To oil or not to oil???

[ncarter]

Bridles?

What do you do?

When I got my first stubben bridle, people told me that I should oil it regularly, so I did, laboriously painting it with neatsfoot oil whenever I felt the urge (not that often!).

Since then, I have read several posts / heard that you should NOT oil leather as it weakens it, makes it stretch etc. It was music to my ears tbh!

So, I haven't oiled my new stubben bridle at all, just cleaned it with their leather cleaner a couple of times (I have only used it 3 times).

Tackled a load of bridles today with the leather cleaner.....my old (well oiled) bridle is lovely and soft and supple still. My new bridle has a crack in the leather already. Coincidence?

 

[lauraandjack]

I oil mine!

 

[ellie11987]

I oil mine, never had a problem!

 

[dotty1]

When I was young (approx 30 yrs ago!!!) my parents bought me a new bridle from a very good 'proper' saddlers. I was told to take it apart and put in a bucket of neatsfoot oil for a few days, completely immersed, then hang to drip for a week, which I did. That bridle was pale tan colour to start but then was a lovely havana brown and was beautifully soft. I still have most of it now, it did get broken a few times.
If I had neatsfoot oil I would use it but I now have a tub of NAF leather balsam which softens new leather beautifully and you can use it on the top of saddle flaps which you can't put neatsfoot on

 

[Polos Mum]

I do oil new leather if it's stiff, a quality make I'd expect to come supple and ready to use.
I suspect your old bridle was just of a much better quality than the new one, stubben stuff just doesn't seem to be as well made as it used to be!

 

[touchstone]

I don't oil, but do use a good conditioner rather than just cleaner; glycerine especially tends to be quite drying for leather. I prefer Jeffries Leather balsam - lots of natural greases, lanolin etc or kocholine/stubben leather balsam.

 

[sbloom]

You should as others have said be conditioning regularly, not just "not using" oil. Oil isn't good for modern leather and old leather survived despite our treatment of it. Leather does however need moisture inside and protection from wet outside, so conditioner is the thing - Effax Lederbalsam, Oakwood Conditioner, Stubben Hamanol and Leather Therapy products are all ones I recommend to customers.

 

[Baydame]

I second Efflax Lederbalsam. It does a very nice job conditioning. With bridles I'll rub it in with my hands and let it sit overnight. Hands and bridle are nice and soft in the am. I will wipe off/polish off any excess in the am as well. Smells delicious.

Oils can quickly break down stitching in leather goods. I find when people use a combo of glycerin soap + neatsfoot oil tack tends to feel sticky. It also attracts dirt/dust instantly!

 

[mandwhy]

Actually immersing in oil seems like a weird thing to do in my mind, I've always just cleaned them but in modern times like to condition with something containing lanolin, beeswax and other natural things to feed the leather - effax lederbalsam is gorgeous! I got quite a good one with my saddle that I am using currently, can't remember the name but is very nice, cream like and melts into it.

 

[cremedemonthe]

No, NEVER ever just use oil on leather!
I have a factsheet for people who are interested in reading it about cleaning and conditioning leather, pm me if you want a copy, Oz

 

[Goldenstar]

We don't use much oil but we do use it as I have never found anything that works better to rescue hunting tack in winter .

 

[ncarter]

Arrrggghh, very confused now! After reading the first few replies I oiled my bridles, then I read the NEVER EVER oil leather post!

The oil I have used is flexalan....not sure if people think that is good / bad?

 

[tallyho!]

I never oil mine. All supple like butter...

I won't divulge my secrets though...

 

[cremedemonthe]

Arrrggghh, very confused now! After reading the first few replies I oiled my bridles, then I read the NEVER EVER oil leather post!

The oil I have used is flexalan....not sure if people think that is good / bad?

I've PM'd you the info you asked for, hope it helps, Oz

 

[Love]

Would just like to say I bought some of cremedemonthe's old Saddlers blend a while back but have only just got round to using it. Fabulous fabulous stuff, I have never felt a bridle as good as mine feels now! Beautifully supple but still strong if that makes sense?

Seriously - you need now grease but it is by far worth the effort!

 

[Love]

*elbow grease not now grease

 

[Honey08]

I oil mine. Not that often, perhaps four times a year, or after heavy rain etc, when it is feeling grainy. I never liked neatsfoot though, I like hydrophane as it is lighter. Other than that I use stubben saddle soap (its the only one I like!).

I had a new saddler last week, and she commented on how lovely the condition of my saddles were (was a shock really, as I don't clean tack that often really).

 

[cremedemonthe]

Would just like to say I bought some of cremedemonthe's old Saddlers blend a while back but have only just got round to using it. Fabulous fabulous stuff, I have never felt a bridle as good as mine feels now! Beautifully supple but still strong if that makes sense?

Seriously - you need now grease but it is by far worth the effort!

My dog's pinch it to eat if they get a chance when I'm not looking!
Oz

 

[LittleRooketRider]

hmm..... i bought a nice bridle a year ago or so and oiled it (what I was told to do) long story short it appeared to take the finish off and now it never looks nice unless directly after cleaning/conditioning.

avoided oiling other leather tack but seems to lose finish (whatever its called) when it rains once again looking tatty...

recently bought another one to keep for best haven't used it yet and debating what on earth to do with it to keep it nice????

 

[Irishcobs]

I used to work for an older lady who used to melt down a bar of glycerin soap, add milk to it and let it go hard again. This worked well at conditioning tack and keeping it supple but when I tried to make it myself it went mouldy (maybe I didn't use it enough )

 

[Foxhunter49]

I use to oil but now use RACE saddle soap.
The best thing ever for leather. All natural, soft to use, keeps for ages and goes into hungry leather like an oil would.
It not only feeds leather it also waterproofs it and does not rot the stitching. Once the leather is 'fed' it takes very little to keep it supple.

You can get it at Calcutts.

 

[Cinnamontoast]

From my saddler mate:


For leather Kocholine or Currier's Grease (Sedgwicks or Abbey 1984)

She would say definitively, never ever oil, as it stretches the leather.

 

[Tnavas]

Over oiling causes the problems of stretching and weakening, leather needs oiling from time to time - if you don't the salt from sweat etc will slowly damage the leather.

I oil mine from the back - just a light wipe every few cleans and I use clear boot polish on the outside - they stay looking really lovely. The back also gets glycerined. Some of my bridles are in their 20's and still lovely and supple.

 

[Tnavas]

Arrrggghh, very confused now! After reading the first few replies I oiled my bridles, then I read the NEVER EVER oil leather post!

The oil I have used is flexalan....not sure if people think that is good / bad?

Used Flexelan for years along with a Glycerine bar soap and people are always remarking on how lovely and supply my tack is.

I don't find my tack gets sticky or attracts dirt easily - it all boils down to the quantity that is used. Too much oil will make the bridle sticky, too little and the leather dries out too much.

The Neatsfoot oil doesn't rot the stitching its the salt from the horse that does that along with friction wearing it away.

 

[cob&onion]

I used to oil but then i heard it rots the stitching?

I had a new leather bridle which i soaped regular when it was new after every other use. A year on its now lovely and supple, definitely softens up the more its used. Same with a new leather head-collar i bought for the boy, haven't had it long and it was stiff as sin, however its loads more pliable now after daily use

 

[Boysy]

Have used Neatsfoot for over 40yrs and never had a problem with rotting stitching or anything, I don't use it regulary now as don't buy new tack much but I always do both sides of new tack twice over 24 hrs then polish off, use a few times then carry on cleaning normally.

Every so often it will all get a going over with Carr & Day Balsam or similar.

I had a 30yr old saddle that sat in my loft for a while, bought it out, soaked it, cleaned it then sold it for 3 times what I'd paid for it, the leather was beautifully soft and supple, not a rotten stitch in sight....

 

[sbloom]

Over oiling causes the problems of stretching and weakening, leather needs oiling from time to time - if you don't the salt from sweat etc will slowly damage the leather.

Oiling does nothing really to stop damage from salt - using a good conditioner containing wax (wax sits on the surface, oil sinks in) will do much more,a s well as of course cleaning the salt of as often as possible..

Used Flexelan for years along with a Glycerine bar soap and people are always remarking on how lovely and supply my tack is.

I don't find my tack gets sticky or attracts dirt easily - it all boils down to the quantity that is used. Too much oil will make the bridle sticky, too little and the leather dries out too much.

