Best video I’ve seen on saddle cleaning. My dad’s saddle is 79 yrs old and I want to continue using it. I’ve been using it for about 50 years and never broken it down to clean it. So now I am. It’s had a couple new sheep skins over the years but it still is in great shape. My favorite saddle.
I suppose this might be alright on an old beat up saddle, but there’s no way I would ever do this to my hand made, hand tooled, circle Y saddle with it’s silver horn cap and lace. Still looks as good as the day I got it.
@@bjlecorno8468 I think Don makes it clear that he wouldn't necessarily scrub a tooled saddle like this either. Idk why soap and water would hurt a silver horn cap. It would be interesting to see how he would handle various types of tooling, though. I should think stamping would be more vulnerable than carving. Like, would the areas where the leather is pressed down tend to pop back up if they got too wet? Idk.
I cleaned my first saddle and used saddle soap, thinking its "soap"...Thank you so much for this video and explaining everything. It all makes perfect sense. Please never stop making these I love learning all this new stuff!!!
man, you have been such a great help. I just completed my first saddle commision to clean and do some minor repairs. I could not have done it without your video.
This will make you laugh. When I was a kid back in the 50's my Dad told me I needed to wash & oil my saddle. He said you need to take care of that saddle & it will take care of you. Heck I didn't know any better so I went out, took my saddle & threw it in a pond near the house. Grabbed a bar of lye soap & a brush jumped in the pond & went to scrubbing. Not knowing any better I only let it drip dry hanging on a tree limb for about 20 to 30 minutes & then pulled it down & oiled it using a new can of motor oil I had found in the barn. When finished I stowed it away in the barn on a rack. Man I was proud of my self until I went to the barn 1 day & saw that my saddle had grown a lot of mold. LOL. Why do some kids just not learn to ask a few questions instead of just jumping in head over heels? Live & learn back them days, sometimes the hard way. Needless to say I have cleaned a lot of saddles since then & I sure let the saddles get good & dry before ever oiling them, and not to use motor oil. LOL. Don, it's good that you share your experience with everyone here on the channel so some of us can share some really dumb mistakes we made in life, lol.
Damn that’s funny!😂🤣😂 I did something similar, took my dad’s old 20 gauge and scrubbed all the blue off with steel wool, got it down the barrel and everything. I was so proud that I cleaned his 20 up , YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE LOOK ON HIS FACE WHEN I HANDED HIM THAT BARE METAL GUN! He asked what happened to his gun? I said I cleaned it, doesn’t it look nice? Thought the man was going to have a heart attack. That gun was one of my great grandfather’s guns. He had send it to a gunsmith I did such a good job. I really felt bad but he didn’t get too angry as I didn’t know any better, but boy I never did that again!
Loved all three videos of this process. Can you provide something with measurements of your fabricated saddle tub stand and the one that swivels and adjusts in height?
I am currently cleaning a saddle that was very badly soiled from mice and rats. I wish I could add a picture to show how badly the suede was damaged.I washed it with water and sanitized it with a 10% bleach solution, I didn't want to be sitting on anything that had that much mouse feces and urine on it. I am going to try this method and see if I can get some of the really bad staining out. Thank you for the tips!
From a dog groomer who just recently started leatherwork... I wonder how well a high velocity dryer would work for bwtween the layers and the underside?
You the man today. Can't predict tomorrow but today you're it. How did the yote bag turn out. Missed a few things,been in the big city of Nashville. Hope you and yours are well and doin ok. Keep up the good work Don. Always a pleasure to watch what you're doing. Good on ya my friend. As ever just Tom 🤠
I just came across this video. Purchased a bunch of old saddles 5 for 250$. Hopefully I can clean and resale for some horse money! lol I may have missed a comment from you so wanted to ask is that just all cold water your working with. Wondering if a couple jugs of warm water from house would help breakdown initial layers of dirt! AND awesome choice with Dawn. Thanks!
Hey Don, I LOVE these 3 videos. Watched them several times. Question about the water. I live in New Mexico where the water is VERY hard -- like 50 gpg. We have a serious water softener, obviously, but I can bypass it if I want. I bypass it to water the horses. My question is: should I use the natural/hard water to clean my saddle, or should I use softened water? People use either sodium chloride or potassium chloride to soften water. Mostly sodium, which is what we have, since it's much much cheaper. Thanks!
