Hullo, I've recently purchased my first pressure stove, and have very little knowledge on the subject, which is why i've come to you lot! Apparently the leather washer needs "feeding" can anyone help me out as to the meaning of this? Thanks! Matt
Hi Matt, welcome to the club. "Feeding" means putting some oil on the washer and letting it soak in for a while. I usually use what ever is to hand at the time, once the leather has become pliable then refit it back in the pump tube. ATB Si
Thanks Si, Is any oil suitable then? To Hand I have engine oil, and gearbox oil, But would prefer to treat it with a proper ingredient! If one exists.
Ive always used light engine oil or 3 in one oil but a lot here recommend olive or neatsfoot oil. Not sure how good the additives in most engine oil are for the leather
If olive oil works, I think I may as well use that, since there's plenty of it in the cupboard, and It's nice and natural. Not sure I fancy trusting something like engine oil to do the job. Thanks very much!
I believe that in the long run, olive oil will dry up sooner than engine oil. I always use engine oil. Yonadav
also, if you plan on using your stove in cold weather, olive oil is a poor choice. (You know what happens when you put olive oil in the fridge..)
Most cooking oils will turn rancid if left open. Mineral oil is what I prefer. It is found in "baby oil" as well as baby laxative. Guess it'll keep things greased inside and out. As a side note, put it on those wooden cutting boards. It's not supposed to support bacterial growth. When you sharpen the kitchen cutlery use it on the honing stones for the same reason. AR
Following those replies, I have certainly thought twice, and if engine oil is good to go, then i'll simply use that instead! For some reason I'd assumed engine oil wouldn't be any good for leather. Never thought about olive oil in cold weather, despite the fact that It's more likly to be used in close to freezing conditions than any other! The cooker should get here in a few days, so will post if I need any further help! Thanks very much everyone! Matt
While I have never heard the term "feeding the washer", it is pretty good. And, it does not even sound obscene -- compared to some I can think of. I use multi-viscosity engine oil, mainly because I always have some handy. But, one could make a pretty good argument for an oil with those wide temperature range properties.
Greetings, All, I always get a kick out of these, "what oil should I use" questions! 8) In many of them, the same old saws get tossed out, about the horrors of using olive oil for pump leathers. In my experience, which if fairly long, olive oil is a wonderful leather conditioner, and it does NOT dry out sooner than regular types of oils. If anything, it lasts far longer, and keeps the pump leathers very soft and pliable. I have NO idea if it makes a difference, but I have always used EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil), not only for pump leathers, but also for shooting bags, kine and axe sheathes, and other leather items that I cobble together for the Living history hobby. In all my years of doing things this way, I've only had ONE leather item go South on it, and truthfully, it was already moldy when I got it. I cleaned it off with saddle soap, then rubbed it down with EVOO. The mold came back, unfortunately, so into the bin it went. But, for leather that is clean and good, olive oil works very well, indeed. As mentioned, I've been doing this for more years than I can remember, and find EVOO to be an outstanding leather conditioner. It does not dry out quickly, soaks into the leather very well, indeed, and does not cause rot or mold. Those are the facts, taken from my own experience. I have NO idea why other folks would think otherwise, but it is certainly their prerogative to do so, for whatever reason. For what it's worth..... Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc P.S. I usually soak my pump leathers in a small dish of EVOO, for about 24 hours, then wipe them off a bit, and install them. They work wonderfully! P.P.S. The shooting bag I made for my .62 caliber flintlock fowling piece, which I conditioned with EVOO many years ago, is still soft and supple, and looks and feels great! I get comments on it all the time, even though it's nothing fancy. The EVOO most certainly has done a stellar job of keeping that old shooting bag in good condition! Here's a photo of my old shooting bag, my powder horn (made by a friend), and my Wilson Trade Gun .62 caliber flintlock, along with one of the seven grouse I harvested back when we did that 100+ mile horse scout up in the mountains of Idaho. Those grouse were outstanding eating!
Neatsfoot oil was recommended by some "authority" i.e. Coleman, but I don't remember where I read it, if I find it, I'll post it. Now Coleman recommends "light machine oil" which I would read as "3 in 1" or sewing machine oil.- http://www.coleman.com/coleman/gearcare.asp From my reading here, everything from 10w 40 to olive oil seems to work well for the folks who have used them, so OIL seems to be the key. Other than veg oil, (which would probably be better than spit in a pinch) every other type of oil, barring gearbox oil, seems to have been used with success.
I quite like Doc Mark's experiences with EVOO! also a fantastic name for it by the way! hah! I think, though, I may as well stick with engine oil. I've had all day to think, and being an ex-mil cooker, it's more likely to have been "fed" anything oily in it's lifetime. Also, we will be relying on this cooker on an overland trip, and think it's more likely we'll have engine oil hanging about, than we'll have olive oil in stock!
I often use EVOO as hand-cream, when my skin gets too dry and starts cracking. It's always handy in the kitchen.
Hey, HJ, and All, Well, it's been a while since we've snow-camped, but I cannot recall any problems with pump leathers getting gummy in the cold, after soaking in EVOO. In fact, many long years ago, I drove over to Wrightwood, which, as you know, Jim, is a small mountain ski resort on the other side of Cajon Pass from us, to help a former member of CCS fix a few of his stoves. Wrightwood is several thousand feet higher than we are, and it was cold and snowy at Dwight's small home. We worked on his 8R, an Optimus 00, and a 111, the latter two receiving pump leathers that had been soaked in EVOO. We fired them up, and the pumps worked perfectly. Later, Dwight told me that he made his morning oatmeal, everyday, outside, on those stoves, and he never complained about the pump leathers not working as they should. HJ, if we get to do our proposed snow camp up on Mt. San Jacinto, maybe I'd better bring along a pump stove that has an EVOO-lubed leather. We can see how it works, at altitude, and in very cold weather. In all my years of using EVOO, though, I've never noticed any problems in the cold. Now, up at the Artic Circle? Who knows? But, I seem to recall Polar explorers using butter as a pump leather lube, and that will definitely gum up in the cold. That's all I know.... Thanks for the comment on my grouse harvesting photo, Jim! I have MANY more such photos from that trip, and would still like to post them at CCS. I've gotten the green light from the Publisher that wants to use my article and photos in his magazine, so that part is good. But, resizing 40, or so, photographs and posting them here, is going to be a Herculean task!! Ross has very kindly offered to help, and has been waiting for me to get back to him about that, which I will try to do after the Holidays. I'd love to share that trip here at CCS. Talk to you soon, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Hi Whenever this question comes up I have but one answer. Oil on a pump leather is like pizza and and sex, any is better than none. However I've been using this lately and it is spot on. http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/00046786
