CWR Report post Posted October 5, 2009 I remember reading in an old post where someone, I think it was Bruce, said they used saddle soap during the casing process and felt it helped get a good dark burnish. for the life of me I can't find it now. I would sure appreciate any info and how and when to apply the soap. Thanks, CW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bruce johnson Report post Posted October 5, 2009 CW, I used to. I wet my leather up, let it sit a while, sponged on a light coat of white saddle soap and slicked the leather before I bagged it. This was one of those things shared with me by an older maker, and for me it does hold the moisture a little better than plain water. When I started using the water/lexol/baby shampoo/listerine mix I got away from the saddle soaping. That mix also has some history to it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CWR Report post Posted October 5, 2009 Thanks Bruce. I'm going to try it. I'm in the Big Bend country and we usually have very little humidity and if it helps retain the moisture it'll be a big help. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
okiwen Report post Posted October 6, 2009 CW, I used to. I wet my leather up, let it sit a while, sponged on a light coat of white saddle soap and slicked the leather before I bagged it. This was one of those things shared with me by an older maker, and for me it does hold the moisture a little better than plain water. When I started using the water/lexol/baby shampoo/listerine mix I got away from the saddle soaping. That mix also has some history to it. Bruce, My google-fu is weak this morning. Where is the later recipe you referred to? Thax PS. you are like the tool god or something. You have had or tried every tool I could ever want. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bruce johnson Report post Posted October 6, 2009 Kevin, The mix I use now is from Ben Cox, who got it about 25 plus years ago from a great tooler. The mix is 1-1/2 cups water, 1/2 cup lexol conditioner, a tbsp or two of baby shampoo, and a tabsp of Listerine (the thymol in it is a mold inhibitor). It works better for me to case with than anything else. I got an email a while back from a guy who was using the Lexol/shampoo mix and then top dressing with saddle soap. He was in Tucson or someplace like that, and he thought he could go a lot longer with both than either by itself. As far as being a tool god, Bob Douglas is a tool god. I am just part of the congregation. I have been very fortunate with the people we have met in our travels and on these internet groups. I am not afraid to visit guys and pick up tips. If I see something I haven't tried, I'll ask them about it. Even the regional differences can be interesting - for instance the British influenced guys using plough gauges vs. the north Americans using draw gauges. Also the older tools were made for guys making a living with them, not or the hobby guy with a price point in mind. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites