Saddle restoration

[CollinsMS]

Hi everyone. I have not been around for a wile posting or reading posts. I started restoring a 1940's saddle and found that there is little to no information on the net to help with this type of project. So I decided to add a section to my web page with an overview of cleaning, gotchas and putting it back together. I just started building the new section of the site and I am still restoring the saddle so I am taking pictures as I go. Take a look and let me know what you think. Opinions are welcome

The web site is http://www.theleathercraftsman.com then take a look at the menue This Old Saddle.

Thanks

[Johanna]

I respectfully disagree that there is no information about saddle restoration anywhere on the net except your site- we are trying very hard to collect that knowledge here. I am glad to see your site archiving useful info- we need more people to do that. Also, we would love it if you would link back to us to help leatherworkers find the resources we list here.

Johanna

http://leatherworker.net/forum/

[CollinsMS]

I agree and would like disagree. I agree that the Leatherworker.net has an abundance of information. The problem is there is so much information that it becomes almost impossible to find anything pointed. I love the site, but I searched for several hours and could not find enough information to even get started with my project of restoring a saddle. There is a lot of small parts that many people have put on the site, I just don't have that much time to read all the posts.

I do like your suggestion to link leatherworker.net from my site. That is already completed.

[Don101]

Hi CollinsMS you could of asked i could of helped out, and manny other on here would of been more than willing no dought,

i documented a saddle resturation and i could of explained what i used to clean the saddle and provided before and after pics,

alot of this topic has been covered on this forum in the past too,

one question though was it nessersary to compleetly remove the seat or are you recovering with a new one? Don

[CollinsMS]

I considered placing a general question but then ran into a person who has been restoring and making saddles most of his life. He is the one that turned me onto the Ivory dish soap. As soon as I hit the saddle with the hose it looked like an oil change on your car. The oil just ran off the saddle. I took the seat off because I noticed 3 small bumps under the leather. After feeling around on them I decided it must be 3 nails that came loose. It was 3 nails and they came loose because of a crack.

[bruce johnson]

Since we are on a saddle restoration thread, I am curious what everyone prefers to condition with after the cleaning. To kick it off, personally I keep going back to Williams. I have tried several of the others - Hide Rejuvenater, Feibing's Aussie, Leather N Rich, Saddle Butter, Pecards, and the various animal fats and oils at one time or another. I haven't tried Skidmores yet. I think the others do have their place, but it just seems to me that the Williams just gives me a better feel on these older leathers. Anybody else got a favorite for old reconditioning?

[CollinsMS]

I would like to here others opinions on this also. An old saddle maker told me to never use anything other than the good old yellow saddle soap. That is all I have ever used. I know someone that used an oil called Black Rock and had a terrible problem with mold. The saddles were even kept in a climate controled environment.

[Don101]

i have heared nothing but good stuff about black rock but its to expencive for me to buy and import to Germany, after cleaning with a low warm soapy water i let it dry out naturally and use a plain saddle oil (non color) and apply with a rag once that is soaked up and dryed out i then apply a bees waxed leather conditioner its very simular to saddle soap but doesnt dry out with that white powder, here is a pic of before and after, Don

Before

After

[steveh]

You need to look at the home page index, it is very well catagorized, if you go to the saddle index, there is a sub catagory restoration and repair.

[CollinsMS]

Just forget that I ever put this out as a post. If I could figure out how to delete it I would.

[pella]

Just forget that I ever put this out as a post. If I could figure out how to delete it I would.

I dont understand that one?

Well, i look at your web site, and it is well made and interresting, i am sure some people will very appreciate your information to restore their saddle themself.

Not a fan of ivory or any detergent but well...if really dirty or oily...maybe...i never try that

BUT i think yellow saddle soap after a so harsh washing is not enough to feed leather, i would feed with oil and/or heavy cream ( i use sedgwick leather care) like don explain.

Maybe you could precise it is not always necessary to remove the seat? From part 6 to 7 the seat is gone i was a little lost as it is not really explain.

For part 7, i can say i like to place a string in the hole of the leathers so it is much easier to put stirrup leathers back after. Most of time leathers go over the bars, and not on a metal fitting like on the saddle illustrated on your web site.

[Vaquero]

Since we are on a saddle restoration thread, I am curious what everyone prefers to condition with after the cleaning. To kick it off, personally I keep going back to Williams. I have tried several of the others - Hide Rejuvenater, Feibing's Aussie, Leather N Rich, Saddle Butter, Pecards, and the various animal fats and oils at one time or another. I haven't tried Skidmores yet. I think the others do have their place, but it just seems to me that the Williams just gives me a better feel on these older leathers. Anybody else got a favorite for old reconditioning?

Bruce, I just had a old saddle in my shop for repairs and a cleaning which was in real bad shape. It looked like it had never ever been cleaned or oiled since it was new. This was one of the worst abused dried out saddles I have ever seen. I used Leather Therapy Wash and the Conditioner Restorer. It gave the leather a rich patina and brought it back to life nicely. I was very impressed. The customer didn't recognize the saddle when he came to pick it up.

Phil Green

Wild Horse Saddlery

[CollinsMS]

Thanks Pella the input you gave is what I was looking for. I have made some adjustments to the web site to clarify a few points. My earlier comment was out of frustration. The average Joe saddle owner will never dig deep enough to find the LEATHERWORKER.NET site and the information on it. I am trying to make information more accessible.

[Echo4V]

Just wanted to say, I really like your site and that you have an easily understood way of explaining things. I think that your cleaning and restoration link should be added to the front page of this site like vest making tutorial etc.

David

[Patricia]

Hi everyone. I have not been around for a wile posting or reading posts. I started restoring a 1940's saddle and found that there is little to no information on the net to help with this type of project. So I decided to add a section to my web page with an overview of cleaning, gotchas and putting it back together. I just started building the new section of the site and I am still restoring the saddle so I am taking pictures as I go. Take a look and let me know what you think. Opinions are welcome

The web site is http://www.theleathercraftsman.com then take a look at the menue This Old Saddle.

Thanks

Hello CollinsMS,

I am new to this forum and somewhat new to leather work but I wanted to say that I checked out the section on your web page, and you already have helped me with some of my questions. Thank you for posting it.

[Patricia]

Just wanted to say, I really like your site and that you have an easily understood way of explaining things.

David