How do you clean an antique rough - out saddle.?

Question

Every leather cleaning product I have says "do not use on suede".

Thanks for any help!!

Answer 1

You use a swade  (sorry about the spelling) brush.  It has very stiff bristles and keeps the rough-out saddle in shape that it should be as well as it gets out the dirt.

Answer 2

Grab a automotive metal bristled brush, use THAT on the suede.  On the smooth parts clean it like you would any other saddle.  IF you choose to clean the suede parts with saddle preparation, you will normally ruin the nap of the suede.  Have you ever seen anybody "clean" the suede of the seat of a saddle?  

I've restored a LOT of saddles, roughouts are just another saddle, you just have to remember to brush it out occassionally.

Answer 3

You need a suede rubber.

Answer 4

I would use a high-quality saddle soap first with a nylon medium bristle brush to clean the saddle carefully; followed by Ray Holes Saddle Butter on your suede; you can use a dull blunt table knife to rake the knap backwards without damaging it, to make it less slick.

Answer 5

First things first.  Clean all dust and hair off using the vacuum cleaner and the upholstery brush on every part you can reach.

Using a BRASS bristled brush go over all surface parts using short, pulling strokes.  Anything harsher will 'break' the nap.  This will give an idea of wear and staining.   To raise the nap, go over it again in a gentle circular motion.

Turn the saddle on it's back, you will be working from underneath, on the grain side.

Make a solution of mild dish soap and water, NO Ivory or Dawn. ( Do not attempt to undo buckles until moisture has thoroughly saturated the leather)

Don't use a lot of soap, it only needs to be a surfectant

Using a cellulose sponge and the soapy solution (wet but not dripping) proceed to wash the parts that you can reach, fenders, stirrup leathers, jockeys.  Circular motion is more consistant for coverage.  Rinse sponge as often as needed.

When the leather has been softened by the moisture, carefully loosen buckles/fittings and clean the now exposed parts.  

A saddle as old (?) as yours should have saddle strings.  In this conditiion, the strings are likely useless and need replacing.  If you have not encountered any breakage or cracking of leather, removal of the strings will enable you to access areas that were not availible before.  Clean these parts, too.

If they're not too dry and stiff, slide the leathers off the bars and clean these thoroughly.

The object here is to moisturize the leather and prevent breakage.  

<<>>Oils on dry leather cannot penetrate and swell the dried out fibers within the leather that make it resiliant and flexible.<<>>

If you want to, at this point, you can clean it again using a glycerine saddle cleaner.  (Glycerine is water compatible)

Using a 70 -30 % mix of Original formula LEXOL and water (70% Lexol,30% water) and using a brush, apply mixture to all underside parts and especially to stirrup leathers. Allow to absorb before adding more solution.  This can easily use a quart of Lexol.  Careful not to drip on the rough out.

  <<>>  DO NOT USE HEAT OR SUN TO DRY. <<>>

For cleaning and lightening the roughout/flesh side, get a ball of clay from an Indian crafts/ mountainman supply house.  I get mine from McKee's Indian Store in Oklahoma.

This is not a 'quick fix' project, but your saddle sounds as if it's worth the effort.

email if you need to.

Answer 6

you can use a mild soap like ivory (just make sure it doesnt have any color to it) and distilled water with a stiff scrubbing brush but dont soak the saddle.set it to dry completely in the shade and when it is completely dry you can use a large brass brush (automotive brushes work best and brass wont pull the nap out as bad as a steel one)to fluff the nap up. some patina is expected because it gives the saddle(expecially an antique saddle)its character.rough out leather has direction in the grain structure so you will have to experiment on which direction you need to brush.i use a large brass brush for the large areas and small automotive detail brushes for doing smaller areas.

it sounds like a "wyeth"saddle,they were made in ST Joseph,MO from the 1840s to the 1950s and are a fairly famous brand of saddle.they made "mochila" saddles for the pony express eastern divisions.

Answer 7

Its touchy cleaning those no doubt.

I still did use soap and oil on mine on the rough out parts, it darkened it and then roughed it back out with a stiff brush.

Technically you just clean it from the underside but for the amount of money i had paid for that saddle, I wanted no chance of dry rot.