Help! Deep Cleaning Older Saddle Gone Very Wrong - Powerwashing

[oltoot]

What's done is done. Bruce Johnson's advice was well said, as usual. Next time, if there is one, I'd crank the PW down a notch or swap it for just a high pressure hosing after first using something like Murphy's Oil Soap to start loosening up the grime and be sure you have the surface moist when you hit it with HP. Dry increases the abrasion factor of the grime being washed away. Those worn spots you posted look to me like the places somebody would reach for a death grip to keep from exiting head first.

[CCCustomTack]

Thank you everyone for all the advice. Lesson learned on this one.

The back story of this saddle is we went & bought some horses & they had a few saddles for sale to & we bought this one, it had been sitting in the tack room untouched for 15 years. Come to find out when cleaning it on the under side of the saddle carved into the tree is "SHOTGUN" "C.L GIBBS" , come to find out that is the great granddad of a friend of mine & he rode/trained cow horses. pretty neat.

I have checked over all the riggings & everything is solid & sound, the saddle damage was purely cosmetic from being rode hard i'm sure & sitting for so long.

I went over some rougher spots last night with Black rock & those spots are now laid down nice & slicked over & look like the rest of the saddle.

Lesson learned with the oil, I guess more is not always better when it's super dry leather.

I will keep everyone updated on the progress. thank you! trying to figure out how to attach some pictures of it now from this morning after sitting over night

[CCCustomTack]

Oh I also don't plan on reselling the saddle. I will be keeping it as a back up & an extra to have around & if I do ever sell it his great grand daughter said she would buy it whenever I did go to sell it. =)

[CCCustomTack]

so now that I saturated in oil, bad, do I just let it dry out or have a made matters worse? it was really really dried out hence why I used so much oil. now what?

[bruce johnson]

Oil really doesn't dry all that fast. Sometimes you can wick it out some or try to remove excess with something like Dawn. If you go the wicking route - cornmeal, clay cat litter, garage floor oilsorb have all been used. liberal dusting, leave it sit a few days, brush off and reapply as needed.

[oltoot]

One more little thing. If you take it apart as much as you can before doing whatever you are going to do and don't reassemble until you are satisfied, things will usually work better.

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

I'm going to disagree with some other comments in that a power washer can and will take the grain off good leather, in fact, new leather. If you get close enough with enough pressure, you can create roughout from smooth grain leather. I know this from experience:-) The best cleaner I've ever used, and this is a recent discovery for me, is Dick Sherer's recipe. For years I thought it just sounded like a bad idea because of the amount of ammonia, but it doesn't leave the leather with a rough, harsh feel like Dawn dish soap, what is what I'd resorted to in the past when all else would fail on something REALLY nasty. It beats Lexol Cleaner hands down, which has been my cleanser of choice for many years. Go to Dick's website and it's listed there somewhere. I also find, with what comes through my shop, that most people around here definitely don't over-oil their stuff. If they oil at all, they put one little application on with a rag and think they oiled it. For oil to do what it's intended to so, which is lubricate the fibers and repel moisture, equine equipment that has been left dry for a long time needs several liberal applications. You don't want the leather left with an oily feel on the surface when you're done, and you definitely don't want to soak the leather for hours or overnight like some folks do, but at least in my experience, most people under-apply rather than over-apply. The quality of the leather makes a huge difference also. Inferior leathers will bleed oil back out and have a slick oily surface when finished, whereas better leathers will absorb what they need with liberal but reasonable application and when finished, will not have that oily residue on the surface. I will often repeat the cleaning process AFTER oiling to get rid of the surface residue. Heavy using tack that is dipped once a year will long outlast tack that is never or only occasionally lightly wiped with an oily cloth or a worthless "conditioner". At least that's what I've seen over the last 30 years. I guess I should mention also that all oils are not created equal. Do not ever use the $8 a gallon crap that smells like diesel fuel. Use a reputable brand of pure neatsfoot, or, what I use almost exclusively for equine equipment is Sheps harness oil. Weaver sells it, and it is a high percentage of neatsfoot with something added to repel rats and mice. It smells a little like fish oil, but is not unpleasant. It's not cheap but it's good stuff. I have yet to use Black Rock conditioner, but from what I've seen, I do think it is a superior product and I plan to get some. I'm a sucker for trying new conditioners, because I have yet to find one that does everything it promises to do and lives up to what I think a conditioner should do. Good luck to you with your saddle!

Edited May 28, 2015 by Big Sioux Saddlery

[CCCustomTack]

Updated!! I will get a better pic today but the saddle is soaking up the oil really well & starting to return to its natural medium oil shade!! It is not sticky or oily feeling at all, I guess it was just that dry! The rough spots from the pressure washer I applied some black rock to & massaged it in & it is smoothed & slicked down & looks normal now!

As much of a panic & anxiety this whole episode has caused me lol all is well & turning out good!

Thank you everyone!