How much is too much??

[Jemaddux]

Ok so for my next question here. I took the chance and was able to get the saddle I have apart pretty easy, actually easier than I thought it would be. Just really had to sit back and really look at it for a while and take my time. Now the question is, the saddle had been stored for a long time it seems. I have put neatsfoot oil on it and it seems to as fast as I put any on it soaks it right up. How much should I be putting on? Or is there too much?

[Bob]

It depends on the leather, chances are it's dried out. Sooooo, water is best. Use saddle soap and water to wash it in warm water. Use lots of water to rinse it off, let it set dry some. (not in the sun)... before it dries out completely, oil it with pure neats foot oil...

The trouble with using too much oil on dry leather is that you'll never get water into it after. Too much oil is not good for saddle leather.

[bruce johnson]

Just because it soaks right in doesn't mean it needs more right now. You can sure overoil one in a hot second. It will oversoften and then ooze out all over you everytime you use it. I put on a light smear with a clipped woolskin patch. I do it once a day. You kind of ahve to go by look, feel, and experience. It might take me 3-4 days. One of my friends told me to quit when I thought it needed one more good application. As I am prone to say, old men are generally wise.

[kseidel]

The trouble with using too much oil on dry leather is that you'll never get water into it after. Too much oil is not good for saddle leather.

Bob,

I am not sure what you mean by this post. I believe the idea of oiling is to prevent the absorption of water. Why would you want to get water into it after it is finished?

Keith

Edited April 27, 2009 by kseidel

[kseidel]

One of the ways that I like to use to tell if there is enough oil in leather is to fold a piece, and it will lighten in color along the fold. If it returns to the original color fairly quickly when flattened back out, I think there is sufficient oil. If the lightness remains, I add more oil.

Keith

[Ronny]

Ok so for my next question here. I took the chance and was able to get the saddle I have apart pretty easy, actually easier than I thought it would be. Just really had to sit back and really look at it for a while and take my time. Now the question is, the saddle had been stored for a long time it seems. I have put neatsfoot oil on it and it seems to as fast as I put any on it soaks it right up. How much should I be putting on? Or is there too much?

Has anyone ever heard of frying a saddle? Years ago while working for a saddle shop in Ariz. we had an old Cogshall saddle come in for repairs and the skirts were dry and the corners rolled up. I oiled the skirts pretty heavy and clamped them flat. I set the skirts outside the door and went to lunch. A customer showed up and informed us there was some leather on fire outside. The leather was actually smoking! After dunking it in a water tank, it was like over fried bacon . You could break off pieces. Bill said it wasn't uncommon in the summer to go by the sale yard and you would see smoking saddles tied to the sides of trucks in the parking lot, because people would put excessive oil on their saddles and leave them in the hot Ariz sun. Sometimes less is more. (I had to put new skirts under the great old saddle. Not a happy customer!) Ronny

[mulefool]

Fried leather????????Yikes, I've seen some leather like that, but I don't think it could happen here in Washington. I remember when I was a kid people would get new gear and stick it in a bucket of neatsfoot for a week. It's funny but sometimes the people who want to take the best care of their saddles are the ones that over oil them to death. I had an immaculate little old guy bring his saddle in and I could barely stand to touch it. Every time he rode he must have had an oil slick on his seat. I had to make him promise he wouldn't oil, just clean it for at least five years. Chris

[Bob]

Bob,

I am not sure what you mean by this post. I believe the idea of oiling is to prevent the absorption of water. Why would you want to get water into it after it is finished?

Keith

Keith,

Leather is a skin, moisture in leather is a good thing. (Bark tan or Veg tan only) Say you try this and see how leather is without moisture. Cut a piece and put it into the microwave for a few minutes. Bring it out before it catches fire and let it cool. Then try bring it back to it's NEW feel, by only adding OIL.

Sometimes I get old abused saddles in that are dried out and caked with dirt from too much oil. The only thing that I found to work is striping it down and hauling it off to the car wash. Using a high pressure washer to force water back into it.

Saddle leather will stay healthy and strong, with memory if you don't let it dry out. Too much oil takes the memory in leather.

This is only common sense, a dried out saddle got that way because the moisture has gone, what makes you think that adding lots of oil will bring it back. Adding water first, then some oil.

A good many folks think that only oil should be added to their leather. Because at one time all there was available was linen thread. Linen thread would rot. Today and for the last good number of years, good quality thread is available.

[Bob]

One more thing that has to be spoken and understood.

The tiny air pockets that you see bubble up when you dunk leather into the water tank.... You do not want those air pockets saturated with oil, that's why if you use water first, it will prevent the oil from filling those pockets. The water evaporates and oil does not.

Now please don't misunderstand, I did not say to dunk your entire saddle into the water tank until all the bubbles stop... the rawhide tree will not do well with that. the ground seat don't require water. The parts that bend and work do need water, so it can bend without breaking.

this is of course just my humble opinion.

[Saddlebag]

Oiling a saddle is a deceptive practice because one can't see what's going on. Oil takes time to seep into the fibers. I'd give it a week then give it another cleaning. The cleaning will add more moisture but remove only the surface oil. Here's a technique the calvary used. The steel foot lockers also stored the soldier's saddle from rodents. If a saddle was to be stored for any length of time it was slathered with dubbin. When put back into use, it first received a good cleaning. I tried this on a good roper altho the leatehr was in good shape but facing months of storage. As did the soldier, I cleaned the saddle well before use. We got caught in one gawd-awful downpour and the water beaded off my saddle but sure didn't bead off me. My riding partner's saddle was soaked thro. When I sold my saddle 25 years later the leather was "just right".

[yotebuster1200]

Oiling a saddle is a deceptive practice because one can't see what's going on. Oil takes time to seep into the fibers. I'd give it a week then give it another cleaning. The cleaning will add more moisture but remove only the surface oil. Here's a technique the calvary used. The steel foot lockers also stored the soldier's saddle from rodents. If a saddle was to be stored for any length of time it was slathered with dubbin. When put back into use, it first received a good cleaning. I tried this on a good roper altho the leatehr was in good shape but facing months of storage. As did the soldier, I cleaned the saddle well before use. We got caught in one gawd-awful downpour and the water beaded off my saddle but sure didn't bead off me. My riding partner's saddle was soaked thro. When I sold my saddle 25 years later the leather was "just right".

When you say clean the saddle what steps do you take, What products do you use if any?

[Saddlebag]

I used glycerin soap, Feibing's golden paste, Murphy's oil soap.