can someone help with some stray questions?

[smokey713]

i just recently purchased a fender padded leather strap for my new bass (spector euro 4, which im in love with btw lol) and the strap is still completely stiff. is there any tips on breaking the leather in a lot faster??? thanks

[lowfreq33]

You just have to work it a bit.

[dan stanton]

Mineral oil. Baby oil is mineral oil with a fragrance added.

[GM60466]

1+ mineral oil

[smokey713]

so just rub the baby oil on it or put it in like a pot of it and leave it for so long or what?

[testing1two]

Think of it in the same way you would soften a baseball glove. Saddle soap, neatsfoot oil or mineral oil will do. Just wipe on a small amount and wipe off the excess. Do this every day until it softens to your liking. Soaking it will cause the leather to deteriorate more quickly. This also assumes you are using the strap every day or at least bending it a bit.

[251]

Originally Posted by smokey713

i just recently purchased a fender padded leather strap for my new bass (spector euro 4, which im in love with btw lol) and the strap is still completely stiff. is there any tips on breaking the leather in a lot faster??? thanks

Get some leather upholstery conditioner meant for furniture or at an auto parts store. They are made to contact clothing without staining. Saddle Soap, is a good softener too. All of those might need more than 1 treatment, will leave your strap wet & take a day to dry out.

I would think twice about Mineral oil (baby oil). I expect it to soak through & stain your clothes.

[MIJ-VI]

Knead the leather (the way a baker kneads dough when making bread).

If oil etc is used it'll likely stain your shirts.

[bassbenj]

Originally Posted by 251

Get some leather upholstery conditioner meant for furniture or at an auto parts store. They are made to contact clothing without staining. Saddle Soap, is a good softener too. All of those might need more than 1 treatment, will leave your strap wet & take a day to dry out.

I would think twice about Mineral oil (baby oil). I expect it to soak through & stain your clothes.

Upholstery conditioner is a great idea. I never thought of that. I often get these leather strap kits from Tandy Leather (meant to be hand-tooled into fancy designs but I just dye them and leave them plain). They are stiff as boards. So my treatment is first to work in a bit of Kiwi "mink oil" smooth leather softener. It's not an oil but a kind of paste in a shoe polish tin. Neatsfoot makes the same stuff I think. Then I take rags and rub off all excess and finally polish the leather with ordinary shoe polish and a brush. You again rub it down well with rags to get all excess polish off so you don't get the colored polish on your shirts. Has always worked for me. I think the paste does not come back out on your clothes the way thin oils do.

[dan stanton]

Mineral oil is clear, and doesn't stain. Most people have it around the house.