Questions about saddle dyeing and reconditioning

[Lollappaloosa]

Hi everyone, I've been lurking and reading for about a week and decided I should introduce myself before I start picking your collective brains. My name is Lollappaloosa but you can call me Lolla, I live in the frozen tundra of WI with my husband and our fur kids. We raise pygmy goats and Appaloosas - hence my user name, which is also the name of our farm. Clever, isn't it?

I bought a Big Horn Pioneer the other day on Ebay, it appears to be in good shape for it's age - which I was told to be around 25 years or so, please correct me if I'm wrong. I want to recondition it and dye it black and I thought this would be the place to get the most accurate information. I have dyed tack before since black is "my" color and it's hard to find, even dyed a pony saddle just to see if I could; it worked - but I have never attempted anything as large or difficult as a full sized saddle.

I read the threads concerning restoration so I have an idea how things should go. My plan was to take the saddle most of the way apart, clean it well, dye it then recondition it. Is this the correct order or should I recondition it before I dye it? I also would like to know what products I need specifically. I have deglazer, dye, Bick 4 conditioner, Horseman's 1 Step, shoe kote and edge kote. Do I need a finishing product like Leather Sheen or a cleaner like Leather Wash?

Here are pictures of the saddle, you can see it has some crazing on the skirts and fenders. What is the best way to minimize their appearance? Should I use a polish after I'm finished as filler? It doesn't have to be perfect when I'm done with it, but I would like it to look as good as it possibly can. This is where I really need some help!

Thanks in advance for your help!

[Lollappaloosa]

Anybody? Bump.

[bruce johnson]

Sounds like you are on your way. You do need to take it down pretty far. I'd clean it first, deglaze and then dye. It depends on your type of dye as far as what to do there. For black you really need to buff afterward to remove the excess pigment on the surface. Then recondition with your product of choice - NF oil, olive oil, saddle oil, pastes, etc. I wouldn't use leathersheen or any acrylic on a saddle for a finish. I'd probably go with something forgiving like TanKote.

While you've got it apart that is a dandy time to check for weak riggings, stirrup leathers, and the kind of stuff that will put you on your head. I would also get some stirrup hobble straps on there before you end up turning a stirrup and taking 30 foot steps with one leg to keep up or worse.

[Go2Tex]

Yeah, sounds like you have the right idea. Tear it down, clean it, deglaze, then dye, then seal. Black dye has a nasty habbit of rubbing off forever, as you probably know. Have you tried vinegaroon? I don't know how it would work on a previously finished leather, but if you were able to strip it good enough to dye, it should work for vinegaroon?

[Lollappaloosa]

Thanks everyone! I have never heard of vinegaroon, I would assume it has vinegar in it? I read somewhere - might have been here I don't remember - that you get a deeper, richer color by applying blue dye before the black? I'm going for a deep black, not a sort of brownish black like it has on the fenders now - (which might be dirt). Anybody have experience with this or know if it's true?

I was also contemplating adding silver spots as an accent on the jockey (maybe) and latigo carrier, I want to add a cinch carrier to the off side, too. I haven't made up my mind about the spots yet, it might be too gaudy - but it would go with all my silver spotted tack which I buy from Jim Akers out of MO. I will be adding silver spotted rosettes with Jimmy Watts slotted conchos in the blackened finish, and my stirrup hobbles are also spotted. Would that be too much?

[Lollappaloosa]

I found the vinegaroon thread! Very helpful and I'll definitely give it a try!

[RobVSG]

I found the vinegaroon thread! Very helpful and I'll definitely give it a try!

Hello, I was wondering how this project turned out??? I am planning a similar one. I have a saddle that was a deep pecan that I want to redo to black using the vinegaroon process.

Thanks,

Rob

[frontpost]

I think the saddle is more like 35-40 years old. Chattanooga saddlery company inc. was the company that made it. I have a 1959 catalog and the saddle is not in it, so it must be newer than 1959.

Edited August 8, 2009 by frontpost

[Saddlebag]

Elephant ear cantle. A friend bot one brand spanking new in 1961 and we'd never seen anything like it before.