Great video!! I just washed my saddle a few months ago, didn't douse it like you recommend but I got it done. Question: 25 plus years ago I won a Silver Royal show saddle, I love it!! It's one of those you'll never see which means it's always difficult to be "matching tack" because it's gray, my question is how can I give it a good wash if it's painted?
How much does it cost to wash a saddle like that. I like your process good video good job cajun Land church Point Louisiana let me know your next video when you gonna item thank you
I know when I did reins I used a lot of conditioner and rubbed it in with my hands. I had them sit in the sun for a bit and then worked the conditioner in more. They softened up and became flexible again
Hey my wife and I are fairly new to leather working we are just crafter's but I was curious about the wetting the leather. Does wetting it like that affect any tooling that's on the leather?
Weve had a ton of rain and my tack room has been really humid. Now my tack is starting to mold.... What is the best way to stop the mold and get rid of the mold smell? I tried Dawn and a 1/4 cup of bleach in the tub at about 1 inch deep and scrubbed with a soft brush.... still stinks like mold and it keeps coming back. We have a ton of expensive tack, I hate to think its all ruined. If anyone has any thought Id appreciate any pointer
Oops! I made a big mistake on my old Hereford saddle. It was really dirty, in the barn for several years. I used saddle soap, thinking it had cleaning quality. Now it is too oily. Am giving it away, so will suggest they do the Murphy. I worked too hard on it and won’t start over. The young girl I give it to will have to do as she pleases. Don’t think I ruined it. At least it is clean. Maybe it will serve a purpose until she can get another?
Don, what are your thoughts on steam cleaning a roughout saddle? I saw a video of one done that way & found it interesting. Was just wondering if you had ever heard of it or ever tried it yourself & if so why you did not like it?
Great video with a lot of good info! I was wondering why you’re able to get the leather that wet? Is it a conditioner or top coat on the leather when it was originally built or is it just the nature of the leather?
Most leathers can be washed. As the matter of fact, most quality leather spend months in vats of liquids during the tanning and finishing process. It would be a little silly to assume that they cannot be washed. What can ruin leather is actually the drying process. It's either dried too inconsistently or not enough.
@@MS_249 Speed is not a problem if it is consistent. Pressed / moulded leather items can go from dripping wet to dry in the time span of less then 2 mins. They can do that because the drying is very consistent.
Hey there, I have a saddle with floral tooling on it, I was cleaning it and in some places it has a thin film peeling off? What would this be and how concerned should I be? What should I do?
Okay now I'm questioning the sanity of another guy who had a lot of views, who restored a Swiss Army leather satchel. The steps he took: 1. Saddle Soap 2. Pure denatured alcohol 3. Neatsfoot oil 4. Conditioner .... If saddle soap / glycerin soap is meant to be dried on the leather, in order to keep the glycerin inside the pores, wouldn't using alcohol afterward remove all the glycerin? 🤔
1. NEVER EVER use dish soap or detergent of any kind on leather. Period. This will strip all of the natural oils out of the leather and leave it hard and cracked. Use only a glycerin based soap which is oil based. This will actually condition the leather as it cleans. If you can't find the bar soap, Murphy's Oil Soap will do but is not ideal. 2. ACETONE!?! Never. 3. NEVER EVER use a scrub brush on a saddle. Use a DAMP sponge only. Otherwise you will scratch the daylights out of the leather, leaving it dull and rough. If you absolutely cannot get the caked-on jockeys off (that thick grey, whitish, or black residue that builds up) use one of the green or blue scrubbers that come with those kitchen type scrubby sponges. Do not use this on the grain side of the leather (the side which usually faces out, where the hair used to grow). 4. Use Neatsfoot Oil to condition the leather after cleaning. 5. It's called a 'skirt', not the seat. Just sayin.
He’s been doing this for years successfully so clearly he knows what he is doing. He said he rarely uses acetone bc it is rlly drying but only uses it if he can’t get off the gray film stuff. The newer video he shows how he oils and conditions the saddle after washing it. Clearly you never saw that video or listened to this one.
If you know the process, yes you can strip all the oil. However, you have to know the process to replace the oil. Nothing wrong with dish soap, it deep cleans, gets rid of old rancid oil, and heavy grime. Glycerin soap can't do this, and it builds up. But totally great for novices.
