finish on saddle

[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

[Go2Tex]

Who carries this Texas Refining neatsfoot oil that you're using Keith?

[ClayB]

I'm really glad to hear that I am not the only one that likes Neat Lac. The 2 saddle makers that helped me make my first few saddles both told me that's what they use on tooled saddles, neatsfoot oil followed by Neat Lac rubbed in well with a piece of sheepskin as Keith said. Almost everyone else I have talked to says dont use it, oil wont penetrate it. I have found it will take oil, it just takes a little longer for it to soak in.

[kseidel]

You can purchase Neatsfoot oil direct at:

Texas Refinery Corp.

840 N. Main St.

Fort Worth, TX 76106

Phone: 817-332-1161

Fax: 817-332-2340

As far as Neat Lac is concerned, I sure liked the original formula better! They stopped usine tolulene and switched to xylene. I am not a chemist and do not know what the difference is, just that they work differently.

Keith

[daviD A Morris]

What do you guys recomend for finish on a saddle which the customer wants it to maintain a light color. The color of natural leather. Next saddle I'm making is for a western-pleasure competitor and those guys seem to pride themselves on having the lightest colored saddle. In the past I have used some kind of sealer, name of which would have no meaning in the USA, which I bought from Birdsall's Leather, in Sydney. It is something that they make or relabel. Trouble is, this sealer will not let any oil penetrate. After about a year the customers usualy oil their saddle and anywhere that the sealer has worn off of, eg. parts of fender and seat jockeys, the oil does penetrate, then the saddle looks "bloody awful".

After reading what Keith has said I'm now realising that not just the product used but the method of application can make a big difference.

Keith,

The lighter natural colored (as opposed to the dark colored saddles which I personaly prefer) that you make, are they antiqued? If I understand corectly you just antique and then apply neat-lac. apply the neatlac with wool-skin and work it in. Do you apply any oil or anything else before the neat-lac? Do those saddles darken much with your finishing process? How many years do you think the saddles keep the light color?

Thank you guys heaps for this topic, it has come along at just the right time for me.

regards

dam

[jonwatsabaugh]

David,

Get on John Willemsa's web sight and take a look at the saddle he got into the TCAA with. The saddle is actually a little lighter in person than in the photos. I know this was achieved by applying a light coat of olive oil each day for five days, then a top coat of Neat-Lac to finish it. In person the finish was very striking, and the color was magnificent! As a side note, I had the priviledge of building the tree for that saddle!

Jon