Bringing a dirty, dry headstall and reins back to life

[Equestrian24]

I was lent a very dry and dirty Western headstall and reins to clean and oil up by a family member, and would like to know the best way to go about it. It’s a lighter oil (but discolored and darkened in places due to heavy use and dirt) Tex Tan/Circle Y set that is about 15 years old and isn’t heavy duty harness leather, but just the standard type (not sure if there is a specific name for it). I’ve looked it over and everything seems intact, and there isn’t anything that stands out to me as a safety issue. It just needs a very good cleaning and hydrating.

I’ve tried a lot of things over the years from breaking in very stiff new tack and bringing back dry or over-oiled, greasy or sticky/gummy used tack with a moderate amount of grime, but I’ve never dealt with anything quite this dirty before, and the majority of my experience has been working with English tack. Though I know leather is leather, I also know that certain methods are recommended over others for certain leather types.

The goal is just to get this set as clean as possible so that I won’t be oiling over dirt, though I’m sure the discoloration won’t go away. Then, to get it as hydrated and pliable as possible, so it can resume use as a trail bridle.

I’m questioning whether or not I should use diluted castile like I normally do with grime, since it tends to be drying and this set is already very dry. I otherwise normally use either Higher Standards or Fiebing’s saddle soap, but I’m not sure that’ll be enough to cut through the dirt.

Another thing I’m questioning is how I should go about hydrating it: I’ve dipped pieces in 100% neatsfoot oil in the past (warm the oil, gently roll each individual piece and dip, wipe off excess oil, then hang to dry), but IME this can sometimes attract mildew. It’s otherwise been a great method for extremely dry or very stiff and un-broken in strap goods, but I want to avoid that issue if at all possible. I’ve also just done several light coats of the neatsfoot, which I tend to generally have better luck with in the mildew department, and I’ve also used Lederbalsam leather conditioner with great luck, though I’m not sure that will penetrate the leather like oil.

Also, the Chicago screws on the reins have been sealed with Loctite at some point, and it’s highly unlikely I’ll be able to unscrew them and remove the reins from the bit. Should I just use a toothbrush to get those areas as best as I can? I know it’s definitely not ideal, but I’m not sure what else can be done.

I’d love to hear of methods you’ve used to clean up and get a dirty, dry bridle back in good shape.

[Festivity]

I would start with the Higher Standards or Fiebing’s saddle soap and just know it’ll take time. Once you get the dirt off then I’d go with Hydrophane dressing oil instead of the neatsfoot oil since Hydrophane won’t rot stitching like neatsfoot oil. The only problem is that the Hydrophane will darken the leather.

On the reins I’d try to get the screws out. Online there a different ways suggested to deal with the loctite, hopefully one of them will work.

Good luck! Restoring dry tack is always an adventure.

[clanter]

vinegar can be used on leather to clean dirt off without harming the leather, just research using vinegar to clean leather several methods will come up.

[Foxglove]

Don’t know if you have access, but the Amish harness shops will dip a bridle for $5 or less --they use warm oil let it sit in the oil for a while, then allow it to drip off the excess. I have all my strap-wear done once a year. And no, the oil does not rot stitching. Amazing how clean the oil makes everything --oh, and no need to disassemble.

[luvmyhackney]

For really gross stuff I was with a dawn/hot water fix. Then wipe down with vinegar in case of mold spores.

Once clean, just warm oil of your choice and add to zip lock bag and add bridle. After oiling, condition really well and maintain.

[Argo]

You can safely add ammonia to the wash water and it’s great to strip grease off, open the pores and soften the leather. Rinse, dry almost completely and try a very light coat of oil, then a thicker product like lederbalsam if it seems really dry.

[GreyDes]

You should be able to undo the screws with a bit of pressure. Loctite is designed to give under the twisting pressure of a screwdriver but not let the screw wiggle loose.

[LCDR]

My favorite is Leather CPR.

