Vintage Baseball Glove Forum

I read in one of these threads about Lansinoh brand Lanolin that is used mainly by women who breastfeed. I read the ingredients on the package and it states 100% pure lanolin. So, I bought it. I then applied it to the inside of my glove, fingers, pocket, web. I tried to use it sparingly because I had read that it goes a long way (aside from it being expensive). Well, the glove is really well conditioned now but also very sticky. It is sticky to the touch but the stickiness does not transfer over to the finger. Why did this happen? How can I get rid of the stickiness?

I haven't personally had a glove become "sticky" from using pure lanolin, so I'm not sure what happened on your glove. What kind of leather is it? If it is "oil tanned" leather, sometimes those don't want to absorb conditioner very well. My best guess would be that, even while being careful, you might have used too much.

I have bought the small tubes of Lanisoh and it is expensive. Since then, I have found a drugstore in my area that sells tubes of "generic" lanolin at about 1/3 the cost.

When using lanolin, I do rub it in very thoroughly. You said that you used it sparingly, but when I use it I use it REALLY sparingly! Maybe there is a fine line between "just the right amount" and "too much".

To give you an idea of how much I'm using, I would say that one of those small tubes will let me treat anywhere from 15 to 20 gloves- easily- and that is with giving the gloves a couple of very light coats.

I get just a tiny bit on the cloth I'm using to apply it, maybe about a pea-sized drop, and rub that in to as wide an area as I can until it seems dry, then another small dab, and so on.

Instead of getting the glove soaked in lanolin, think of an approach more like waxing a car, where you use small amounts of wax and wipe it over a section at a time.

Rather than "sticky", many of the gloves I treat with lanolin will end up with a smooth texture. That is similar to what is described in the book "Glove Affairs" by Noah Liberman, where he discusses various leather treatments.

In regards to lanolin, which he thinks is the best possible treatment, he notes that, "Its minor drawback is that it leaves a dry slipperiness on the leather until there's a little dust on the surface".

That has been my experience, more often than not. On some gloves, I guess depending on the type of leather, the absorbtion of the lanolin does seem to raise the natural grain of the leather a bit, and that seems to give a grippy feel that offsets the smooth, dry texture.

So- what should you do with your glove that seems "sticky"? My first suggestion would be to wipe the glove down a few times with a dry cloth- to kind of buff it out. That may take away some of the lanolin that stayed on the surface.

Something else that might help would be to warm the leather to open the pores and allow any excess lanolin to absorb. An easy way to do that is to just leave the glove in your car on a warm day. I've done that before and had a glove absorb conditioner like a sponge!

Hope that helps. Check back in and let us know how it worked out.

Bretman: Thanks for the advice. My glove is a HOH with Horween leather (AEO01). I am starting to think that my cleaning and conditioning process is the problem. I first cleaned the glove with Lexol cleaner and then conditioned it with a light coat of Lexol conditioner. After that I applied the lanolin. I did use small amounts of lanolin. Using the same amount I could probably do 20-25 gloves. Could it be that the Lexol conditioner is not letting the lanolin through? Would you suggest that I clean all of the stuff I have already put on it and start over? I'll try heating it up, although it is still quite chilly up here in Brooklyn.

I used my wife's stuff from breast feeding on a JC higgins glove that was stiff and i wanted to clean it up. i left it on a a hanger on the door for two weeks and it was still sticky in some places. I decided not to use that anymore. I bought Lexol and its nice.

John

Thought I would follow up on this thread. I started the thread because I had a glove that was sticky after giving it a very light lanolin job. Turns out the glove had been cleaned with saddle soap and conditioned with mink oil. I am thinking that the oil indeed clogged up the pours of the leather and did not allow the lanolin to absorb. I have since used lanolin on various other gloves, including my old little league beater that was never cleaned with saddle soap, conditioned with mink oil or any thing that was not Lexol, and it loved the lanolin.

I am using Lansinoh brand lanolin that you can find at any pharmacy. It is produced for breast feeding mothers. And remember, a little goes a long way.

I routinely use lanolin from Ebay seller OTC (a 1# jar is roughly $9). I am sure that I put on more than most folks in this thread, in part because I put it on with my fingers, but I have been rejuvenating some really dry gloves. It does leave a sticky feeling at first that disappears the longer it sits.

Putting the glove in a warm area, trunk of a car, bay window etc, helps to soak it in. Once the sticky feeling goes away you can tell the leather has become more supple without becoming floppy. I assume if I used less it would take less time to loose the sticky feeling. This does wonders on dried laces and lace ends.

I love lanolin! And putting it on with your fingers is the only way to go.

Any conditioner that I use I always apply by hand. I agree. I recently started using Lexol but It just doesn't lend itself well to being applied by hand. I normally use Wilson but I am going to buy some straight lanolin.

vintagebrett wrote:I love lanolin! And putting it on with your fingers is the only way to go.

Brett, just drop the tube of lanolin and walk away slowly. You're scaring me dude. lol

br

You see, Brett's wife is "in the family way."
Lanolin is the ingredient in Lansinoh, a product for breastfeeding mothers. It helps soothe irritation.
Brett likes to apply Lanolin with his fingers.
Brett is just been practicing his technique for when his wife needs his help

(c;

Just to clarify, Lansinoh is just a name brand for 100% Lanolin. So, if you buy the product at a pharmacy, you should be buying 100% Lanolin.

The tube that I have reads, "100% Lansinoh Brand Lanolin-The World's Purest Lanolin. (Ultrapure medical grade, USP modified lanolin."

Not sure what the USP modified part is. Regardless, it is exactly like generic Lanolin that you find at the pharmacy.

Just wanted to add this so that there is no confusion about this product. By the way, what I have is a 2oz. tube that I have applied to six gloves. The tube is practically full, so for the $9 it goes a long way.