Personally I agree - this sort of treatment should be a last resort for the truly grimy, filthy dirty saddles such as the saddle in the video. I had a treeless saddle and the dirty was truly, truly caked on particularly in the stitching. Had to use dish soap and a tooth brush to get it clean. Recently I had a leather halter that, while grimy, wasn't too bad and you could scratch the grime off with a nail. Used saddle soap and one of those kitchen scourers (not the metal ones, the scrubber sponges you mentioned) to bring it all up. Then used the other side of the sponge with as much water squeezed out as possible to lift up the dirt, soap and water. Used tack cleaner after that and it wiped down completely clean. Conditioned it, let it sit for an hour, then conditioned again. Came up a treat and looks like a different halter. Point being that for anything other than the filthiest tack that looks like its been dragged through mud, saddle soap does the job just fine. Its very easy to ruin leather once you start using more "extreme" stuff and this type of cleaning shouldn't be considered normal.
He says at about 26:00 that "we" built that saddle 8 or 9 years ago. It looks solidly built and used hard, doesn't it? Must be gratifying to build saddles for people who are going to get so much use out of them. I noticed he puts a strip of leather along the stirrup leathers to reinforce the holes.
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
Best video I’ve seen on saddle cleaning. My dad’s saddle is 79 yrs old and I want to continue using it. I’ve been using it for about 50 years and never broken it down to clean it. So now I am. It’s had a couple new sheep skins over the years but it still is in great shape. My favorite saddle.
After 60 yrs of ownership of horses ! I never new you could do all that washing to a saddle. Thank you sooo much
I suppose this might be alright on an old beat up saddle, but there’s no way I would ever do this to my hand made, hand tooled, circle Y saddle with it’s silver horn cap and lace. Still looks as good as the day I got it.
@@bjlecorno8468 you better make sure you’re dusting it off and wiping it down regularly
Same here, I'm 72 and never knew that 😊
@@bjlecorno8468 I think Don makes it clear that he wouldn't necessarily scrub a tooled saddle like this either. Idk why soap and water would hurt a silver horn cap. It would be interesting to see how he would handle various types of tooling, though. I should think stamping would be more vulnerable than carving. Like, would the areas where the leather is pressed down tend to pop back up if they got too wet? Idk.
I cleaned my first saddle and used saddle soap, thinking its "soap"...Thank you so much for this video and explaining everything. It all makes perfect sense. Please never stop making these I love learning all this new stuff!!!
man, you have been such a great help. I just completed my first saddle commision to clean and do some minor repairs. I could not have done it without your video.
This is a great video - perfect timing as I am restoring a saddle now!
The topic with the dish soap was super interesting to me.
God bless you for making cleaning a saddle easy... 💞
I can't be the only one impressed that he didnt even need to roll up his sleeves through all that.
This will make you laugh. When I was a kid back in the 50's my Dad told me I needed to wash & oil my saddle. He said you need to take care of that saddle & it will take care of you. Heck I didn't know any better so I went out, took my saddle & threw it in a pond near the house. Grabbed a bar of lye soap & a brush jumped in the pond & went to scrubbing. Not knowing any better I only let it drip dry hanging on a tree limb for about 20 to 30 minutes & then pulled it down & oiled it using a new can of motor oil I had found in the barn. When finished I stowed it away in the barn on a rack. Man I was proud of my self until I went to the barn 1 day & saw that my saddle had grown a lot of mold. LOL. Why do some kids just not learn to ask a few questions instead of just jumping in head over heels? Live & learn back them days, sometimes the hard way. Needless to say I have cleaned a lot of saddles since then & I sure let the saddles get good & dry before ever oiling them, and not to use motor oil. LOL. Don, it's good that you share your experience with everyone here on the channel so some of us can share some really dumb mistakes we made in life, lol.
Damn that’s funny!😂🤣😂 I did something similar, took my dad’s old 20 gauge and scrubbed all the blue off with steel wool, got it down the barrel and everything. I was so proud that I cleaned his 20 up , YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE LOOK ON HIS FACE WHEN I HANDED HIM THAT BARE METAL GUN! He asked what happened to his gun? I said I cleaned it, doesn’t it look nice? Thought the man was going to have a heart attack. That gun was one of my great grandfather’s guns. He had send it to a gunsmith I did such a good job. I really felt bad but he didn’t get too angry as I didn’t know any better, but boy I never did that again!
@@bjlecorno8468 The things we did as kids never cease to amaze me. This is some funny stuff.
Haha if u didn't say that I would have done the same
Loved all three videos of this process.
Can you provide something with measurements of your fabricated saddle tub stand and the one that swivels and adjusts in height?
What do you charge to clean and oil a saddle, also a pair of chaps? Thanks
I'm always learning things, thanks for sharing your experience.
