Softening Leather Gloves

[Turbo]

Last week I found a nice pair of Arco leather rigger gloves I acquired somewhere. They are really well made with reinforced thumb & index finger but that leaves them really stiff & difficult to break in.

What can I use to make them more pliable? I was thinking of trying the dubbin or leder gris I use on my work boots but I don't want to make them flammable as they will be used for welding & fabricating.

Why is it that with most leather gloves by the time they are nice to wear they are nearly worn out!

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Calling @mrsbruce

 

[mrsbruce]

Honestly.....No idea.

You’re right, I would be concerned that applying any leather conditioners could turn them into wicks.

Try working the thumb and forefinger of the gloves in your hands for a few evening, while watching tv.

Just to add, I have heard of products which advertise themselves as ‘water based oil conditioners’(??), but never seen any in the flesh, so to speak.

 

[James1979]

Put them on, big dollop of hand cream, rub it in. Repeat as needed.

Was told this by a pilot, it's what they do to flying gloves. I do it to work gloves i use.

 

[armalites]

You could try Neats foot oil.

Other option is get them wet and wear them.

 

[Migmac]

You could try Neats foot oil.

Other option is get them wet and wear them.

I was going to suggest getting them wet. We used to do that with leather boots

 

[grim_d]

The best way? Do as the army does with their boots, you won't like it....

Pee in them.

 

[James1979]

I was going to suggest getting them wet. We used to do that with leather boots

Seems to work well with boots, done a few with set newspaper in, back in the day.

Gloves just go crispy! Dunno if the leather is different or what?

 

[mtt.tr]

Tread onthem, rubber mallet

That and wearing them

 

[eSCHEn]

Liquid Nikwax is great at the job on boots but it’s not something I’d use with hot work gloves because of the fire risk as you mention.

Like James I’d go with a hand cream and work it in to nice warm gloves whilst wearing them. I’d be tempted to chose something with silicone in it as that will be non-flammable and shouldn’t become sticky like an oil might. Atrixo or that horrid O’Keefes stuff.

 

[Migmac]

Seems to work well with boots, done a few with set newspaper in, back in the day.

Gloves just go crispy! Dunno if the leather is different or what?

Our chainsaw gloves got wet, the best way to dry them was to keep wearing them

 

[Shox Dr]

A hammer with a large face. Go round all the seams

 

[James1979]

Our chainsaw gloves got wet, the best way to dry them was to keep wearing them

Welding gloves don’t! They go horrible. Chainsaw gloves seem to be made from better leather. Really soft like tig gloves. Or the ones I’ve seen did

 

[Migmac]

The ones I started with in the 80’s were horrible things. Thick leather, very little movement and if they got wet you couldn’t hold onto anything. One of the sites I worked got a visit from HnS. We all complained about the gloves, they told us to use the grip dot gloves instead. No protection but you could hold a chainsaw in the wet. The new chainsaw gloves are much better, you have fingers now instead of mittens

 

[jenki]

Lincoln Glycerine Bar soap? (Saddle soap) not sure if it flamable but I use it with water when cleaning leather.

 

[voipio]

I wouldn't worry about flammability. Leather is difficult to set fire to. The heat generated from any spark won't be enough to vapourise the Nikwax or whatever in a self-sustaining way.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Why not just buy cheap welding gauntlets for that work, especially if you're going to be doing 'overhead' welding? You might get spatter going inside the short gloves in any event.

Keep the 'good' gloves for other tasks.....

 

[500e]

Love O-Keefs

 

[brightspark]

You could try Neats foot oil.

Other option is get them wet and wear them.

as above neats foot oil

 

[tom2207]

I use any thing that comes to hand , wd 40 , gear box oil or the likes , it dries in quickly ad does the job , once the solvents flashed off , they have never caught fire with me ,,, at three or four quid a pair , who cares .
My bike gloves at a hundred quid a pair get mink oil same as my boots , neats foot oil I find promotes rot.
Silicone is ok , but not for bike gloves where I want grip , so mink oil a few drops while wearing them , then rub it in like your washing your hands , it dries in in a min or so , then I boot polish them , while wearing them and polish them off the same as a pair of shoes , I use saphire products , creams and rejuvenation cream ,, does it work ?? my bike gloves are twenty years old , and just starting to wear out now .