5050ranch

Got part of an answer from a friend from Yoakum, Texas who has worked for Circle Y and TexTan for 40+ years. The saddle is a late 40's model but it has been re-treed and reconditioned. He said the cracks on the edge of the "new" tree are stress cracks where the screws go and its mostly likely an early production poly injected tree which were prone to such, thus the bad reputation they got. Too bad, it's a real nice saddle, great condition, seats like a glove but it's not worth another rebuild so it'll sit on a stand in the den. Thanks for so many views even though I got no answers.

Hello, I recently bought an old H.S. Lebman saddle. It's in pretty good condition but I have a question for any saddle historians out there. The saddle appears to have a ralide type tree. The styling of the saddle is late 40's to 50's look, it weighs a ton but for sure it's got a poly injected tree. The tree is cracked in a few places towards the back edges but this saddle is for display purpose only. My question is, did H.S. Lebman ever use ralide trees ? I can't tell if the saddle has been re-treed although I suspect a rebuild only because the leather looks reconditioned. The serial number on the saddle is 4662475 48. I know he made boots and saddles but he is mostly know as the gun maker to the 1930's era gangsters. I cannot find out just how long he was in production. Anybody got any answers ? Thanks ahead of time.

Howdy, Just bought a lovely used Nathan Lamb Barrel saddle with outstanding tooling, just beautiful. Only problem is the previous owner got caught out in the rain in it and now there are large water stains on it. Is there ANY way to remove/clean/lessen these water stains ? Here's a pic of the stain. Any input would be appreciated and thanks. David

Thx for th replies fellas. It has been only a few days and its VERY cold down here in the Texas Hill Country, at least cold for us, 13 degrees the other night. The saddle has been in my garage....along with along with Her plants LoL and its maybe 40 degrees in there. I will take your advice and just wait. Usually its hotter than Hades down here and the over oiled look usually never happens or evens out right away in the heat, I guess because the pores in the leather are wide open. Just wasn't prepared for this look because of the cold. The tooling does stand out from the oiling, doesn't it. Either way, what a find, a "new" old saddle. It's kind of like finding a 55 Chevy Bel Aire that got bought, driven home and then parked in the garage ever since. You can imagine my delight when I found this beauty. The really sad thing is that it's too narrow for my horse, I am sooo disappointed. Gonna sell it because its no use to me and like any really nice peice of equipment, it should be used and enjoyed by someone instead being a living room ornament. Thanks again for your input and I'll be back to this great forum to check out the latest. I always have saddle and tack coming and going at my place and I'm sure I can oick up some pointers here from the experts. David 5050 Ranch Bulverde, Texas

Howdy, My first post here, hoping to get a little help, maybe an answer or two. I aquried an Olsen Stelzer saddle, same as the Boot maker in Henrietta Texas. This saddle has been in storage a VERY long time and supposedly has never been on a horse, looks like it any way. Well, like I always do, I oiled with pure Neats Foot Oil and to my chagrin, some of the deep hand tooling turned a lot more dark than I expected. Is there any method to reverse this ? I have heard of using acetone to remove NFO in antique leather restorations but really have no knowledge and would love some ideas, input or comments.,...other than " you really screwed up". Heres a pic as an example. Thanks ! David

Saddle and Tack Forum...perfect ! Thanks for the info and thanks for your input, it is greatly appreciated ! D :-)

Howdy all This my first post and the forum heading said "got a question and don't know where to post, start here" so here I am. I am a horseman, not a leather artisan but I have lots of saddles, buy and sell saddles and tack and there is one particular problem/question that perhaps one of you might know the answer to or know a link that can give me an answer. I've always used Neats Foot Oil ( pure) to oil my saddles and tack, works fine for me but one problem is the hand tooling on some saddles will turn darker than I would like. I have heard that acetone can remove some of the darkerness from the tooling areas but I am not about try anything till I hear from some experts like ya'll. Also, how good is Lexol compared to NFO ? I get some pretty rough saddles and tack and NFO really works great for me down here in Texas. Any input, ideas, links etc would be greatly appreciated. David