The Neatsfoot oil doesn't rot the stitching its the salt from the horse that does that along with friction wearing it away.

Do you clean your tack often? Those who are a little lazier will find that glycerine DOES make tack dirtier, no grease jockeys at all even after 2-3 weeks when using only conditioner. It's great it works for you but there is no scientific basis for using either of those products.

I used to work for an older lady who used to melt down a bar of glycerin soap, add milk to it and let it go hard again. This worked well at conditioning tack and keeping it supple but when I tried to make it myself it went mouldy (maybe I didn't use it enough )

Noooooo. The use of glycerine soap is derived from soaps used in the tanning process and really has no benefit to leather at all. So many better options than this concoction these days, there are plenty of good conditioners available.

 

[Tnavas]

Oiling does nothing really to stop damage from salt - using a good conditioner containing wax (wax sits on the surface, oil sinks in) will do much more,a s well as of course cleaning the salt of as often as possible..

Oil will prevent the absorption of sweaty fluids containing salt into the leather so will protect the leather from salt

Do you clean your tack often? Those who are a little lazier will find that glycerine DOES make tack dirtier, no grease jockeys at all even after 2-3 weeks when using only conditioner. It's great it works for you but there is no scientific basis for using either of those products.

Generally after each use, but not always - Glycerine is not the cause of 'jockeys' they are a build up of horse grease, dust and sweat - I've found them on tack that is not cleaned. You don't need a scientific knowledge to know that it works extremely well - the school tack used to get cleaned once a week with Glycerine and looked and felt great.


Noooooo. The use of glycerine soap is derived from soaps used in the tanning process and really has no benefit to leather at all. So many better options than this concoction these days, there are plenty of good conditioners available.
Glycerine is actually a natural product too - Glycerine is a natural product made from fats and oils, it's a very pure form of soap and renowned for it's moisturising properties and mildness for those with sensitive skin, it has absolutely nothing to do with a tanning process. Not sure where you got that information from! Pears soap is Glycerine, so is a big component of the hand creams that you use, it is put in icing to prevent it from going solid - as in Royal Icing. While there are many commercial creams and conditioners around - they are just expensive forms of leather care.

I Speak from over 45 years of experience of cleaning tack to a very high standard in very large quantities!

 

[sbloom]

Soap was used in tanning, my information all comes from reliable sources and funny how the two saddle fitters on here (one of whom is also a saddle maker) agree that conditioner is really the only valid product to use. I dont' dispute your experience but....

Glycerine is a humectant, it attracts water. We don't need much water in our leather in the UK with our damp climate and propensity to mould in most tackrooms, we need proper moisturising, just like our skin does, and something to seal out sweat, salts, mud. Conditioner is much better at that than oil, oil gets in between the fibres and stretches them out, it really is not much of a waterproofer. The wax in conditioners IS.

Grease jockeys are formed when the leather is slightly sticky and dust and grease stick to it. If your leather has no glycerine on it it will not be sticky and will not get grease jockeys. So no, saddle soap does not, on its own, cause them, but it sure as hell contributes to them. I just dont' see the point in making life harder than it needs to be, so why use something that ultimately makes your tack dirtier? Even if you are cleaning it so often so as to prevent actualy grease jockeys...

 

[travelmad]

Bridles?

What do you do?

When I got my first stubben bridle, people told me that I should oil it regularly, so I did, laboriously painting it with neatsfoot oil whenever I felt the urge (not that often!).

Since then, I have read several posts / heard that you should NOT oil leather as it weakens it, makes it stretch etc. It was music to my ears tbh!

So, I haven't oiled my new stubben bridle at all, just cleaned it with their leather cleaner a couple of times (I have only used it 3 times).

Tackled a load of bridles today with the leather cleaner.....my old (well oiled) bridle is lovely and soft and supple still. My new bridle has a crack in the leather already. Coincidence?

Used to oil my old stubben pretty much every time I rode (was working at a yard where we did a lot of compulsory tack cleaning and oiling). That was a good 10 years ago and that bridle is in my parents tack room and has the softest leather ever. However the stitching all rotted and had to be re-done! If you are going to oil just make sure to check stitching!