Help rescue my saddle please! Advice?

[Enfys]

I have just been given a really nice tooled leather show saddle with lots of twiddly silver bits on it. The problem is that it has been sitting in a barn for 12 years and is really in need of some serious help, so, please, any advice on how to bring it back to life as it were.

Thankyou

 

[bellgave]

First of all wash it all over with warm water and washing up liquid, then get a really good oil eg. neatsfoot or any good leather food (not saddle soap) and it will soak it up, just keep plastering your saddle with it and within a few days the leather will look a lot better and healthier. I would clean the silvery bits before you start to work on the leather incase you get any of the silver cleaner on the leather, you should be able to use a household silver cleaning product or a silver cloth which has cleaner in it!! Looks like you have a suede seat, so either get a suede brush or use a fine sand paper on it!!! Good Luck

 

[pottamus]

And perhaps get a soft toothbrush for all the nooks and crannies and stitching details...nice saddle!

 

[jemima]

Sounds mad but can help on scuffs and marks - beat up an eggwhite and brush it on and leave overnight. Then clean the saddle as normal in the morning!

 

[Jo C]

My sidesaddle instructor recommends tomato ketchup for the silver bits! Must admit I've only ever used silver polish on my sidesaddle though.

 

[PapaFrita]

Oh, now THAT sounds like an excellent tip

Will remember that!

 

[Maesfen]

[ QUOTE ]
My sidesaddle instructor recommends tomato ketchup for the silver bits! Must admit I've only ever used silver polish on my sidesaddle though.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's the vinegar! Straight vinegar is very good for any metal cleaning, honestly, particularly bronze and copper.

Lovely saddle! Can you make guards out of a bit of mallable thin plastic to put round the tabs and buttons, a bit like the Guards do when they're cleaning their kit? That way, any metal cleaner won't get stuck in any cracks. Although Flexalan would be good for the leather after you've washed it, I bet they have a good type of leather preserver/reviver out there too, might be better than any of ours! Goes without saying to check any stitching thoroughly if it's been stored that long; in fact as it's a gift, I'd be inclined to get a saddler to check it anyway once you've sorted out the state of the leather; after all, what price is safety?
Hope you enjoy using it later!

 

[AtiraApps]

Give it to me !!!!! It would look FAB on one of our Appies

 

[Tia]

Silver polish for the metal and then wash your saddle down with only water! Once the water has dried only use a good quality neatsfoot oil on it, but not on the seat obviously. Never ever be tempted to use saddle soap or any other preparation; neatsfoot is the only thing you should use on a western saddle.

To set the fenders you must absolutely drench the underside of them with water and the outside of them must be totally smothered in neatsfoot. Then you need to fold them diagonally and place a breezeblock or something of similar weight on top. Leave for 2 or 3 days and your saddle will be ready to ride in.

Personally I would change the latigo on your rigging just incase it isn't safe and double check the rigging is safe.

Good luck - it will take you hours!

Mine are all in good order and they still take me 4 hours to do one saddle!

 

[henryhorn]

I don't suppose they have it in Canada but Hammanol would bring it up a treat.
Use silver polish on the metal bits and then wrap them in clingfilm to avoid the hammanol.
Any good preparation for restoring leather should work, the ones for settees contain beeswax and do a lovely job.

 

[the watcher]

Is it just dry or are there any mouldy bits..they need dealing with first

 

[Enfys]

Thank you everyone. It's just bone dry, luckily no mould. I dusted it, evicted the spiders

and gave it some neatsfoot, sucked it up like a sponge!

It has had a whole litre and is still gasping for more,someone at the tack store said just use vegetable oil? Anyone heard of that being used before?

If it is ever serviceable again I seriously doubt I will use it, I can't lift the thing off it's stand, let alone swing it up on a horse, even a little 15h one!