I just got a Double S Open range saddle (from sstack.com). At this price point I definitely prefer to buy quality used, but I looked unsuccessfully for a long time trying to find something that had a FQHB tree, relatively short skirts and relatively light weight.
Upon first inspection I felt the quality was on par with the price. The leather felt pretty stiff and plastick-y, but the tree is a perfect fit, and after a close inspection I was convinced the leather was of good enough quality to give it a shot. The tooling and stitching all look pretty good, although the dye was streaky in some areas and the reddish/burgundy undertone isn’t my favorite.
For english saddles I use windex to remove any wax or glaze that the manufacturer might have put on the saddle to protect it in transit (I got this tip from an old tack shop owner, was told that the combination of ammonia and alcohol in windex is watered down enough not to damage, but strong enough to take the wax off). It has always worked well for my english saddles. After that, I applied hot (not scalding, but more than warm) oil to both the top side and underside (roughout) of the fenders and as much of the jockey and top skirt that I could get under, and I worked and rolled the leather as best I could.
That seemed to work pretty well. The next morning the fenders were much more supple and didn’t have that slick, slippery feeling. The parts of the seat jockey and top skirting that I was able to get under are more supple too. But the rest of the skirt, jockey and other areas that I can’t oil the underside of are still hard and slick. Also, the parts that absorbed the oil are darker, which is great…I’d like the whole saddle to be that color.
It’s not terribly mismatched. It just sort of looks like patina, but the the seat and jockeys are still slippery and seems like it has a glaze on it that won’t let the oil penetrate from the top. I’m thinking of using some Fiebing’s deglazer on it and then oiling it to see if I can get those parts of the saddle to soften up too, or at least not be shiny and slick. But if I do that, I’ll probably have to deglaze the whole saddle to avoid making it look like frankenstein. Before I do that, I just wanted to check in to see if there were any western saddle experts with other suggestions or advice.
I do fully realize that this saddle will never compare with top of the line ones that use the best hides. However, this is not cheap, cardboard-like painted leather often seen out of imported saddles. It is reasonably thick, and the parts I have been able to oil have responded very well. Thoughts?
