missmolly Report post Posted September 22, 2009 I had recently purchased a used Billy Cook saddle. I had taken it in to have it "professionally" oiled. My saddle was a chestnut color when I took it in and when I got my saddle back it was black! The place that oiled my saddle said that it would take several months for the oil to dry before it would go back to the origional color. Right now the saddle if blotchy in color all over. It has three colors right now....chestnut, reddish brown, and black. I believe the over oiled my saddle. Is there any way I can remove most of the excess oil on the skirting and fenders? Someone told me to wash my saddle with Dawn Dish soap and scrub it. Then after dry condition the saddle. Would Dawn dish soap be ok for the leather or would it harm my leather? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MADMAX22 Report post Posted September 22, 2009 personally I would try some saddlesoap which is what they should have done first then they should have used a light coat of oil. Hopefully it comes back to normal after some time. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
missmolly Report post Posted September 23, 2009 personally I would try some saddlesoap which is what they should have done first then they should have used a light coat of oil. Hopefully it comes back to normal after some time. I did and no change. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Randy Cornelius Report post Posted September 23, 2009 My guess would be that they oiled your saddle with harness oil that has a darkening agent in it. I would question what kind of professional you took your saddle to? I don't use anything but pure veg oil on my saddles and other fine leather products, no chance of changing color with the veg oil. I think I would have a few choise words for whoever done that to your saddle... Randy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oldtimer Report post Posted September 23, 2009 And my guess is that the saddle is oiled with Neatsfoot Compound Oil, which is a 90% petroleum oil product. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
missmolly Report post Posted September 24, 2009 I will see if I can find out what they use for oil. I would love to have a few choice words with the leather shop but I am limited to what I can say cause I have a family member working there and really don't want to have any family problems right now. At this point I feel it better to just see if I can darken the spots that are the origional color and sell it. It may be less expensive to do it that way cause right now with all the ruined jeans and saddle blankets that are getting all full of oil it's starting to feel like it's not worth it. When you tough the saddle your hands have this greasy oily feeling and my jeans are all blotchy with dye and oil that is coming from the saddle. I am going to attach a pic of what the saddle looks like right now. Most people tell me it's not that bad.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MADMAX22 Report post Posted September 25, 2009 Thats a bummer, looks like a nice saddle minus the oil. What did they use a barrel to dunk it in. I would atleast talk to them about it, be polite but explain the situation. Family member or not if they are doing this to saddles they are gonna lose business. If it was a 1 time thing or maybe a more inexperienced person got the chance to play with your saddle then they should know about it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ken Nelson Report post Posted September 25, 2009 I have a saddle shop and have had for a number of years. The owner of this shop should buy this saddle. This is unacceptable work. Tomorrow night I will post or try to post a couple of saddles I performed Clean and Oils on this week. You have the right to expect professional results when you take your work to someone that has a shingle hung out. I was taught that you turn down what you don't know how to do correctly. Just my opinion. Ken. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
missmolly Report post Posted September 25, 2009 It WAS a nice saddle. Someone told me that no matter how much oil that is put on a saddle...oil is a good thing. Then I had a totally different person tell me that if you over oil your saddle it will ruin the leather...break down the leather fibers or something like that. Which is true? I am to the point where I am just going to try to darken the rest to be all one color and sell it and get a different saddle. When I ride my pants get trashed with all the oil and dye that is coming out of the saddle as well as my saddle blanket is stained. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
missmolly Report post Posted September 25, 2009 I also found out what oil product they use. Fiebing. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MADMAX22 Report post Posted September 25, 2009 Petroleum oils will or should I say can brake down leather. I know of some people that use motor oil to oil there leather but in my experience working as a mechanic petroleum oils and deisel or other fuels will brake down leather big time. Yes you can put to much oil on leather. If your using neats foot oil there is a somewhat fine line on too much and just right. Generally speaking pure neatsfoot will help condition the leather and restore lost oils if used sparingly. I usually use one nice coat with my new products. The leather is able to absorb it easily and that is all that is needed. Anything else I put on will be conditioners and more of a wax based weather sealer. I am not a pro but from what I understand is that too much oil cant be absorbed into the leather and you end up with what you have. ALso too much oil will loosen the fibers in the leather from what I understand and make it allmost spongy in extreme cases. Thats why its hard to work with older leathers when oiling. Ive heard of people restoring saddles that using allmost nothing but dr jacksons hide rejuvenator. Take a look thru the saddle section and you will see thats one of the first things that most warn about with restoring saddles is not use put too much oil on. Disclaimer, Im not a pro so there are others that know alot more then myself, Im going off personal experience and what Ive read here and other places. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brewerkel Report post Posted October 7, 2009 I also found out what oil product they use. Fiebing. The shop should take the time to read the directions on the bottle. Or they could look at the Fiebing website for more info, specifically http://fiebing.com/LeatherCare_Tips.aspx The only way to get all that oil out quickly is some type of solvent. This has the disadvantage of stripping dye with the excess oil. Definitely take it back to the shop and complain. Your relative won't have a job long if the shop tolerates this poor craftsmanship. BTW, I have distributed Fiebing products wholesale for nineteen years. This is a common mistake for amateur leather crafters, not for working shops. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Saddlebag Report post Posted October 13, 2009 I played around with an old leather girth to see how much oil it would take without affecting the leather. Three light applications went well, the fourth left a gummy, sticky finish. OK, let's see how to remove some of this. Saddle soaping a few times, dish detergent, glycerin soap. They all removed only a modicum of oil and even after a year it remained gummy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bar C Leather Report post Posted October 13, 2009 I've done TONS of research on saddle making and everything I've read says to be EXTREMELY careful not to over-oil because there is no way to remove excess oil. I believe I've heard that it can be detrimental to the leather but don't remember seeing that in writing. Good luck and I hope for your sake I'm wrong about not being able to remove excess ( Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
