CourtneyLynn Report post Posted July 4, 2016 Hello! I've managed to get my hands on this gorgeous old Cowboy Classic/Don Loewen wade that I absolutely adore. It fits my horse beautifully and sits me just right - better than any other saddle I've ever owned. However, it definitely needs some TLC to bring it back to it's former glory. It was built in 2003, and has been maintained very nicely. Sheepskin was redone last year and all leather is soft from use and careful oiling. I have a two part question: 1. The seat and fenders were rough out at some point, but have been worn smooth through use. Given the photo attached, would it be possible to bring the rough out back or is it even worth attempting? If so, what is the best (and gentlest) way to do this? I don't want to ruin the saddle by attempting to brush up the rough out, but at the same time... I have the sneaking suspicion that someone oiled the rough out at some point and that's why it's so smooth. The leather is very soft, and I'm a little hesitant to try roughing it up with a wire brush or anything, but I figured scrubbing it with a bit of soap and water would be a good start to bring the knap back up if it's possible. 2. The horn has a JP tooled into it and since this will be my forever saddle, I would love to cover it with something unique to me, since the rest of the saddle is rather non-descript. I'm thinking a horn cap would be the easiest way to do this, but I'm not quite sure if there's a custom concho maker that would be willing to create just one horn cap. I would take the saddle to a saddler to install because that's just beyond my skill set. In this instance, would it be best to hammer the horn cap on or use smaller nails around the perimeter? I don't want to compromise the horn, but would love to cover up the existing tooling on the horn to make the saddle more "mine". Can anyone provide some insight, and maybe a recommendation for a custom horn cap maker? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Harfindel Report post Posted October 26, 2016 Not sure if this is current, but as to (1) I have had good luck removing built up oil and wax from rough out with two methods. One is simply to use saddle soap and water, applied with a very soft brush and a lot of patience. If the nap on the roughout is not worn off it will eventually reappear. A mechanical rotary brush is a big help. This method worked on a colonial-era (ca. 1800) wagon saddle, where the seat panel turned out during cleaning to be rough out. The same method worked on a ca. 1940's western saddle. The other method I have used, which is much faster but harsher, is to use dye prep, applied with light brush scrubbing and a thorough rinse afterward. The dye prep I used was 2 parts ammonia, 1 part water, one part plain liquid laundry soap, mixed in that order. Use of the dye prep requires that the leather be aggressively reconditioned immediately as the leather begins to dry. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TinkerTailor Report post Posted October 27, 2016 On 7/4/2016 at 1:23 PM, CourtneyLynn said: I don't want to compromise the horn, but would love to cover up the existing tooling on the horn to make the saddle more "mine". Can anyone provide some insight, and maybe a recommendation for a custom horn cap maker? Bruce Cheaney is a user here, and makes bits and spurs as well as saddles. He may be able to help. prosaddles.com. Ironically while searching for bruces site i found this maker who makes custom saddle silver http://www.cheneycustom.com/about.htm Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cowboycolonel Report post Posted October 27, 2016 For the best quality saddle silver at the price, I suggest you go to www.oldcowdogs.com. The guy has all of the old Bohlin-like dies as well as many new designs. i use his stuff a lot Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