I am currently cleaning a saddle that was very badly soiled from mice and rats. I wish I could add a picture to show how badly the suede was damaged.I washed it with water and sanitized it with a 10% bleach solution, I didn't want to be sitting on anything that had that much mouse feces and urine on it. I am going to try this method and see if I can get some of the really bad staining out. Thank you for the tips!
Thank you, newbie saddle cleaner here. I’m a diy-er!
Wonderful breakdown thank you 😊
From a dog groomer who just recently started leatherwork... I wonder how well a high velocity dryer would work for bwtween the layers and the underside?
Thanks Don, another great teaching video.
You the man today. Can't predict tomorrow but today you're it. How did the yote bag turn out. Missed a few things,been in the big city of Nashville. Hope you and yours are well and doin ok. Keep up the good work Don. Always a pleasure to watch what you're doing. Good on ya my friend. As ever just Tom 🤠
Thanh you so Mach for the tips I actualité really needed them
Big thumbs up for this one!
I just came across this video. Purchased a bunch of old saddles 5 for 250$. Hopefully I can clean and resale for some horse money! lol I may have missed a comment from you so wanted to ask is that just all cold water your working with. Wondering if a couple jugs of warm water from house would help breakdown initial layers of dirt! AND awesome choice with Dawn. Thanks!
Any special considerations for a suede seat?
Hey Don, I LOVE these 3 videos. Watched them several times. Question about the water. I live in New Mexico where the water is VERY hard -- like 50 gpg. We have a serious water softener, obviously, but I can bypass it if I want. I bypass it to water the horses. My question is: should I use the natural/hard water to clean my saddle, or should I use softened water? People use either sodium chloride or potassium chloride to soften water. Mostly sodium, which is what we have, since it's much much cheaper. Thanks!
I'm no expert but sodium will REALLY dry your leather out making the oiling process much more difficult. Just my experience
Thank you for your videos love the Information.
Great video!! I just washed my saddle a few months ago, didn't douse it like you recommend but I got it done. Question: 25 plus years ago I won a Silver Royal show saddle, I love it!! It's one of those you'll never see which means it's always difficult to be "matching tack" because it's gray, my question is how can I give it a good wash if it's painted?
How much does it cost to wash a saddle like that. I like your process good video good job cajun Land church Point Louisiana let me know your next video when you gonna item thank you
HEB..you're In Texas?
thatsthe way i was told how to clean them up,thanks for sharing
Very useful
Don I got a saddle in my shop for a cleaning and oiling and I found a lot of dry rot what should I do
How would you go about uncurling any leather on a saddle, would the oil and conditioning help that?
I know when I did reins I used a lot of conditioner and rubbed it in with my hands. I had them sit in the sun for a bit and then worked the conditioner in more. They softened up and became flexible again
very informative -
Hey my wife and I are fairly new to leather working we are just crafter's but I was curious about the wetting the leather. Does wetting it like that affect any tooling that's on the leather?
Weve had a ton of rain and my tack room has been really humid. Now my tack is starting to mold.... What is the best way to stop the mold and get rid of the mold smell? I tried Dawn and a 1/4 cup of bleach in the tub at about 1 inch deep and scrubbed with a soft brush.... still stinks like mold and it keeps coming back. We have a ton of expensive tack, I hate to think its all ruined. If anyone has any thought Id appreciate any pointer
Bleach will destroy the stitching!
Oops! I made a big mistake on my old Hereford saddle. It was really dirty, in the barn for several years. I used saddle soap, thinking it had cleaning quality. Now it is too oily. Am giving it away, so will suggest they do the Murphy. I worked too hard on it and won’t start over. The young girl I give it to will have to do as she pleases. Don’t think I ruined it. At least it is clean. Maybe it will serve a purpose until she can get another?
How often do you recommend washing a saddle
This guy is dead wrong. DO NOT use detergent or acetone on any leather. NO scrub brushes either. Read above.
I would love to see your video on a saddle breakdown and clean. Diversity is the spice of life. Tell us why.
Don, what are your thoughts on steam cleaning a roughout saddle? I saw a video of one done that way & found it interesting. Was just wondering if you had ever heard of it or ever tried it yourself & if so why you did not like it?
what's the best way to remove mildew from leather if any
Great video with a lot of good info! I was wondering why you’re able to get the leather that wet? Is it a conditioner or top coat on the leather when it was originally built or is it just the nature of the leather?
