Help With Recondition

[greyhawk]

Hi I have an old saddle that needs some TLC and bringing back to life the leather is hard and dry and curled in some places , can any one help with tips and what to use to soften and make the leather a but more flexible? I was told lexol leather cleaner and lexol leather conditioner and the fiebings leather balm would be ideal no oils as this would harm and darken the leather any help and tips on applications would be appreciated .

Thanks

[oltoot]

This is a good old treasure and worth some TLC. While it may not prove to be too useful to ride (narrow gullet and bar configuration), it could be quite collectible. If possible, make a plastic tent and use a humidifier to get it rehydrated (not drenched) before you start putting stuff on it. Yes, it is terribly dry and as such won't take any care products very thoroughly or evenly. If you decide that it is too much for you be sure and take it to someone who will restore it vs repair. The good advice (and some not so good) should pour in on this forum. If you have the time, wait til all the advice comes in and then sort through it rather than just start jumping.

Edited April 17, 2015 by oltoot

[greyhawk]

Thanks for the advice oltoot ,yeah i think i'll wait till the advice rolls in hopefully. Thanks again.

[Wenny]

Your first step is to clean it. You need to get all the dirt and salts off the surface or any conditioner you put on it will just pull the filth into the leather. Use a pH balanced soap like Lexol and as little water as possible. Don't get it soaking wet!

These old saddles often had a coat of shellac or similar sealant put on them, and that will make it difficult for conditioner to get into the leather, so it's got to go. It shows up as a grey, alligator-scale-looking haze. You can use Fiebing's Dye Prep to remove it, or mix up this cleaner. (Recipe courtesy of Richard Sherer) 1 part Ivory Concentrated Dishwashing Liquid detergent: 2 parts household ammonia: 1 Part water. It stinks like the dickens, but it'll take off the old finish. Scrub gently with a soft toothbrush and again, just enough water to rinse it off. I use a damp sponge.

Then let it dry. Give it a day or two. Don't try to hurry things by putting it in direct sunlight or by a heater, just let it rest. You'll know it's dry when it's stiff and light brown in color.

Apply your conditioner. Fiebings is a good one. I like lotion-y ones like Blackrock better than greasy ones. I think they sink in better, but there are many good ones and you'll probably get lots of recommendations here. Apply a light layer of conditioner every other day or so until the leather starts to feel right.

Above all, take your time and do it right.

When I'm done cleaning and conditioning, I like to put a topcoat of Tan-Kote water-soluble finish on, to give it a nice warm shine. Don't use anything with " -Lac" in the name (Saddle-Lac, for example); it will seal the leather and won't let it breathe like Tan-Kote does.

I'd love to see pictures of your finished project!

[greyhawk]

Thanks For the Great advice Wenny it's a bit daunting i must say but looking forward to having a go will have to hunt around for the fiebings stuff as am not sure if they have them over here in the UK. What about lexol conditioner any Good?

Edited April 18, 2015 by greyhawk

[greyhawk]

Hi is it possible to stop this crack from getting any worse and here are a few more photos. Thanks

[Thor]

Researching the forum may help and you will find this thread http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=57101

Fiebing's is a global player and it is available in the UK just as well ans anywhere else in Europe. If you can't find a good dealer in England, let me know and I'll give you mine in Germany. They will be happy to ship to the island.

In regards to your crack - it's sad to see a "sibling" to my saddle in such a condition but this is what one gets if it hasn't been cared for. From what I can see, your saddle is built a lot like mine, just different hardware. I would take it apart and strip it according to Wenny's suggestions.

One advice of caution should be given. Water will dry out your leather, just as oltoot was pointing out already. The straps would have to be replaced unless you want to use it for display only. Remove them carefully if you want to reuse them. The skirts should come off fairly easy. You might want to consider replacing the shearling. If so, you could recondition the skirts a lot easier as it should be done from both sides of the leather.

Good luck with it and it be great if you could post pictures as you progress.

[greyhawk]

Thanks for the advice just got this saddle a few days ago. Will replace the shearling and straps at a later date when i have the funds but at the mo i just want o concentrate of cleaning and conditioning the saddle. Thanks for the info much appreciated. Like to see your saddle.

