Wet-Blue Leather

[Handstitched]

G'day,

I recently had the job of replacing some girth straps on a saddle, as the ( 2) straps on one side of the saddle would not pass gear check for a comp this weekend, and the owner needed them repaired urgently. There was a split between the adjustment holes, and the other was showing signs of cracking.

The straps on the other side appeared in good condition.

The saddle was a very popular Australian ( and ex$y) brand of saddle, and looking well looked after and still new-ish looking.

But I was surprised to see that the girth straps were the 'wet-blue' type , or blue hide leather, as I call it. I'll attach an example pic.

I would have thought that being an expensive brand of saddle, it would have been fitted with a good quality harness leather on the straps. And why didn't they?

And thats what I replaced them with.

I do have a blue hide scrap, and I tried dying a piece, and it wouldn't take, and what did sort of take, looked pretty awful. Even the dye on the old original straps looked a bit 'wishy-washy'

I've never worked with blue hide, a nor have I ever had the need to use it.

In the pic, theres an example of the thickness.

Just some general opinions, and what people have been using it for would be helpful.

Thanks

HS

[Dwight]

Take a look at this information, . . . it may help.

http://www.saddlebackleather.com/Leather-101

May God bless,

Dwight

[Handstitched]

Thank you very much for that Dwight.

Thats very informative.

I wonder if there is any difference overall in strength?

I've always had the belief that a quality fully tanned piece of leather would be much stronger than the 'blue hide'.

Thank you once again.

HS