At Home Care and Maintenance

Once you have purchased a leather good, you must know the proper techniques and products to get the longest life possible out of you good. Pictured above are some of the products that I use. If your good is in decent shape and you are preforming routine maintenance, 100% pure neatsfoot oil is best for oiling your leather. Be sure it is pure neatsfoor oil and not the compound. However, neatsfoot oil can be difficult to locate and expensive. Corn oil and 100% pure olive oil are great substitutes, much cheaper, and can be found at any grocery store. As I explain further below, I would steer clear from these substitutes if you have a pest problem.

If your item is dirty, a mix of water and a little bit of dawn dish soap work great to clean leather, I prefer to use this mixture with a microfiber cloth and a very soft bristle brush. If you are oiling your saddle, it is very important that clean it first. If you oil it before cleaning it, some of the dirt can mix with the oil and cause a sort of sanding effect between moving parts of the saddle. This is most common between the stirrup leather and riggings/skirts. Be sure your saddle is completely dry before applying oil.

If your leather is very dry, a conditioner may be required to bring life back into the leather. Snowshoe Leather Dressing and Skidmore’s Leather Cream are two great options.

When it comes to the storage of your goods, particularly saddles and tack, it is ideal for them to be stored in an environmentally controlled room free of pests. Rats, mice, and bugs such as cockroaches can reap havoc on your goods. They can even cause damage to important parts of you saddle that could cause a wreck in the future. I have seen many torn stirrup leathers that are the result of damage from rats and mice. If you have no other option than to store them where there are pests, then I advise you to use the neatsfoot oil instead of the corn or olive oil. Corn and olive oil can sometimes attract these pests, while the neatsfoot does not.

Saddle Cleaning Services

Cleaning and oiling your saddle can be time consuming and a pain. Not only do you have to spend the time and energy doing it, but you also have to obtain all of the necessary oils and soaps. One of the saddle “repair” services offered is just a simple cleaning. With this cleaning I will clean off any dust, mildew, or spiderwebs. I will then give the saddle a thorough inspection for any damages or problems that could cause issues or a wreck in the future (some repair prices can be found on the price list). Once I have completed this inspection and notified you of any issues, if there are any at all, I will proceed to oil the saddle with 100% pure neatsfoot oil. If your leather is in particularly rough shape, I will use Snowshoe Leather Dressing to bring it back around. When oiling, I will ensure that the oil gets into all reachable areas to prevent as much squeak as possible. This service is available starting at $100.