New Leather

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Piccy

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Please can someone advise me what to put on my new saddle for its first treatemnt, ive been looking at products and its a minefield.

I want to get it right

Thank you in advance
 
I just oiled mine for the first time with neatsfoot oil. I've heard it's not good to use oil too often as it doesn't soak in and can rot the stiching but I always use oil to soften up new leather.
After that I use just normal saddle soap/leather balm from the tack shop :).
 
Thank you, I was thinking along these lines but have some concerns over the rotting of stitching.. Will have another look at this.
Has anyone used anything else
 
DONT use oil!
New leather should have enough fat content unless it's been sitting in a shop for a while.
If leather "creaks" it needs moisture (feeding)
If you need to add moisture to leather, new or used, use any product with either lanolin, tallow, beeswax or all 3 if you can.It's grease or fat you should add to leather to feed and condition it, not oil.
Aussies leather conditioner is good and I tend to make my own up as well from the above ingredients.
VERY rarely do I oil any leather and then NOT on saddle seats or panels. Only on firm leather (skirts, flaps, girth straps and sweat flaps) use oil VERY sparingly on the flesh side only (underside of leather where the grain is much more open to allow moisture in) It really isn't necessary to oil anything to be honest and certainly not neatsfoot oil, cod liver oil is far better IF used sparingly. I use cod liver oil on old leather to give it the leather smell back again, good if you intend to sell secondhand tack, it sells better when it smells of new leather.
That is the only time I use oil.
Oz
 
unicornleather said:
DONT use oil!
New leather should have enough fat content unless it's been sitting in a shop for a while.
If leather "creaks" it needs moisture (feeding)
If you need to add moisture to leather, new or used, use any product with either lanolin, tallow, beeswax or all 3 if you can.It's grease or fat you should add to leather to feed and condition it, not oil.
Aussies leather conditioner is good and I tend to make my own up as well from the above ingredients.
VERY rarely do I oil any leather and then NOT on saddle seats or panels. Only on firm leather (skirts, flaps, girth straps and sweat flaps) use oil VERY sparingly on the flesh side only (underside of leather where the grain is much more open to allow moisture in) It really isn't necessary to oil anything to be honest and certainly not neatsfoot oil, cod liver oil is far better IF used sparingly. I use cod liver oil on old leather to give it the leather smell back again, good if you intend to sell secondhand tack, it sells better when it smells of new leather.
That is the only time I use oil.
Oz
Click to expand...

Thank you very much for helping me with this, i will get a product that contains the Laniolin, Tallow or Beeswax or a mixture of these products, the saddle is not creaking to much but enough and i want to look after it as i am very lucky to have this saddle thanks in the main part to my mother.

Once again thank you for your help much appriciated
 
You're welcome, whatever you put on your saddle, if your saddle is brown make sure it doesn't darken it too much by trying it on a part that doesn't show. This is another problem with oil used on leather, if it's put on the grain side of leather (shiny smooth side), it darkens it.
Oz :)
 
Dont tell anyone but its black, yes i get grumbled at by friends as they like brown good tip though will tell friend as she has brown, No im sticking to the Lanolin, tallow or beeswax, nothing is to wreck this saddle, its very precious to me as since ive had it my riding has improved, his way of going has improved and for me the saddle is a saviour so its getting the best i can give.
thank you once again off to saddlery in the morning then im going to spend the evening sorting it out, think ill grab a new stand while im there for it to sit on at home :)

Ok sloping off now as i sound very sad
 
lol, not as sad as me, I get excited when I get a new shipment of raw materials in, wondering what I can make with it!!
How sad is that!
Oz :)
 
I always use a wax/ grease based treatment for new leather if it is really stiff. I always put loads on, massage it in and let it soak in for a bit before polishing excess off. Probably not the 'proper' way but what i've done for the last 15 years. Cant think the name of it but the German stuff in a round brown tub is what i have always used :)
 
******* said:
I always use a wax/ grease based treatment for new leather if it is really stiff. I always put loads on, massage it in and let it soak in for a bit before polishing excess off. Probably not the 'proper' way but what i've done for the last 15 years. Cant think the name of it but the German stuff in a round brown tub is what i have always used :)
Click to expand...

Yes, that is the right way of doing it, fat or grease instead of oil. The fat plumps up the cells of the leather, keeping it in tip top condition, oil doesn't.
Oz :)
 
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