Restoring Leather Saddles - What's Your Preferred Method?

[Cheesedisease]

Going to restore an old Ideal TB 90 saddle. Looks more perfect in the photo below than it is. It's in good to very good condition, but a little dry, with the beginings of very light cracking to the surface. So needs a little cleaning and some moisture added. Then something to bring up it's shine and darken it up. Don't think I've ever felt a harder saddle! Amazingly nice quality too.

- Would you use a leather saddle restorer, or leather soap? Any particularly good types you'd recommend?

- I've read about soaking in olive oil, would this suffice?

- Or would it be better to use a proper leather oil or conditioner? Some decent looking products on equestrian websites.

- Also, do you polish? Or just treat with proofhide as I do my brooks saddle I bought new a few years back?

- Almost forgot, what about cleaning and shining up the cooper rivets?

Many thanks, all tips and tricks and recommendations gratefully received.

Daniel

 

[vivelesalpes]

Nice looking saddle !

I use Proofhide myself. If it's good enough for Brooks, it's good enough for me. I proof the underside of my saddle too, but don't bother wiping it off their so I can get it penitrating into the leather from both sides.

 

[doctor-bond]

I've been looking onto this myself, and there is a lot of conflicting info on t'web about treating leather.

According to a nice article from a Brooks person (link below), a good leather saddle should be hard, but even so, it will mold to your ars as you ride it, leaving a hard saddle that fits you like an, er, ars glove, and is super comfy. This works without added oils or preparations - I've done it with two Brooks saddles: but it takes a while.

Proofhide is designed to provide some degree of waterproofing for a saddle in use, especially to the underside if you don't have mudguards. Brooks recommend very sparing use.

There are plenty of methods on offer for quickening the 'molding to your ars' process. These seem to involve either soaking the saddle in water then riding it, or adding a dizzying array of oils (I've even come across references to motor oil being used).

The use of oils of any sort will soften the saddle allowing the leather to stretch and eventually bow out of shape.

If it were mine, as it is old, I'd use a modest amount of leather softner (the car stuff or equestrian) on the underside, and then just ride it. Body heat, friction and gravity will soften it, shape it, and polish it into a lovely untawdry hue.


http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=3822

 

[Old Ned]

Hopefully I'll be in a similar position to you in a few weeks as I'm hoping to get this saddle from an old friend. I expect it to need some attention in the proofing department (and a frame clean-up) but need to discover where on earth I put my tin of Proofide!! I bought it to do a Brooks Professional a couple of years ago and put it somewhere safe :?

It'll go on by 1952 Williamson trackbike which it should suit perfectly

 

[Cheesedisease]

Thanks for the replies, all useful.

Those photos of what'll hopefully be your saddle are nice Old Ned. Quite similar condition to mine.

From reading some equestrian stuff, I reckon I'll use some kind of saddle soap or cleaner to clean the leather, supposedly these are good for drawing out dirt that is absorbed into dried out leather. Then probably an oil or leather conditioner that penetrates and hydrates. I just want to make sure the slight flaking on top doesn't worsen. I've got a little bit of Brooks proofide so that'll do to seal it. Then it'll just be down to my backside to do the rest of the work!

Anyway, I'd been looking for one of these Ideale saddles in good nick at an affordable price for ages, so want to make sure it lasts a lifetime... well, another lifetime as it looks to have been around for one already!!

Oh, did make one good discovery today...

Tomato ketchup is good for cleaning oxidised cooper. Some of them were black, but are now shinning. I used the organic Heinz version! Maybe that'll be kinder to the bits of leather I got it on accidently. Little polish with superfine 2500 grit wet and dry and some metal polish, and... Gleaming! See the improvement below.

 

[Jonny69]

I've used clear shoe polish and dubbin successfully on my Brooks, which is in similar condition to Ned's saddle, so Ned, you'll be pleased to know it'll come back up like new! So essentially, clear shoe polish sits on the surface, keeps it waterproofed and keeps the surface supple. Dubbin soaks in a bit more but won't buff up immediately. You have to wait about 3 days before it'll shine up and it'll feel a bit sticky underneath if you slather it on, which you should. I prefer dubbin over polish because it soaks in a bit more. I would not use oil on it because it'll soften the leather too much, it'll almost certainly stretch and I think you'll ruin the saddle.

Redo it every couple of months and try not to lean the saddle against anything rough to prevent it getting grated and it'll last a lifetime. Mine's a '79 saddle according to the numbers:

 

[Cheesedisease]

Thanks for the advice Jonny69. It was the Classic Lightweights article on blocking and butchering saddles that mentioned using oil, olive oil was there choice, to soften and then shape the saddle. I'll probably give that a miss. Although if you felt how hard this saddle is you might be tempted!

 

[Old Ned]

When I were a lad we all used to 'butcher' our own standard Brooks B17 saddles by trimming the back close to the cantle plate, trimming/angling the leather over the front and filing the rivets flush. Brooks themselves did this with the Professional model in due course. Softening was done by slathering both sides of the leather in Proofide in front of a roaring fire (a winter job of course) and hammering the leather madly in between massaging it so as get the melting Proofide to soak in. (Note - do not try massaging and hammering at the same time as pain often results).

It was a bit of a competition between us lads to achieve the 'best butchering'.

All this was contrary to all the 'official' recommendations but seemed to work OK

You can just see the results of my efforts on the Viking here -

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewto ... highlight=

 

[cannondale king]

my grandad (dads side) used to make equestrian saddles and motor bike saddles among other leather work he always made me once every 3 months (you must proper way moaning type) make me use saddle oil on my brooks and one a fortnight saddlesoap my saddle il get my soap out in the morning a check the brand same with oil but the oil hydrated the leather and nourished it and the soap cleaned and firmed i had a colt that was my dads from when brooks first released it til 2 years ago (sold it what a mistake) and it was firm fitted me perfect and looked like new and there was thousands of miles done it.

Ps the saddle that came on my claud butler was in a right state its now looking a feeling good again from being oil up and then have a saddle soap wash every 5 days have a look

 

[Cheesedisease]

Thanks for the replies further replies Old Ned and Canondale King, only just spotted them.

It was really good to hear your granddad's advice Canondale Kind. Especially as he made and treated leather for equestrian purposes. As I'd recently read good articles on leather cleaning, rehydration and treatment of horse saddles. I'd then been put off by advice here to not use oil as it may over soften, so thought maybe the same products may be a bit too much for bike saddles. From what your saying it may be good! If you do get a chance to check the brands and post a reply that would be great.