What is a neat? And why are his feet oily?

Well, that's what my dad asked me when I asked if he knew whether I could get any neatsfoot oil in town here.

Neatsfoot oil. Why was I looking for some? Because no matter how good I ever get at leathercrafting, I will always be terrible at staining. That's just life. And I accept it. As long as I can have me some good ol'e neatfoot oil.
No, really. This stuff saved my life yesterday.

As a commissioned project, I created a 6 piece charger set for my uncles. (Later, I'll try to post something about the whole process so my wonderful readers can see the finished product.) The chargers themselves took me probably 10 or 12 hours to do all the cutting, stamping, tooling, and other work. When it was time to stain, I realised if I screwed up it was all over. I called my respected Master Leathercrafter, and asked her if she had any suggestions to make my staining job fool proof.

Her answer? Neatsfoot Oil!

What is it? Wikipedia tells me it's "a yellow oil rendered and purified from the feet (but not the hooves) and shin bones of cattle." So much for the poor little neat with oily feet.

Why is it going to work out for me so well? When applying any wet substance to leather, the fibers of the skin are dry and thirsty, and will soak up all they can. On the other hand, leather stain will soak into anything and everything, and when it dries, it's set permanently.

Dry thirsty leather + quick drying permanent substance =not much time to be sure the staining job is even

Basically the neatsfoot oil is there to prevent the leather from sucking up the leather stain at an insane rate. This gives you a chance to move it around and not have to worry about streaking and blotching. I mean you still have to be quick. Just not lightening speed.
Water can do the same thing if you lightly and evenly wet the leather and then let it dry just enough to where the leather turns back to it's natural color. The oil is the better and healthier decision(for your leather).

Needless to say, the chargers look amazing, and I can't wait to present them.