Using saddle soap

[soupforthesoul]

How do I use saddle soap, please?

I have found some very old bridles which are in excellent condition but need a good clean and feed the leather but also a very old leather box.

I have bought some 'NAF' solid soap and before it gets opened, is this soap good or do you recommend a different type for really grubby leather.

Thank you.

Others will tell you their own way but this is what we'd do with really old leather.

We'd first of all we'd strip everything down into individual pieces and then we'd wash/scrub them really well with warm water to get all the muck and dirt off them otherwise you may just cover it over.

We'd then get a good brand of leather oil from the tack shop and put plenty on so that the leather is supple (massaging it well in and allowing time for it to soak in). This will mean it shouldn't crack when you start to clean it.

Then we'd put the saddle soap on with a cleaning sponge. We like Gold brand of saddle soap because it is soft - like beeswax (we find hard soap too much of a hassle). However if you have hard soap lightly moisten the sponge and rub in on the soap and massage well into the leather - remembering to do behind any keepers etc.

It will work fine. If the leather is really brittle and hard, soak it in some kind of oil (you can get all sorts of leather oil but vegetable or sunflower will work just as well for cheap) first for a few hours, then get a sponge or cloth, wet with warm water and then wring out as much possible, wipe of all the oil, keep using clean water so the leather is then clean as the dirt will come off with the oil. Then take your wrung-out cloth again, rub in the saddle soap (too much water will make it foamy, you want it more creamy), and rub onto the leather. Rub off any foam. Set aside, do the rest. Repeat the saddle soap if you think it needs it. Have fun!

Thank you!

The bridles are rather sad as they were hung up and left untouched for about forty + years but the damp conditions where they were hung seems to have preserved them and they are not cracked.

Am looking forward to cleaning them and the old box.

Agree about getting all the dirt off first, a bit of washing up liquid in the water will help with the grease. I use a ball of matted horse tail-hair to give it a good scrub as it doesn't mark the leather at all, then allow to dry naturally. I put the oil on with an old paintbrush as you can work it into all the little crevices behind keepers etc. Leave all the parts spread out on newspaper to let the oil soak in. Really dry leather will have sucked all the oil in and won't really need wiping off (you might want to do another coat if it's really bad) so you can go on to rub in the saddle soap (it will seal in the oil). You want to wet it as little as possible, if it lathers it's too wet. An old matchstick to poke excess soap out of the holes in the bridle will give a smart finish, and don't forget the metal polish!
I haven't used NAF saddle soap but it should be ok as despite the name you don't really use it for cleaning, more to feed the leather after it is clean.

Just makes sure once you have oiled and cleaned all the pieces that you check all of the stitching for strength, and give the actual leather pieces a good yank too. Don't leave it until it's too late to discover that either the leather or the stitching has rotted in the damp! If it is the stitching, you can get it re-stitched by a saddler, if the leather is weak then throw it away.

I started on the strap which was tied around the box to experiment. It was absolutely filthy so scrubbed it with the saddle soap then went for a small amount of fairy.
It is soaking in neatsfoot as it had not been fed for years but was not cracked and the stitching is still excellent.
The bottom test piece of the old box started to go a bit funny, leather thinking about falling apart so I left it with just a good clean with a dry cloth.

Will take a before and after of the bridles. It takes loads of effort and scrubbing (it did just to get the strap clean) but what an enjoyable job!

Thanks for all the advice.

Firstly, clean thoroughly, with warm water.
Second, apply neatsfoot with a paint brush to the reverse side of the leather only, one coat at a time, then put the bits in a warm place like an airing cupboard for a few hours. I wouldnt apply more than one or two coats a day. You will be able to feel and see when it has had enough oil as it will begin to show through to the right side of the leather.
Dont saturate it, or leave bits soaking in the leather. Slow and careful is better.
After the final rest in a warm place, apply saddle soap to both sides of the leather with a barely damp sponge. You literally only need a few drops of water to loosen the soap. You do not want a lather or froth.
Cillit bang Lime and Grime is great on any buckles that are really cruddy, but try not to get it on the leather, and rinse well.
If you want a real shine on the leather, use Lord Sheratons Leather Balsam from the supermarket instead of saddle soap. It buffs up beautifully.

Be really careful, the leather is really old, and is likely to be quite brittle. It can become very dehydrated over time, and lose its structural integrity, breaking or tearing easily. As someone else said, check all stitching thoroughly.

Loads of great advice here.

Just wanted to say, my old-skool way would say do NOT oil stitching or girth straps.

Well I remember being told that too much oil rots the stitching but no one else had mentioned that so I thought I might have imagined it. That's why I keep oiling to a minimum.
Also never oil the seat of the saddle or it will sag.

Pixel, the saddle or my own seat? [Wink]

It's too late for mine, it's already sagged.