quote:

ORIGINAL: domcypher

use... using it is the best way to break it in. obviously you don't HAVE to use it on your significant other during breakin. Its kind of like a baseball glove. lightly flog your hand and pull the strips through your hand repeatedly. do this while you're sitting around watching tv or something. your hand shouldn't sting at the end though, just enough to losen up the leather. I'd stay away from soaking it in anything, but thats just me.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Joseff

Contrary to popular belief neatsfoot and other leather conditioners are not dangerous. Most are used on horse harness, and trust me, those people treasure their animals, and would never put them at risk. Of course, if skin is broken and not properly treated, there is always a danger from infection, but any proper care would be more than adequate to remove what possible residue that may be carried by the leather. Furthermore, breaking the skin is rather difficult to do with an ordinary flogger, and I'm a recovering blacksmith. Go ahead and use a good quality leather conditioner on your flogger, rub it into the leather and wipe off the excess. Allow it to rest overnight to allow the oils to soak in to the leather, then it should be fine. If you're still concerned, use it on a white pillowcase or something, to see if there is any transfer. Then, enjoy.

Thanks for your suggestion.  I am going to try the neatsfoot.  I live in a rural area where farms and stables abound and finding this leather conditioner should be no problem.