Sticky Residue on New Bridles

[SofiPony]

Hello all,

Last year, I bought a red barn bridle on eBay for a great deal. I love the bridle and think that it is absolutely beautiful, the stitching is elegant, and it the leather seems to be good quality. HOWEVER…I do have one problem with it: a sticky residue along the leather seams on the reins and bridle. It wasn’t there when I first got my bridle, but appeared soon after I cleaned and oiled it. Has anyone had any experience with this? If so, does anyone know how to get rid of it? It’s super annoying because all the dirt and horsehair ends up sticking to it.
Thank you!!

[beowulf]

That is the glue… Unfortunately, it is why I am not so fond of Red Barn.

You just have to wipe it off, it will seep for a while. You can either use a warm rag with glycerin/castille/soap and swipe vigorously a few times a week until the leather stops bleeding, or you can go a more drastic route and do a water/ammonia mix with glycerin -make sure the ammonia is not too potent (so, dilute it as you would bleach) or the ammonia will strip the finish off the leather as well.

[wateryglen]

It may also be the wax sealant that is often on new tack. It’s dunked in hot wax to seal the leather and prevent mold & damage. It’s supposed to washed off before you use it. I worked in a tack shop and we used a hot pot of thin oil and dunked the bridle in it to melt the wax off AND soften/oil the bridle. Didn’t even have to take it apart. Oil soaked in. The oil was Hydrophane btw. Needs to be a thin oil. Or to get the was off your new tack; you can give it a good scrubbing with a dilute ammonia wash. That strips it off. Then follow with a thin oiling or leather treatment. jmho!!

[vxf111]

Glue, brought out by whatever you conditioned with. Don’t use any oil containing conditioner in the future.

[BK6756]

I had the exact same thing happen on my red barn bridle. Just wipe all the sticky glue off with a dry cloth and in the future, only use a leather conditioner, NOT OIL. The oil makes the glue seep out.

[BAC]

Its glue, there is a reason why many manufacturers specify NOT to use oil.

[EdgeBrook]

we had a five-star do that. Its glue due to oiling. It’ll stop eventually. No more oiling though