Need Saddle Help, Old Show Saddle

[Dwight]

A friend of mine, one with limited financial resources, brought me a saddle and asked me if I could "repair" it for him. He showed me a couple of places where the thread had broken on the sewing, and the saddle was coming apart (see blue arrows). It is on the edges of the skirts, front and rearl

I've never taken a saddle apart, . . . but I'm wondering if the screw at the end of the red arrow is the key to getting the seat off and the skirts also off so I can sew them back together on my stitcher. The conchos were on a screw like post, . . . went into the tree, and came out fairly easily. There are also nails in the "accessory" carriers in the front of the saddle.

The other reason I wanted to get it down to parts and pieces, is that it has lain in an old dusty barn for a while, and needs a real good cleaning. I was going to saddle soap the whole thing while I had it apart, . . . and if I can squeeze enough out of my charity budget, . . . maybe put new wool under it.

Holsters I understand, . . . belts are fun to do, . . . this is the second saddle I've ever had in my house, . . . and the first was just plain junk. This one looks like it has the potential to be cleaned up and used, . . . which my friend wants to do.

Any suggestions, . . . help, . . . would be greatly appreciated.

The leather also seems to be quite dry, . . . not cracking yet, . . . but really dry.

May God bless,

Dwight

[GrampaJoel]

Dwight

The saddle looks to be a real find!!

With that said, I don't build saddles yet... I have been studying on the subject though. I believe what I will share is accurate . IMHO.

I believe that, yes, the screw at the red arrow is used for holding the seat on., as is,,, the concho at the cantel bottom. But be aware that the seat is also stitched to the cantel via the cantel binding. So getting the seat completely off would require removing that as well. Doesn't look like it would be a very easy job replacing the cantel cover( I think they are called a Cheyenne roll style )either.

Good luck. It looks like it could be quite a cool old saddle to have.

Edited August 25, 2010 by GrampaJoel

[Mike Craw]

Hey Dwight!

I've built a few saddles and repaired a whole bunch more, and here's my 2 cents worth. If you haven't done anything with saddles and don't have access to and help from somebody who has, minimize your headaches and sew the skirts in place rather than trying to break down and reassemble the whole thing with no prior experience.

First, wash the saddle with a good saddle soap and a stiff nylon bristle brush. Soap, scrub, and rinse until the foam you get is pure white and not dirty anymore. Rinse it off really well and dry the moisture off the surface. Pure neatsfoot oil would be your best bet at this point.

If you are going to use pre-waxed thread, burnish it really well with some paper from a brown paper bag. This removes most of the extra surface wax and makes it slippery. If you don't you will wind up pulling wool up through your stitch holes and what is normally a tedious job becomes really unpleasant.

A good cleaning and resewing those skirts will make a huge difference. If you have a drawdown stand, block the rear of the skirts so that they flatten out. Leather skirts tend to bend toward the moisture in them, so those were probably pretty damp with horse sweat which is why the skirts are trying to curl under. When they are damp on top from washing, they will tend to curl back toward the flat position.

Work slowly and carefully and your buddy will be amazed and grateful.

Mike

[alb]

That saddle looks like it's in great shape!

I agree that a good cleaning and conditioning will do wonders . I would however *not* use a stiff nylon bristle brush. A soft vegetable brush or a soft toothbrush are good, but the finish on the leather can easily be damaged if the brush you use is too stiff.

If you do decide to use neatsfoot oil, use very light coats and wait a day or so between coats to allow it to even out. Neatsfoot oil will darken leather and there is no going back once it's in there. Instead of Neatsfoot, on most of the restoration projects I do, I use the Preservation Solution products. They do a great job of cleaning and conditioning, don't migrate out of the leather and they don't darken. I love the look and feel they give older leather.

If you do decide to take it apart and put on new wool, be aware that there will be a lot more staples, nails and screws attaching the various parts to the tree. As Mike said, work slowly and carefully.

You will be removing the screws that hold down the seat leather but *don't* remove the seat.

As you get into it, if you have specific questions, post them.

Have fun!

Ann

Hey Dwight!

