finish on saddle

[steve mason]

Howdy;

Wondering what all you saddle makers use for a finish on you saddles, I am currently using 100% neatsfoot oil, then for a finish I use tan cote, just a light coat hitting the high spots of the carving. I find this puts a nice gloss to the carving. If there is a better way I sure would like to hear it.

On personal items (belts, daytimers, photo albums, wristcuffs etc) I oil first, then antique, then I put on neat lac, I don't use neat lac on anything that goes on a horse.

Anyways, I would like to hear what you guys use on your saddles.

Thanks Much

Steve

[D.A. Kabatoff]

Hey Steve,

On saddles that I know are going to be used a little less and kept a little cleaner I do the same as you with the tan kote. If I know the saddle is going straight to work and is going to be covered in dust and dirt most of the time, I don't bother with the Tan Kote... pure neatsfoot oil and a good coating of R.M. Williams.

I find alot of the finishes look nice when put on but wear off unevenly or don't allow oil to penetrate very easily.

Darc

[ryan]

Which brand neatsfoot oil do you use? I have had best luck with neatsfoot compound but want to start using 100% again if I could find one with better results.

Also, when you do your floral carving, what is your process for finishing to give it that rich brown color. I am a really big fan of oil, neat lac, antique, then tan kote. I too don't want to put any neatlac on a saddle so do you forgo the resist all together or do you use another type of resist?

Ryan

[bruce johnson]

Steve,

I am with Darcy and you. Pure NF oil and TanKote. I had a problem with not labeling a squeeze bottle. I put Resolene on my calf roping saddle. Ryan Cope and Dennis and David saw it when they were here. It made a sticky oozing mess on the tooled corners, the basket stamping has stayed OK. I figured eventually the dust would absorb enough of the ooze to be OK. It finally did, but is a hard crust now. Thumbs down from me on Resolene. One of these days I am going to soap it up and see if it will clean up.

On the roughouts I oil and then use a light application of Williams, let it solar age for a couple days, and do a second application. I haven't had a bleedoff like I got sometimes with Saddle Butter or Hide Rejuvenater used on roughout.

[Bob]

All I've ever used is Pure NF oil and tan cote.... I'm with you guys, why fix it, if it an't broke?

However, while in Sheridan. I got talking with the lady in the booth with Bee Natural. Turns out that TL puts some stuff in their NF oil thats not so good. Pork fat.... You can see it when it settles to the bottom.... She may have been just up selling their products, but I may take a closer look at that and try their products... If it says "Pure Neatsfoot Oil" and it's NOT, then whats goes? That nice lady also said that their Neats foot oil has an additive to prevent any mold or mildew... Thats not usually a problem around here, it's usually too dry and the problem is getting enough water back into the leather. Especially if the rig comes in covered with grease and dryed out.

It would be good to hear from some of you others about this point.

[greg gomersall]

neetsfoot and tan kote. Greg

[Todd]

100% NF and tan-kote for me. I find NF compound is not good for the stitching. On an interesting side note I know a maker who was using vegetable oil and even peanut oil until recently when he moved his shop from town to his farm and an abundance of mice there allowwed him to discover that they have an affinity for vegetable oil and especially peanut oil and have teeth that can chew through the toughest of leathers.

[hidepounder]

Why don't you guys like using Neat-Lac on carved saddles....never heard that before? Is the concern not being able penetrate the finish with oil again?

Edited November 15, 2008 by hidepounder

[superchute]

ok here's a Question how about the Bee natural leather RTC in the place of neatlac. For saddles and little thing

Russ

Edited November 15, 2008 by superchute

[Go2Tex]

Neatsfoot oil and Tankote and then on plain saddles, I've been using Bick 4. Resolene is a good resist but I use it very sparingly on the carving because it does seal the pores of the leather and inhibits penetration of oil as well as antique.

The resolene makes things look like plastic but I found that deglazer works good for taking the shine out.

[Traveller]

Does anyone use neatsfoot oil to condition the saddle after it's been in use? Or is it a one-time application that the saddle maker applies and then riders should turn to different conditioners down the road?

[Go2Tex]

Yes, it is good to re-oil once in a while, depending on conditions of use. If the saddle gets really wet, soaked in a stream or some such and then dries out, it probably is going to need some more oil. After a real good cleaning if lots of water is used, same thing. A little oil. Too much oil is bad.

[mulefool]

I also do the neatsfoot and Tan-Kote. I have some of the Bee Natural saddle Oil with fungicide, I haven't used it on new saddles, but I do use on older ones that have a mold problem. I get my neatsfoot from Weaver and in the winter when it gets cold in the shop I get the white stuff in the bottom of the bucket. I try to keep it by a heater which keeps it dissolved out. I just assumed that it was just the way neatsfoot is, just the tallow settling out. Should I be concerned about that? Chris

[Dually]

Hi All, I have a sort of related question for all of you. My daughter was awarded a saddle (Billy Cook) for being a local rodeo queen. I've been asked to do the stamping, but am not sure what the factory finish probably is. The fenders are not tooled, so can I suspect that they are oiled then tancoated? Even so, should I just wet from the back? I don't want to water stain the stamped area. Doe's my question make sense? I imagine this comes up for you guys from time to time.

Thanks in advance for your input.

