My bellows valve flap is in need of a little TLC, as it’s starting to sound like a sick cow. Anyone use baseball glove oil on the flap before? I’ve called around to a few stores in my area but no one seems to carry neatsfoot oil. Glove oil, on the other hand, is plentiful.
Thx
If you want neatsfoot oil the best place to get it is a Saddlery. If your valve is leaking badly then re-seat the flap by taking the valve out, heating up a spoon and pressing the leather firmly into its’ seat while turning the spoon. This should leave you with a perfectly matching indentation in the leather and should give you a good seal.
Tandy Leather Company also sells neatsfoot oil. If there’s not one nearby, you can order it by mail.
I found some neatsfoot oil at my local hardware store, but, since the neatsfoot oil you can find may not actually be pure neatsfoot oil, you might want to take a look at How to Mlke a Simple, Quick & Easy, Foolproof Bagpipe Check-Valve.
Thanks for the suggestions. Nearest saddlery is about 20 miles away, while the sporting goods store is roughly 2 miles away. Ended up using some Rawlings Glovolium. Had a low viscosity which allowed it to be worked into the leather flap easily. With the flap-side sitting on my workbench, I gently applied pressure from the top of the valve with a rubber mallet, which brought back the indentation or “seat” of the flap nicely. It also flattened out a couple of ripples in the edges that were probably the cause of the leak.
Fancypiper: I’ve also downloaded the instructions for the silicone flap, which I’ll take a crack at next time this problem occurs.
Thanks again for the suggestions.