Most leathers can be washed. As the matter of fact, most quality leather spend months in vats of liquids during the tanning and finishing process. It would be a little silly to assume that they cannot be washed. What can ruin leather is actually the drying process. It's either dried too inconsistently or not enough.
@@StuninRub or too fast.
@@MS_249 Speed is not a problem if it is consistent. Pressed / moulded leather items can go from dripping wet to dry in the time span of less then 2 mins. They can do that because the drying is very consistent.
Hey there, I have a saddle with floral tooling on it, I was cleaning it and in some places it has a thin film peeling off? What would this be and how concerned should I be? What should I do?
Huuuuuyyyyyyyyyyyyiiii q bien bastante recursivo
Wow cool
How do you get the real thick gummy dirt and oil off without ruining the leather
How often do you oil a saddle and wash it ?
By wire brush, i think you mean brass brush. Softer than steel by far. Picks up the nap of suede side.
I worked for almost to year for a saddlemaker and I did my share of saddle cleaning. I miss the job ... /sigh
Okay now I'm questioning the sanity of another guy who had a lot of views, who restored a Swiss Army leather satchel. The steps he took:
1. Saddle Soap
2. Pure denatured alcohol
3. Neatsfoot oil
4. Conditioner
.... If saddle soap / glycerin soap is meant to be dried on the leather, in order to keep the glycerin inside the pores, wouldn't using alcohol afterward remove all the glycerin? 🤔
How do I get water stains out of my saddle?
I feel like using dish soap and scrubbing it like that is a sin, but it makes sense!
We cleaned a saddle this week that had bird shit on it
I use scotch Brite pads to remove that black greasy stuff.
1. NEVER EVER use dish soap or detergent of any kind on leather. Period. This will strip all of the natural oils out of the leather and leave it hard and cracked. Use only a glycerin based soap which is oil based. This will actually condition the leather as it cleans. If you can't find the bar soap, Murphy's Oil Soap will do but is not ideal.
2. ACETONE!?! Never.
3. NEVER EVER use a scrub brush on a saddle. Use a DAMP sponge only. Otherwise you will scratch the daylights out of the leather, leaving it dull and rough. If you absolutely cannot get the caked-on jockeys off (that thick grey, whitish, or black residue that builds up) use one of the green or blue scrubbers that come with those kitchen type scrubby sponges. Do not use this on the grain side of the leather (the side which usually faces out, where the hair used to grow).
4. Use Neatsfoot Oil to condition the leather after cleaning.
5. It's called a 'skirt', not the seat. Just sayin.
He’s been doing this for years successfully so clearly he knows what he is doing. He said he rarely uses acetone bc it is rlly drying but only uses it if he can’t get off the gray film stuff. The newer video he shows how he oils and conditions the saddle after washing it. Clearly you never saw that video or listened to this one.
Exactly
If you know the process, yes you can strip all the oil. However, you have to know the process to replace the oil. Nothing wrong with dish soap, it deep cleans, gets rid of old rancid oil, and heavy grime. Glycerin soap can't do this, and it builds up. But totally great for novices.
Personally I agree - this sort of treatment should be a last resort for the truly grimy, filthy dirty saddles such as the saddle in the video.
I had a treeless saddle and the dirty was truly, truly caked on particularly in the stitching. Had to use dish soap and a tooth brush to get it clean.
Recently I had a leather halter that, while grimy, wasn't too bad and you could scratch the grime off with a nail. Used saddle soap and one of those kitchen scourers (not the metal ones, the scrubber sponges you mentioned) to bring it all up. Then used the other side of the sponge with as much water squeezed out as possible to lift up the dirt, soap and water. Used tack cleaner after that and it wiped down completely clean. Conditioned it, let it sit for an hour, then conditioned again. Came up a treat and looks like a different halter.
Point being that for anything other than the filthiest tack that looks like its been dragged through mud, saddle soap does the job just fine. Its very easy to ruin leather once you start using more "extreme" stuff and this type of cleaning shouldn't be considered normal.
Very interesting, and informative. I love tack, and enjoyed taking care of it.
Steer tripping saddle. Makes sense that it is worth restoring. Wonder how old it is?
He says at about 26:00 that "we" built that saddle 8 or 9 years ago. It looks solidly built and used hard, doesn't it? Must be gratifying to build saddles for people who are going to get so much use out of them. I noticed he puts a strip of leather along the stirrup leathers to reinforce the holes.
@@epona9166 Thanks for that