I thought it was just my saddle! Devoucoux buffalo just seems to stain badly… My whites are not a pretty sight after I show, sometimes it looks like I sat in a bowl of chocolate or something. I was thinking of trying those Tredstep breeches that are advertised as being stain proof, maybe that would help.
[QUOTE=Kitt;7098015]
You can try using a high-wax content conditioner, or even using something like Fiebing’s Tan Kote or Bag Kote, or Bee Natural’s Leather Finish. Some leathers just seem to bleed dye forever, but I’ve found that these products can help in many cases.[/QUOTE] Will the Bee Natural’s Leather Finish make the buffalo leather less grippy? I am having the same trouble with my Devoucoux bought in June. Thank you for your advice
I once had to remove black stain from a really nice Hermes Steinkraus saddle…not even ammonia would budge it (though I suggest trying this first). I wound up using dishwasher detergent (not soap–detergent, that you put in the dishwasher). The black came out, and the leather is GORGEOUS to this day. Obviously I had to recondition the leather, and I used regular glycerine moistened with Lexol to do that.
TomTom, the Bee Natural shouldn’t effect the buffalo leather’s grippiness.
It never occurred to me that this is a problem with the saddle. It’s just part of having that leather and using the grease. If my saddle gets dry, I get zero color transfer. Fresh grease and my pants will match the saddle. The fresh grease is worth it! Super grip without being stuck.
I have show pants that wear out due to the fabric wearing out (4-6 years) whithout a stain in sight. I dry clean my two pairs of pants about once a month. They come back looking new everytime. I use the regular wash with all free and clear and the occasional oxyclean in between and ignore the very light discoloration that is left. Never dry your pants or wash in warm or hot water! This will “set” the stain and it won’t come out. I also never wash my pants with anything else. The stain will transfer even in cold water. I only dry clean my white pants. They come back super!
Thank you Kitt
UPDATE!
I sent pictures to Devoucoux of not only my breeches but also the weird sweat patterns that occur on the underside grain leather (a separate issue that I had taken up with Devoucoux after my first several rides in the saddle). The photos were sent on to the technicians in France and it was determined that my saddle is indeed defective and will be replaced. I did not specifically ask for a new saddle, but was very happy and relieved when it was offered. I know that Devoucoux gets a bad rap for their customer service, but I have to beg to differ, certainly in my case. In addition, they are sending me a saddle to use in the interim.
I appreciate all the suggestions made! In the past two months, I learned that Zout will not remove the stains but OxiClean MaxForce when combined with a warm water cycle will. I’m not happy about washing technical fabrics in anything other than cold water though!
For the record, I never ever put my breeches in the dryer, so this was not a contributing factor.
Also, I stopped using the “grease” ages ago, and it made no difference whatsoever in terms of how much dye ended up on my breeches.
Glad they are resolving this for you.
