interesting leather observation

[No_Angel]

ive left some of my bridles hung up in the back of my landrover. i went to get a bridle out and noticed that all my english leather was green and manky, and my foreign leather was ok. it had to be the english leather, as my ponies bridle was all green, but my other horses bridle was ok, but her english reins were green and gross. how odd.

[Perfect Pony]

One of my old (just incase) bridles was lef in the damp a few weeks ago and went green, soon cleaned up tho, but the reins were ok, they were foreign!!! weird ey!!!

[No_Angel]

i no, seems really wierd. must be because theres alot more fat and greace in english leather. i wiped susies bridle quickly put felt evil putting on her head, lol.

[Esther.D]

Same happened here - tackroom got damp in, English tack started to go slightly mouldy (until we rescued it!) and the foreign bridle and saddle that came with Alfie were fine. No idea why?

[lindz]

Hmm, not necessarily a bad thing though. Mould does a lot less damage to leather than dryness.

Mould can be wiped off, cracks in dry leather cannot!

[Daffy Dilly]

I think that generally english leather is softer, and thus contains a bit more moisture than foreign leather. By foreign leather I mean the cheap stuff from India etc, not like good German leather. That means that if it got damp the english leather would still contain more water than the foreign leather, and provide better growth conditions for the mould.

Just a thought, I might be way off the mark.:p

[Esther.D]

Sounds a sensible theory.

[No_Angel]

i have a roll of shoulder leather that is used to make belts, its english leather, and full of grease, its reall slimy and you can feel it on your fingers. the same with the leather i get at college to make bridles with. english leather is tanned differently to foreign leather, even german leather, and so it is by far the best quality leather available.
the only problem i find with it tho is that it looks alot more used then foreign leather of the same age, even tho foreign leather is more prone to breaking.
tbh- i use both types, i prefer buying foreign leather (the cheap indian stuff) as i dont get so annoyed when my horses break it:rolleyes:

[Esther.D]

I have had the opposite experience noangel - I have an English leather bridle for Rupert that belonged to the pony I had from when I was 7 until 13 (am now 28!) and it still looks new. Whereas I find the cheaper foreign leather ones look tatty within a few months. However I don't know whether it varies with makes - some of the cheaper English leather bridles seem to wear far quicker than the Jeffries etc

[No_Angel]

the really expensive english leather bridles seem to last well. i think the lasting finish is all how you polish it when making it. you dye it, then add taloe (sp?) over the dye to seal it, taloe is animal fat. all depending on how you use your rag and your rubbing stick to seal and round the leather depends on how it looks. my leturer can do it in 2 seconds and it looks fantastic, im still there 10 mins later rubbing it with a stick and it still looks the same, except it black:rolleyes:
i suppose in the more expensive companies such as jeffries they wouldnt let us students any where near the leather:p

[Wally]

The most expensive saddle in our tack room, my side saddle, the one that I religeously cleaned after every use, the one that was oiled and soaped and really looked after.....goes mouldy the second there is any damp in the air or I leave it for only 2 weeks. Al the other saddles are fine. The do go foosty but only after a few weeks.

Mould needs nutrients to grow, proper English leather is curried and treated with oils and waxes to make Equestrian leather, some of the Indian and Pakistani leather isn't so there is not much for the mould to grow on.

[Wally]

BTW way No Angel have you tried polishing with a bit of NewZealand rug canvas? you can get a good finish on the edges with that. Get some Bee-Line Glue size that they use for decorating mix a solution of that in hot water, let it cool and use that to polish your edges, makes it shine like glass.

[No_Angel]

funnily enough i keep forgetting to use the glue size:o maybe thats why it doesnt look so good, lol.
we use the taloe in some hessian, and then thumb it with some denim.
i have to remember to use the glue size:D

[Wally]

It will make all the difference, you can also use glycerine saddle soap instead of tallow, it makes a good job too.

[galadriel]

What is "glue size"? What an odd phrase...

[No_Angel]

basically wall paper paste:D

[Wally]

It's what they seal walls with.

[Daffy Dilly]

What effect would it have on already treated etc leather?

I wonder if it would be good for shining up my show tack..;)

[galadriel]

It's what they seal walls with.

Hm. Okay. I've seen a couple of things for sealing walls, but none of them were called "glue size." :)

[Wally]

You can re glue size your edges on old tack, it's only good for the cut edges not the actual face or back of the leather.

Go into a harware shop and ask them if they have the paste that you seal plaster walls with before papering. It looks like pale brown sugar, if you melt it in hot water it STINKS the place out and will set like a thin syrup if you have it the right consistency. Get it too thick and it sets like jelly. You can still use it though but you have to re heat it on a hot plate.....and it STINKs the place out again!

[sidesaddlelady1]

If you have an infestation of mildew or mould you should remove it before soaping the leather. A good mixture for killing and removing it so it doesn't return is one teaspoon of pine oil (a very strong disinfectant - ask for it at the pharmacy counter) in one pint of warm water. Wear rubber gloves. Dampen a cloth in the liquid and rub the leather well. Let it dry thoroughly, preferably in sunshine, before soaping and you shouldn't be bothered again. Wrap your saddle in an old COTTON sheet and use a cotton pillow case to wrap your bridle for storage. Old towels are good to but not anything made of a synthetic material. Those nylon saddle cover things are not a good idea as the air doesn't circulate properly and the leather can't dry properly.

It is no accident that the old tack rooms had open fireplaces - gentle warmth and fresh air (and a certain amount of sulphur in the atmoshere from the coal fire) are the enemy of mould and mildew. However, a hot, dry atmosphere will dry out leather.

When you clean tack don't just wipe over with a soapy sponge. Work the soap well into the leather. Good quality saddle soap "feeds" and preserves the leather and helps keep mildew away.

And now for the disgusting bit. I was always taught to spit in the saddle soap to moisten as it helps to prevent mould. Something to do with the enzymes or chemicals in spit. Works for me!

[Wally]

Couldn't aggree more, those dratted nylon, plastic saddle covers are a satanic invention, they make saddles rot in thier own sweat.