Saddle Soap Question

[Knotnutz]

Hmm - are you braiding colored lace or natural? I use a lot of colors - greens, blues, purples - and I also do multi color braids - so am a bit concerned about potential color runs, blending etc.

I'm also curious - how are you washing - just a 'rinse under the tap' or a soak in a basin?

[Hedge]

Hmm - are you braiding colored lace or natural? I use a lot of colors - greens, blues, purples - and I also do multi color braids - so am a bit concerned about potential color runs, blending etc.

I'm also curious - how are you washing - just a 'rinse under the tap' or a soak in a basin?

Colored and natural drum stuffed 'roo. I stick to earth tones and haven't worked with bright colors except red. Haven't gotten

any bleed with that.

I wash in distilled water to avoid possible chemical interaction. (my well water has iron in it...turns leather black.)

[roo4u]

knotnutz...

are you buying precut lace or cutting your own? i cut all my own lace for my leashes and never have to soften it. if you get your lace wet to wash off the saddle soap you then need to apply a conditioner.

[Knotnutz]

knotnutz...

are you buying precut lace or cutting your own? i cut all my own lace for my leashes and never have to soften it. if you get your lace wet to wash off the saddle soap you then need to apply a conditioner.

City girls KNOW that leather lace grows on trees and is carefully harvested onto spools at the crack of dawn.

Seriously - I tried cutting my own lace, and disaster doesn't even come close to describing the result. I would rather enhance the economy by paying for someone else's hard work (or abilty to run a cutting machine).

[rcsaddles]

I started making and braiding rawhide in "93". Mary Fields, who is in some of the Bruce Grant books was my teacher. I use white saddle soap on my rawhide while braiding and have not washed it off. My first reata is hanging in the shop and has had no ill effects of the saddle soap that I can see.

I started braiding roo lace belts while in Australia in "88". I also use the white saddle soap on the strings while braiding. Again, no ill effects that I can see in any of the belts I have made.

I use the yellow saddle soap to "wash and clean" saddles and tack and plenty of water to rinse. Then I let the item dry and oil.

As a side question, what do you all use for oil? I keep hearing to use olive oil as it will not darken leather or come off on your clother like neatsfoot. I have used both and have not noticed a lot of difference other than the neatsfoot darkens the leather a bit.

Just a little food for thought.

Via con Dios

Joe