Darkening A Leather Saddle Before and After Pictures

[alliekat]

I bought a Hideous (and I do mean HIDEOUS) colored saddle the other day. Before I decided to purchase it, I searched on line for hints to darken (if at all possible) and came across several post here on COTH H/J section about the trails and tribulations of doing so. Since I got a great deal on the saddle and I love a good transformation, I bought it. There is nothing more rewarding than taking something and bringing out its best. Whether it be a skinny horse, bettering your child’s grades in school and now, for me, breathing new life in a forgotten saddle. It looked like a saddle who had never seen a good oiling. It still had its original “naked” color. All the stitching was in immaculate condition and the leather surprisingly was not stiff. They had conditioned and cleaned it but never gave it a good oiling. So I used my Super Secret Recipe (not really secret LOL) and spent the evening working the leather. After just one 3 step treatment, you would not recognize the saddle. I did it myself and have a hard time believing the before and after pics! I still have a few more treatments to do over the next couple of week but WOW, I am so glad I was able to look past that hideous first pic I saw. So without further ado… My new Beval Salem Saddle Before and After

[alliekat]

The process I used for darkening leather like this is to heat up Neatsfoot oil and Olive oil mixed about 3 to 1 ratio. I heat it up in the micro wave in a glass container till it is almost too hot to hold. Then I apply with a sponge, paint brush, what ever your prefer. You want to coat it but not over saturate it. (that is why it is best to break up the treatment in a few applications to avoid over saturating it. I massage with my hands really working it into the leather while keeping the oil warm. Warm oil helps to open up the “pores” and helps it take on and penetrate the leather better. I wipe off any excess oil with a clean rag. I prefer to let it set out in the sun when oiled if possible to help keep the oil warm. I did this one at night so it was not possible. After it has had the opportunity to sit, I massage Mink oil into the leather with a sponge. I let that dry. Then after a couple days I will clean the saddle and repeat the process till I have achieved the desired color. Once that happens I will continue to condition it to help the leather become buttery soft and supple. I know some people don’t like to use neatsfoot oil, but if used sparingly it is a great option to help darken leather. Not something I would use all the time.

[tua37516]

Wow! I will need to keep this handy tip on file! I am a bargain hunter too… great to know if I come across something for sale in it’s “naked” state. Now I know it is not a lost cause!

[EmJ628]

OP do you find this method stains your riding pants? I have a saddle that no matter what I do it wants to remain orange. Wondering if this will help.

[alliekat]

[QUOTE=EmJ628;7191673]
OP do you find this method stains your riding pants? I have a saddle that no matter what I do it wants to remain orange. Wondering if this will help.[/QUOTE]

I think it is important not to over saturate the leather. I would rather apply small thin coats so that the leather has a chance to absorb it. If you saddle is sitting there oozing oil the next few days, you have done to much. I made that mistake with a bridle I did once. Never again. I read on line that some saddles are treated with a “wax like coating” that would need to be striped first. I don’t have experience with that but did read about the process on a thread here on the COTH. Without removing that “protective barrier” it will be impossible for them to take on anything.

[King_Creole]

Wow! Looks great!

I may have to try this w/ my bridle since I’m getting a darker saddle.

[horsepoor]

Wow. Wouldn’t believe it was the same saddle. I recently used the Walsh darkening oil on one of mine and it helped, but actually made the leather feel drier, which makes no sense at all. I might try your recipe!

[caradino]

Wow, that’s amazing!! You are magical.

[sheltona01]

I did a similar thing with my Beval BZ Natural. Mine was orange at first. I did not use olive oil, but I did use Neatsfoot. I applied one thin layer and then took care of it normally. It did take about 6 months to look really good, but I did not want to over do it with the Neatsfoot. I do not show that often so there was no rush.

Another thing that worked for me was Effax Oil. I used it on a light brown County and it turned it a wonderful rich dark brown. Be care to do a test patch first with any new product to your leather good.

[Canaqua]

Wow, NICE job! It looks lovely now.

[TBPONY]

Unrecognizable transformation! Really nice job.

[hequestrian]

Thats incredible! Great before and afters - never would have guessed they were the same saddle.

[Kitt]

Ditto alliekat. While oil is necessary to keep leather in good trim, over-oiling will weaken the collagen fibers in the leather, allowing them to stretch, which results in leather that has as much body as a damp rag - and that equals unsafe leather. If you must use straight oil, do so sparingly; it’s really better to use a balanced commercial conditioner, which contains the correct mix of fats, oils and waxes.

[mjs8]

This is amazing! What a beautiful job you’ve done!!!

[NO-CTRL]

Your saddle looks l![](ke a completely different saddle, amazing! Your post prompted me to get the mink oil out i bought after reading a long archived thread on here about darkening bridles involving a warm oven and mink oil.

I bought a Jaguar bridle a couple of months ago and it was a lighter brown than i was expecting (my pony is black so i like darrrrrrrk brown on him). I have only done one coat so far but it is darkening up beautifully - i am super impressed with the mink oil! Not very common in Australia and i had to order if from a specialist leather-works shop but it was well worth it!
[IMG]http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y41/yellowslut/IMG_20131007_071216_zpsf365ec6c.jpg)

[beowulf]

Wow!! Amazing!! I’m going to have to use your recipe… I’ve been using hydrophane (one marketed for darkening leather) on one of my bridles for years to no avail. The bridle is the trendy red chestnut color that was so popular years ago – I never use the bridle because it just doesn’t seem to darken!! I’ve gotten it from the horrid orange to a deep chestnut, but it is still too light on my dark bay.

I’m so glad you posted this thread!! I’m tempted to try it RIGHT now while my SO is asleep so he doesn’t see our olive oil “go to waste”!!

[calipony]

Wow, if it wasn’t for the markings on the saddle, you’d never know it was the same. I will have to keep this post around for reference.

[alliekat]

Thanks everyone for the great comments. I was thrilled with this transformation and can hardly believe myself that it was only 1 application of oil that got it here. In fact, we have decided to just condition it from here instead of repeating the process to let it deepen and richen the color the rest of the way, slowly over time.
I hope everyone else has the same success as we were able to achieve.