-Known Member
I recently came across this product: https://www.obenaufs.com/obenaufs-oil-s/112.htm
lt got mostly excellent reviews & after a couple of coats of the oil on the new drivers seat for Bruiser, l think l can see why. The leather has really softened up very quickly indeed. I gave my new workboots a going over too which is what the product was originally formulated for. lt can darken the original colour a little but Bruisers seats are black anyway, though l have other seats l'll use it on.
It's quite cheap in the U.S. but they don't ship to the U.K. & outlets for it seem pretty limited. In the end l got the 16oz oil, 8oz LP balm & the 16oz cleaner from Amazon, much as l dislike lining their immense coffers, for £81 inclusive.
Pricey but it seems like it will go a long way & it's a lot cheaper than re-upholstering an interior.
 
Oh yes, l know of it but it doesn't appear to be really suitable for car seats. It doesn't smell too good to start with but over time it can go pretty rancid.

I'm using cling film with the Obenauf's which smells good & softens your hands very nicely too.
 
Pulled this off of the Leather Honey site:

NEVER USE Neatsfoot Oil: One of the most deceiving leather conditioners on the market is Neatsfoot oil. For years this product has been hailed as a successful moisturizing product for leather, however, it continuously has disastrous results. Leather owners are always confused because their Neatsfoot oil applications are only making their leather more brittle. The reason this happens is because Neatsfoot oil is rendered from cow shin and foot bones. This formula tends to oxidize and have a negative effect on leather over time.
 
I've been using Tanners Oil from a saddlery shop. Seems to work well and is very reasonably priced.
 
Bottle of glycerine from chemist is excellent and about £1.25 a bottle. Slap it on until leather will take no more. No smell doesn’t stain clothes.
 
Apparently "the treatment restores flexibility, but glycerin is hygroscopic and can support mould growth."

l put the seat in Bruiser only a couple of weeks back & when l bought it indoors for oiling the other day it was with a covering of dusty green mould, surprisingly. It's been in my workshop for a couple of years with no sign of mould but l'm guessing the damp weather over the past couple of weeks has encouraged the growth, which is strange though as l've never had it before. l have no idea what's been applied to the seat in the past but it makes you think.
 
Apparently "the treatment restores flexibility, but glycerin is hygroscopic and can support mould growth."

l put the seat in Bruiser only a couple of weeks back & when l bought it indoors for oiling the other day it was with a covering of dusty green mould, surprisingly. It's been in my workshop for a couple of years with no sign of mould but l'm guessing the damp weather over the past couple of weeks has encouraged the growth, which is strange though as l've never had it before. l have no idea what's been applied to the seat in the past but it makes you think.
Anything will go mouldy if damp and unventilated.
 
After a while though, a fortnight isn't very long & it's odd that it was just that one seat too. It's the only very early seat, the leather appears to be a little thicker than the others.
 
OCC has got very dry & hard leather seats & I'm struggling to get anywhere with them. I cleaned a section with leather cleaner & then applied Autoglym Leather Balm, but it made no difference. I then sanded the colour off & tried several applications of the balm again & it seems to have worked. The uncoloured area is now reasonably soft.

IMG_5832.JPG

Of course the full interior requires a recolour, so I'm not too bothered about the dark patch at this stage. However, I don't want to risk damaging the seats with sandpaper as they're all pretty sound, although the driver's seat has several big cracks in the colour layer.

Has anyone got any comments or experience with really hard leather?
 
I have the same problem haven't lost colour in my case but the leather has gone hard I also have noticed this can put terrible strain on the stitching
resulting in tearing apart :oops:
I wish we could get a copy of the original seat design exact measurements for the seat design anyone got such a thing?
I bet this information was just chucked in a skip with a load of New P6 Parts not releasing the historic importance.
 
Last edited:
The exact dimensions are not a lot of help without correctly sized foam cores, which were molded "Dunpillow" latex. But it would help if your seats were too hopeless to use as patterns

Yours
Vern
 
I have now cleaned a couple of seat facings with thinners & also rubbed them with steel wool. Then I have put leather balm & feed on.

This is not a shadow, but where I've cleaned the driver's seat.....:oops:

IMG_5928.JPG

This is what the seat base looks like now - hopefully for reference later in this thread!

IMG_5923.JPG

It has these cracks at the front which I've bought some leather filler for, so I'll let you know how that goes in due course.

IMG_5924.JPG

We'll see how it goes. I'm ordering some colour match probably with Woolies. The colour may look odd - it's "Biscuit"& is a bit more yellow than "Buckskin".
 
I dont have leather in my P6 - however my moderns with leather Ive owned over the years always got a rubbing down with coconut oil. Works on my hair too.
 
I dont have leather in my P6 - however my moderns with leather Ive owned over the years always got a rubbing down with coconut oil. Works on my hair too.
If you want to make it a competition
Im on the right
 

Attachments

  • GZ1677 2019 #7.jpg
    GZ1677 2019 #7.jpg
    110.8 KB · Views: 16
Back
Top