Vellies : Making our own , Wallace Vosloo our mentor

[Gert Odendaal]

Yes, it is a great product, you can always replace the sole with crepe in a few years.. With these hunting shoes walking long distances /hours on end is a breeze..

[Niekiepienaar]

Are the crepe not very slippery?

[Gert Odendaal]

Are the crepe not very slippery?

Nikki, no, not at all even walking on wet cement surface..it is solid while walking ...

[DaavG]

Are the crepe not very slippery?

I haven't used them on wet rock and generally found them to be good. Loose stone or shale I have slipped but not to point of falling whilst walking fairly quickly.

[Gert Odendaal]

Awesome Gert! Where do you buy the crepe soles from as a matter of interest? The neatfoot oil colour looks great!

Yes Daan I really like this finish , you can see the oil filtering through different layers of the leather staining it at different shades of colors...

[Gert Odendaal]

Some interesting facts about the type of finishes I am using on the vellies:
Where to buy:
https://tackshack.co.za/products/lea...s-neatfoot-oil



Neatsfoot-oil:
Neatsfoot oil is a yellow oil rendered and purified from the shin bones and feet (but not the hooves) of cattle. "Neat" in the oil's name comes from an Old English word for cattle.^[1] Neatsfoot oil is used as a conditioning, softening and preservative agent for leather. In the 18th century, it was also used medicinally as a topical application for dry scaly skin conditions.
"Prime neatsfoot oil" or "neatsfoot oil compound" are terms used for a blend of pure neatsfoot oil and non-animal oils, generally mineral or other petroleum-based oils.
Fat from warm-blooded animals normally has a high melting point, becoming hard when cool – but neatsfoot oil remains liquid at room temperature. This is because the relatively slender legs and feet of animals such as cattle are adapted to tolerate and maintain much lower temperatures than those of the body core, using countercurrent heat exchange in the legs between warm arterial and cooler venous blood – other body fat would become stiff at these temperatures. This characteristic of neatsfoot oil allows it to soak easily into leather.
Modern neatsfoot oil is still made from cattle-based products, and is sometimes criticized for a tendency to speed oxidation of leather.^[2]This formulation does darken leather, which means that use on light-colored leather is likely to change its color. If mineral oil or other petroleum-based material is added, the product may be called "neatsfoot oil compound".^[3] Some brands have also been shown to be adulterated with rapeseed oil, soya oil, and other oils.^[4] The addition of mineral oils may lead to more rapid decay of non-synthetic stitching or speed breakdown of the leather itself.^[3][5][6]

[holdingthezero]

Some interesting facts about the type of finishes I am using on the vellies:
Where to buy:
https://tackshack.co.za/products/lea...s-neatfoot-oil



Neatsfoot-oil:
Neatsfoot oil is a yellow oil rendered and purified from the shin bones and feet (but not the hooves) of cattle. "Neat" in the oil's name comes from an Old English word for cattle.^[1] Neatsfoot oil is used as a conditioning, softening and preservative agent for leather. In the 18th century, it was also used medicinally as a topical application for dry scaly skin conditions.
"Prime neatsfoot oil" or "neatsfoot oil compound" are terms used for a blend of pure neatsfoot oil and non-animal oils, generally mineral or other petroleum-based oils.
Fat from warm-blooded animals normally has a high melting point, becoming hard when cool – but neatsfoot oil remains liquid at room temperature. This is because the relatively slender legs and feet of animals such as cattle are adapted to tolerate and maintain much lower temperatures than those of the body core, using countercurrent heat exchange in the legs between warm arterial and cooler venous blood – other body fat would become stiff at these temperatures. This characteristic of neatsfoot oil allows it to soak easily into leather.
Modern neatsfoot oil is still made from cattle-based products, and is sometimes criticized for a tendency to speed oxidation of leather.^[2]This formulation does darken leather, which means that use on light-colored leather is likely to change its color. If mineral oil or other petroleum-based material is added, the product may be called "neatsfoot oil compound".^[3] Some brands have also been shown to be adulterated with rapeseed oil, soya oil, and other oils.^[4] The addition of mineral oils may lead to more rapid decay of non-synthetic stitching or speed breakdown of the leather itself.^[3][5][6]

Gert, thank you for posting this thread and all the detailed photos. I will be attempting to replicate some of your success when I make vellies out of a kudu skin that I vegetable tanned.
Regarding leather conditioning, I thought you might find this interesting:

[Gert Odendaal]

Gert, thank you for posting this thread and all the detailed photos. I will be attempting to replicate some of your success when I make vellies out of a kudu skin that I vegetable tanned.
Regarding leather conditioning, I thought you might find this interesting:

Thank you kindly, this video is much appreciated...

[Gert Odendaal]

I commenced making a pair of Vellies for a German hunter who will participating in the black powder hunt. Here are some photos:


Vellies before water proof solution:

Color after first layer of solution..the color will keep getting darker the more times I apply the solution..
I will apply neatsfoot oil in the inside of the velskoen to give a rich texture and color..as well as create soft pliable leather ..

[Gert Odendaal]

First three layers of each solution already applied.