February 29 - everyday carry artisans

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Saddle soap is a preparatory compound containing mild soap and softening ingredients such as neatsfoot oil, glycerine, and lanolin.

It also contains bee's wax to protect leather. It is used for cleaning, conditioning and softening leather, particularly that of saddles and other horse tack, hence its name. It is also commonly used for cleaning and conditioning leather footwear.

So is saddle soap really good?

In the late 1800's the final tanning of leather required the talents of a "currier". This craftsman took the tanned but brittle hide and worked oils into it until the desired flexibility was obtained. This process was called fatliquoring. The fatliquor of choice was an emulsion of oil in soap. This "saddle soap" was not used as a cleaner. It was a softening conditioner.

In fact, saddle soap is a very poor cleaner. It must first dissolve its own oils, limiting its capacity to dissolve dirt and oils in the leather. Saddle soap is also inherently alkaline but alkalinity is damaging to leather. Saddle soap is notoriously alkaline – and alkalinity actually damages leather. Alkalinity can abrade both the hide itself and the stitching which binds it. Another problem arises during application. Most saddle soaps instruct the user to work the lather into the leather. Since loosened dirt is suspended in the lather, it is pushed back into the leather's pores.

Saddle soaps have long been replaced in tanneries by modern emulsions which penetrate, soften and condition with greater ease and stability. the popular myth of saddle soap as a cleaner however persists as modern folklore

The truth is that saddle soap was never intended as a leather cleaner. During the 1800’s the method of tanning leather was to drench it with oils and rub them into the skins to restore pliability and softness to the hide. Leather tanners of the day used a variation of what today we refer to as saddle soap to affect restoration of suppleness. However, the soaps were never used to actually clean the hides.

Consumers have always endeavored to reach for the favorite products of tradesmiths. If the professionals use something it must work great... right? Well, for it’s industrial use, saddle soap did its job well... back in the 1800’s, mind you. These days, leathersmiths tan hides using the most advanced emulsions and have long abandoned the use of saddle soaps – for any purpose. These modern emulsions simply perform better, soften quicker, and deep condition with lasting moisturizers.

Neatsfoot oil is a yellow oil rendered and purified from the shin bones and feet of cattle.

Neatsfoot oil is used as a conditioning, softening and preservative agent for leather. Neatsfoot oil is used on a number of leather products, although it has been replaced by synthetic products for certain applications. Items such as baseball gloves, saddles, horse harnesses and other horse tack can be softened and conditioned with neatsfoot oil.

If used on important historical objects, neatsfoot oil (like other leather dressings) can oxidize with time and actually contribute to embrittling. It also may leave an oily residue that can attract dust. On newer leather, it may cause darkening (even after a single application), and thus may not be a desirable product to use when the maintenance of a lighter shade is desired. Neatsfoot oil is more useful for routine use on working equipment.