[beowulf]

If there is no dry rot. my method is to take the whole thing and submerse it in hot water for 2-3 minutes. Long enough to soften up oils and caked on dust/dirt. Add a few drops of soap; Dawn, Castille, whatever. Wipe down with a rag. Rinse / repeat until your rag does not come away with dirty streaks. Once that happens, while the leather is still wet, treat it with some sort of conditioning soap. I like Belharra but really, you can use anything - the key is to make sure it is conditioning. Let it dry out a day on a towel (it will still be damp internally) and then condition with oil of your choice. I’ve been using home-made tallow butter and I really like the way it brings leather back to life. The bonus being it’s pretty cheap (for me, anyway). Repeat daily until the leather is no longer thirsty.

[BeeHoney]

Great info here.

I have a simple process. I scrub/rinse/scrub rinse with a gentle scrubby and watery mix of Murphys Oil soap and water. Then I let dry for just a bit. Then paint with oil and manipulate the leather.

Keep in mind that once tack has dried and cracked, you can’t always come back from that. When you are done with the process, inspect the tack closely. And be ruthlessly honest with yourself as to whether or not the tack is safe and worthy for use. I have resuscitated tack and gotten it looking decent only to on closer inspection have concerns about suitability for actual use.

[ThreeWishes]

Same. Murphys oil soap diluted. Then wipe dry and oil generously. Wipe. Let dry. If it’s still “thirsty”. Oil again.

[kaya842]

Im in the dawn + warm water camp. Then warm oil. But I like Beowulf’s idea of adding in dunks + wiping to gauge how dirty things still are.

[Bogey2]

Scrub as much dirt off as you can, get a large sealable plastic bag, pour a glut of neaftsfoot oil in with the leather and seal (press air out first). Leave it for a couple of days but squish it around to make sure the product is hitting all area of the leather.

[endlessclimb]

Oh that definitely depends on the type of loctite used. Red is not going to give without godzilla to help you, and a dose of luck to not strip it.

Blue will, usually, but on a chicago screw it might be sweated/corroded into place, as well.

I’d be prepared to drill those out and get new ones, OP.

Also - someone correct me if wrong - I was under the impression pure neatsfoot does not rot stitching, but that neatsfoot compound would. Yes/no?

[RedHorses]

Many of these suggestions are not suitable for what is extremely likely to be vegetable tanned leather. Unlike English bridle leather, the veg tan isn’t finished with oils and waxes, leaving a much more porous and open leather structure. This allows for the leather carving and tooling that you see on western saddles.

Hot water, especially a full immersion for several minutes, is not a good idea as it will draw out any remaining oils, and leave the leather very dry.

Soaking in oil for days is likely to have the leather soak up oil like a sponge, leaving a somewhat mushy feel to the leather. The excess oil will also weaken the structure of already compromised leather. If there’s any dry rot an oil soak will increase your chances of breakage.

Because it is so dry, any cleaning product you use is going to get sucked deep into the leather and stay there. Stick to actual, oil based, leather cleaning products for this project.

Don’t wait until it is bone dry after cleaning to oil. When it is dry to the touch but still flexible, begin oiling with a series of light coats. You can probably do 2-3 in the first sitting as the leather will soak it in very quickly at first. Then do another light coat every day until it’s in decent shape.

Optionally you will be able to dye the leather very easily to even up the colour. Yes, it will have to be a darker colour. Use an oil based dye if you can, as alcohol dyes are very drying.

If you have to use alcohol dye, do it after the first oiling (let the oil soak in for at least a day), lightly and evenly dampen the leather, apply your dye, let that dry, then repeat the several light coats of oil in one sitting, and do the once a day light oil until it’s in decent shape.

But, honestly, I’d be really concerned about irreparable dry rot if it’s as bad as you describe. Before you use it, have a good yank at the straps, especially around folds and buckles and buckle holes, to see if it going to break easily.

[Equestrian24]

To my knowledge (just what I’ve been told over the years), the concern with pure neatsfoot oil rotting stitching was with the tack with cotton stitching from decades ago. I’m not even sure when the last time that was used… '70s, maybe? But I don’t think it’s applicable to most tack nowadays if I’m not wrong. I’m not sure about the compound, on the other hand.