Evening star., 1919-09-03
SEEKS TO PROL0NG
life OF LEATHER
Bureau of Chemistry Sug-
qests Offset to the Cost
of Material.

With the rapidly increasing cost OF
shoe leather, specialists of the bureau
of chemistry. United States Depart
ment of Agriculture. have been en-
gagged in endeavoring to find means
for prolonging the life of shoe leather.
Announcement is made by these
leather experts that the life Of shoes,
| and. in fact, all leather articles. can be
prolonged by the adoption of simple
measures. 1t is said that shoes and
leather properly treated will last twice
as long when reasonable precautions for
preserving the leather are neglected
Use of Grease Suggested.
Grease or oil should be applied to
the shoes whenever the leateher be-
gins to get hard or dry. The shoes
| should be brushed thoroughly and all
dirt and mud that remain washed OF
with warm water, the excess water
being taken off with dry cloth.
On dress shoes or polished shoes
use castor oil and apply lightly at
night to the dried shoe. rubbing the
oil into the leather well. especially
along the welt or where the sole is
sewed to the upper. Polish the next
morning. Tan shoes are, of course,
slightly darkened by grease and even
by polish. Do not apply any oil or
grease on rubber heels or compost
tion soles, since such application is
unnecessary and injurious.
Work shoes which are not to be
polished may be creased with heats
foot oil, fish oil and tallow. vaseline,
or petrolatum. The oil or grease
hand can comfortably bear. and should
be rubbed well into the leather, espe-
cia1ly along the welt
If it is desired to secure greater
water resistance than the above oils
and greases will insure. heavy
dressing or greasing with either OF
the following mixtures has been
found excellent for this purpose:
II pound of neutral wool grease, (get
from drug store).
u pound of (heavy) dark perolatum
(get from drug store).
Il pound of QighD yellow paraffin
wax; or
$40 of pound of petrolatum.
lilo of a pound of beeswax.
Very good water resistance can be
secured by adding beef tallow to any
one of the oils or greases mentioned
above for greasing work shoes. In
all cases each mixture should be
melted together by warming careful
ly and stirring thoroughly. Better
penetration is secured if the grease
is applied warm, but it should never
be hotter than the hand can bear.
The creased shoes should be left to
dry overnight in a warm place. The
edge of the sole and the welt should
be creased thoroughly, as too much
grease cannot be applied to these
parts. Any one of the above mixtures
should be applied warm to the sole of
the shoe, thus increasing it's dura bill
ty, pliability and water resistance.
Care Of Harness Leather.
Harness leather should be washed
and oiled frequently. Tepid water.
neutral soap and a sponge or stiff
brush should be used. After rinsing
in clean tepid water the harness is
hung up to drain a little while before
oiling.
Neatfoot oil or castor oil is best for
driving harness, but there may be
some tallow mixed with either of
these oils. a mixture of tallow and fish
oils, about equal parts of each, for
heavy harness. The application should
heavy harness. The oil, warm to the
hand, is rubbed thoroughly into the
leather while it is still wet from
| washing. A clean, dry cloth should be
used to remove excess oil which the
| leather is unable to take up. Harness
can be kept soft and flexible for a
| long while and made very much more
attractive in appearance by the proper
application of oil.