[oltoot]

Decide first if you are going to use or collect because for collecting the more the original features are preserved the better whereas for use you might make some different decisions. For collecting don't replace the sheepskin as it looks to be original and not in terrible shape. You will be pleasantly surprised with how much the cracks will fade as the whole thing is brought back to life. If you are going to take it apart, wait until it is rehydrated and conditioned before subjecting things to stress. If you are going to replace the strings, just cutting them off close can make the stripping process easier. They look like they have already been replaced once so may well not be worth the effort to salvage them anyway. Try to find a maker's mark somewhere and do the best you can to read it. Then you might submit photos along with any UK history you might know to Mike Graham via the Western Horseman magazine to get a more complete history, value estimate and perhaps a little advice as far as restoration, etc

[Wenny]

Richard Sherer has a lot of good information on his website and in his articles. Check him out here http://www.sherersaddlesinc.com/ . And of course you should take a look at the fantastic book by Alain Oin. Here's a link to more on him and his book. http://www.thereenactors.com/community-news/196/vintage-western-saddle-restoration-tips-from-alain-eon-author-and-craftsman

[greyhawk]

Thanks oltoot for the the info don't think i'll take it apart will leave as much as possible am not that confident at the mo totake things apart. lol i take it's ok to replace the comchos??

Thanks again guys!

What do i do about the specks of paint?

Edited April 18, 2015 by greyhawk

[greyhawk]

How many cleans would you suggest for the saddle also can't seem to find a makers name anywhere. Thanks

[Thor]

So here are some pictures of my saddle.

Mine is number 2 of that saddle maker. Number one can be found at the Williams Lake Cowboy Museum in British Columbia and is dated to the 1880s.

I hadn't used it for years, but after the fact that it fits a horse got through the SPCA almost perfectly I started using it again. All I've done was cleaning it well with a glycerin based saddle soap and oiling it a couple of times. As you can see it's due for re-cleaning and oiling again.

It's not uncommon if you cannot find a saddle makers name for such old saddles. Sometimes you may just find initials on some place of the saddle.

[greyhawk]

Beautiful saddle Thor very Nice. Thanks for sharing them.

[greyhawk]

What sort of leather would you use for the strings? Thanks

[Wenny]

I cut 1/2" strips of latigo leather to make my own saddle strings.

If you have to replace missing conchos, just stay as close to the style of the original ones as you can. There are some fancy conchos out there, but they won't look right on a historical saddle.

[greyhawk]

Thanks i think i will have to replace conchos nothing much left of them as you can see by the photo they need replacing this is what i thought i replace it with.

[Saddlebag]

I've set more than one dry saddle out in a good rain for a few hours. While the leather is quite damp it gets a good soaping. No hurry to oil it until it's set for 5 days. It may get a second cleaning which helps rehydrate the leather and then it may get oiled while the leather is still damp. Warmed oil is used. It is checked daily and more oil may be added as some areas will really soak it up and others not so much. When I'm satisfied it sits for another 5 days to give everything time to penetrate as deeply as it's going to. Saddles get caught in the rain when ridden in and it's good for the leather.

[Thor]

I'd be very hesitant on doing that. First off those old saddle trees may or may not have a rawhide cover. Second, if they do, you don't know in what condition it is. You may get too much water onto the tree. I left one of my saddles out in the rain once, cause I had to get out of the bush... Took me quite a long time to bring it back to life. Needles to say that it never looked the same as it did before.

Maybe it be worth to order this issue of the leather crafter's journal http://www.leathercraftersjournal.com/product.cfm?product=162. This has been suggested to me.

Since you decided to replace the straps, and yes it is latigo leather. It usually comes in red and yellow. Since yellow are the ones used on your saddle you might want to find those. I'd use 8 to 9 oz. or 3 to 3.5 mm.

To replace your rosettes you will need 2 different sizes. You will get most of the stuff at the UK Tandy Leather store. You can phone them up and talk to them. They are very knowledgeable and helpful. I usually phone them before I order in Spain as this is the way it's organized now.

[greyhawk]

Hi Thor thanks once again for the input Think i take yor advice on putting the saddle in the rain i don't fancy that was a little worried about that suggestion .Thanks Thor.

[greyhawk]

Hi thor what sort of length your talking about for the strings cant see any yellow latigo leather. or Rosettes. Thanks Does anyone have any spare? lol

[Thor]

The rosettes can be found here http://www.tandyleather.eu/en-eur/home/department/conchos/4131-178.aspx. I would assume that they used 1-1/2" above 1-3/4". The red latigo straps are here http://www.tandyleather.eu/en-eur/search/searchresults/4752-00.aspx. You'll have to measure how long you need them.

You can check this section on your local ebay http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/Leathercraft-/75565/i.html?Type=Leathers&_dcat=75565&Sub%252DType=Hides for the latigo straps. It may be called different in the UK I'm not so sure about that. Some things are named different in the UK than elsewhere.

[greyhawk]

Thanks Thor had a look great! Did you see pics of the tree if you can make them out.

[Thor]

Oh sorry, I thought you wanted to show that there is a rawhide liner on your tree. Just doesn't tell you anything about its condition though. Once you removed the straps and took the whole thing apart you'll see what it's like.