Neatsfoot oil

[Mad Mac]

I have heard some Model A owners recommend using half a cup of neatsfoot oil in the radiator. Anyone know anything about that?

[Synchro909]

I've never heard of putting it in the radiator but it did a great job on my leather motor cycle jacket.
What would be the benefit of doing it?

[Lawrie]

I think it was supposed to lube the water pump.
It also had snake oil in it.
Lawrie

[alexiskai]

Neatsfoot was sometimes used as a cutting oil, so it makes a decent lubricant and I think the theory was that having it in the radiator would reduce rust in systems using plain water. If that’s your goal… there are other ways to do that.

So many of these weird recipes get started because that’s just what the first guy had lying around. Over time it becomes “you must use only this thing.”

[Dino's A]

If you want to protect against rust, use a soluble oil. If you buy
a can of water pump lube & anti-rust, it was a milky solution.
That's nothing more than soluble oil and water. It's not on the
shelves here in California. Probably restricted as usual here.

The oil machinist use this to lube the cutter on the lathe is soluble oil. It
looks like oil, but when mixed with water, it turns milky white.

[JayJay]

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Used to use neatsfoot oil to help break in my baseball gloves.

[katy]

Neatsfoot oil is usually just used for leather.

[Ron Blissit]

Works good on my 1914 Cadillac leather clutch

[Hitman]

What are you trying to do? Prohibit rust in the cooling system, or lube the water pump?

[norcalal]

I have long heard neatsfoot oil is good for leather. What are the best recommendations for preserving leather ?

[700rpm]

Originally Posted by norcalal

I have long heard neatsfoot oil is good for leather. What are the best recommendations for preserving leather ?

Wear it till it wears out. After 40 years my leather flight jacket looks great.

[nkaminar]

There must be a bunch of neats running around with no feet.

[Sunny the Model A]

Originally Posted by nkaminar

There must be a bunch of neats running around with no feet.

Good one

[David in San Antonio]

If corn oil is made from corn and olive oil is made from olives what the heck is baby oil made of?

[Sunny the Model A]

Originally Posted by David in San Antonio

If corn oil is made from corn and olive oil is made from olives what the heck is baby oil made of?

OH **** now you got a bounty from johnson & johnson

[Jeff/Illinois]

Wow that brings back memories!


In the early 70's at the Ford dealership I worked in we kept this stuff stocked in the parts room. It really did the job! Worked good!







That '8A' prefix in the part number runs that back to the Flathead era so it was used for many years...

[Phil Brown]

The neatsfoot oil thing may have started way back when someone used some leather as water pump packing Use what you have too keep it on the road thinking

[dansluck]

Neatsfoot oil was for saddles and horses hooves ,feet.

[dansluck]

Bag-balm was used on animals and Model A points.
Dan

[Mad Mac]

Thanks guys, some good answers there.
The question arose because my old-timer friend uses neatsfoot oil in his Model A radiator as a rust inhibitor. Not sure how well it works, but he swears by it. It is made from the hooves of very young calves ("neat" is an old English word for calf). Their hooves were boiled down at the slaughterhouse into neatsfoot oil, used mainly for protecting leather.