I've built a few saddles and repaired a whole bunch more, and here's my 2 cents worth. If you haven't done anything with saddles and don't have access to and help from somebody who has, minimize your headaches and sew the skirts in place rather than trying to break down and reassemble the whole thing with no prior experience.

First, wash the saddle with a good saddle soap and a stiff nylon bristle brush. Soap, scrub, and rinse until the foam you get is pure white and not dirty anymore. Rinse it off really well and dry the moisture off the surface. Pure neatsfoot oil would be your best bet at this point.

If you are going to use pre-waxed thread, burnish it really well with some paper from a brown paper bag. This removes most of the extra surface wax and makes it slippery. If you don't you will wind up pulling wool up through your stitch holes and what is normally a tedious job becomes really unpleasant.

A good cleaning and resewing those skirts will make a huge difference. If you have a drawdown stand, block the rear of the skirts so that they flatten out. Leather skirts tend to bend toward the moisture in them, so those were probably pretty damp with horse sweat which is why the skirts are trying to curl under. When they are damp on top from washing, they will tend to curl back toward the flat position.

Work slowly and carefully and your buddy will be amazed and grateful.

Mike

[spur2009]

I certainly agree with the above post concerning takinbg your time and I too think you should reconside taking the saddle apart, if you do proceed slowly and

do not remove the cantle binding as they are hard to replace if you haven't done it before. I generally use pure neatsfoot oil but on some jibs olive oil or

pure veg oil works quite well. Apply in light coats and allow each coat to set up. Apply first coat while leather is damp from cleaning as it will allow for

better penetration of the oil into the fibers of the leather. Be sure to oil both grain and flesh sides of the leather whereever possible.

[Bird]

Hi Dwight,

The only way you are going to learn about saddles is to tear one apart. There is a distinct possibility you are going to wreck one or two in the process. How much does he value this saddle? There are some good videos (the Bill Gomer one is a hoot)and books on saddles that can help. But know that friends and family will eat you up financially in this business. If your friend wants to 'give' you the saddle to learn, and not hold you responsible if you screw it up, I say go for it. otherwise, pick up a cheap saddle somewhere and tear it apart, and you'll soon see what goes where.Saddlework is really rewarding, but remember, if you can tear it apart with your bare hands, think what a horse can do.

I am not saying that you will fail. just make sure you do not attract any un-needed drama into your life.

Aloha,

Bird

A friend of mine, one with limited financial resources, brought me a saddle and asked me if I could "repair" it for him. He showed me a couple of places where the thread had broken on the sewing, and the saddle was coming apart (see blue arrows). It is on the edges of the skirts, front and rearl

I've never taken a saddle apart, . . . but I'm wondering if the screw at the end of the red arrow is the key to getting the seat off and the skirts also off so I can sew them back together on my stitcher. The conchos were on a screw like post, . . . went into the tree, and came out fairly easily. There are also nails in the "accessory" carriers in the front of the saddle.

The other reason I wanted to get it down to parts and pieces, is that it has lain in an old dusty barn for a while, and needs a real good cleaning. I was going to saddle soap the whole thing while I had it apart, . . . and if I can squeeze enough out of my charity budget, . . . maybe put new wool under it.

Holsters I understand, . . . belts are fun to do, . . . this is the second saddle I've ever had in my house, . . . and the first was just plain junk. This one looks like it has the potential to be cleaned up and used, . . . which my friend wants to do.

Any suggestions, . . . help, . . . would be greatly appreciated.

The leather also seems to be quite dry, . . . not cracking yet, . . . but really dry.

May God bless,

Dwight

[Goldshot Ron]

Dwight,

I just read your question, and I am wondering how your saddle project is coming along?

Ron

[Dwight]

Dwight,

I just read your question, and I am wondering how your saddle project is coming along?

Ron

I'm taking a break right now from hand sewing the front back together. Most of it had cotton or linen thread and it had rotted and come apart, especially up front, . . . I had to replace the "D" rings for the breast band and the little "D" ring up by the saddle horn. All were rusted or the wrong gear.

A board member invited me to his saddle shop a hundred miles away, . . . took the trip, . . . learned a lot, . . .

It's a "bit of a piece" from being done, . . . will post pics when I finish.

Thanks so much for all the encouragement and kind words. This is a great place!!!

May God bless,

Dwight