OH...And can I get away with using black sharpie for the letters if I again tancoat over it? Its a nice enough saddle, and I sure don't want to bugger it up. LOL

[hidepounder]

It appears that the overwhelming favorite combo is Neatsfoot Oil & Tan-Kote. Would someone please tell me the downside of Neat-Lac on a carved saddle....just for my personal info...?

[greg gomersall]

I don't use neat-lac on any horse gear because you cannot oil thru it after it is applied. If your customer tries to oil the saddle a year down the road the oil just lays on top except for the few spots that the neat-lac has wore off and then the rig looks like a friggin pinto or paint. Greg

name='hidepounder' date='Nov 18 2008, 10:11 AM' post='72050']

It appears that the overwhelming favorite combo is Neatsfoot Oil & Tan-Kote. Would someone please tell me the downside of Neat-Lac on a carved saddle....just for my personal info...?

[RyanCope]

Ditto what Greg said. Neat-lac is a is terrible thing to put on a saddle, unless you want your saddle to end up a yellow/orange color with dark spots where it has been worn off. It does, in my opinion, look a lot better than Tan-Kote when it is first applied.

Ryan

[hidepounder]

Thanks guys I appreciate the info....I suspected that was what you were going to tell me!

[bruce johnson]

Bob,

For another thumbs-down reason for Neatlac on a saddle. In a past life I was a nose to tail around the rail western pleasure rider. I used to religiously apply Neatlac and/or SaddleLac to my stuff. You reins get slick and your saddle is like riding a greased hog. I tried a little sock rosin inside my shotguns once. Made a squeak to end all against that finish. I drowned out the organ player.

Dually,

I have done a few of these. First thing is to apply a small amount of water or casing solution on the grain side of the fender leg. If it absorbs you can case it normally. Otherwise you may need to strip the finish to do it right. You can case from the back usually, but the dye for the letters won't penetrate on the front. I haven't had a problem with Tankote lifting Sharpie ink/dye on lettering if there is no finish under the ink. It will smear if there is a coating left on. I had been known to case from the back, and then sand the finish off the lettering on a Friday night drop-off/Saturday give away trophy saddle. Fine bullet shaped grinding stones on a Dremel can do it and not eat the grain. Dye and then seal it.

[Dually]

Bruce, thanks for the reply, I'll try wetting and see what happens. And... I will take this opportunity to add that your new site is great.

[Steve Brewer]

Steve,I like to use olive oil to oil saddles.Even out with light coats,then use tan coat.Like to use RM Williams on sturrip leathers and insides of fenders.

Steve

[Traveller]

Steve,I like to use olive oil to oil saddles.Even out with light coats,then use tan coat.Like to use RM Williams on sturrip leathers and insides of fenders.

Steve

I understand that neatsfoot oil can darken a saddle (which you may or may not want). Would olive oil not do that so much? I know an English horseman whose family for generations back would dunk their harness equipment in a vat of olive oil. He even drops entire saddles (English ones, of course) in the stuff. I tried that with a girth but it made it kind of soft and, well, yucky. That was about a year ago and it's still a little too saturated. Perhaps it was too much of a good thing?

And if I'm right in thinking that neatsfoot oil darkens leather, would you therefore want to use some other sort of conditioner when oiling an older (i.e. not straight from the saddlemaker's bench) saddle?

[Steve Brewer]

I understand that neatsfoot oil can darken a saddle (which you may or may not want). Would olive oil not do that so much? I know an English horseman whose family for generations back would dunk their harness equipment in a vat of olive oil. He even drops entire saddles (English ones, of course) in the stuff. I tried that with a girth but it made it kind of soft and, well, yucky. That was about a year ago and it's still a little too saturated. Perhaps it was too much of a good thing?

And if I'm right in thinking that neatsfoot oil darkens leather, would you therefore want to use some other sort of conditioner when oiling an older (i.e. not straight from the saddlemaker's bench) saddle?

Traveller,Use light coats of any oil.When you get your desired feel stop.Neatsfoot and olive oil will both darken leather.It comes down to a little is good and a lot isn't.Once had a fellow over oil,It took all the temper out of the leather.Saddle wore out pretty fast.

Steve

[Tosch]

Traveller,

if you do not want to darken the leather try Lexol-nf. It does not darken the leather, well, of course, it depends on how many coats you apply and how "light" the coats are, but by far it does not darken leather as much as the other oils.

Tosch

[kseidel]

I've been meaning to post on this topic, but just haven't goten much computer time with Christmas coming and all....

I have been using neat lac on saddles for decades and have great results with it. I antique almost all of my saddles and they mostly get used hard and need re-conditioned from time to time. I prefer olive oil when new and have found it to penetrate neat lac as well as tan kote. Both products take a while for oil to penetrate. Neat lac can be stripped with acetone if necessary, where tan kote is very difficult to remove. Tan kote will water spot and stain over antique, and neat lac is more stain resistant, and does not water spot. Neat lac if sprayed on makes a very thick and plastic like finish. But when applied with sheepskin and worked into the leather like oil, it makes a satin, mellow finish like tan kote and accepts oiling much better. This is just what works for me and may not yield the same results for others.

The finest neatsfoot oil that I have found is from Texas Refining. It is very pure and has no additives that solidify or collect on the surface. Leaves a lighter color than most others.

Keith