OMG! Hopefully your dad doesn't feel too bad for trying to help.

A long time ago, I got my best pair of leather gloves wet and they dried a little stiff. I asked my friend what I could do to soften the leather and he recommended boiling it. So I did and the glove promptly shrunk so small that the entire glove could sit in the palm of my hand.

A little irritated (they were my favorite gloves), I showed my friend the result and asked him what I did wrong.

"What did you do?" he asked.

"I boiled it, just like you said," I replied.

"No . . . you were supposed to *oil* it!" he said.

Abax