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| Leather Care: Special Care |
| We work our tack hard and sometimes it needs more then just soap and conditioner. |
| Other Health Care pages |
| Glycerin Soap Instructions: Most people use glycerin soap as a cleaner but it is a poor choice for cleaning your leather. Because glycerin soaps leavens a protective waxy coating that blacks moisture it prevents the conditioner from soaking into the leather if used as a cleaner. It is best applied by wetting the bar and rubbing it directly on the leather or using a damp rag or sponge after you have cleaned and conditioned the leather. Avoid lathering, if you do get a lather it is a sign that you have used to much water. Unlike some products the coating will be removed the next time you clean the leather. Do not apply a sealer to damp leather. |
| Mold Instructions: If you find a mini-green forest growing on your tack don't worry. Avoid grabbing harsh home remedies like bleach. Instead remove the green spots with very fine (0000 gauge) steel wool and wipe down with a rag dampened with white vinegar. Let it sit for 4-6 hours and then clean and condition as usual. |
| The Gummy Gross Spots Instructions: When working our horses our tack gets sweaty. Some of the worst spots to get clean are the back of the fenders on western saddles, leather girths, and breast collars. These pieces of tack are in high sweat areas and can get very gummy and gross. To get them clean you can use your finger nail, a stiff brush or very fine (0000 gauge) steel wool or even a pad of horse tail hair. Try to get off as much of the gummy stuff as you can and then clean, condition and seal as you normally would for that area. |
| Wet Tack Care Instructions: If your leather gets soaked don't panic. Keep it out of the sun and away from all heat sources. Start by cleaning the leather before it dies. Then apply light coats of conditioner into the damp leather. Allow it to finish drying away from heat and sun light. Do not apply a sealer to damp leather or you will get moisture problems. Do not wait until leather is dry before cleaning and conditioning or the leather will already be damaged. |
| Waterproofing Ingredients: 1-1/2 oz Mineral Oil 1 oz Tallow 5 oz Neat's Foot Oil (pure) Instructions: Mix in wide mouth jar. To clean and dried leather, apply waterproofing with rag in circluar motion. |
| Polishing Silver If you have a show saddle where the polish free silver is gray, use a heavy eraser like you used in school and erase the tarnish. Make sure there is no dirt there first. |
| Cleaning Silver Rub some toothpaste on engraved silver to help clean it. |
| Homemade Silver Cleaning Cloths Ingredients: Ammonie Silver Polish Cold Water Cotton Cloth Squares Instructions: Soak cloth squares in a mixure of 2 parts ammonie, 1 part silver polish, 10 parts cold water. Let cloths drip dry. Rub silver with cloths. Once they get to dirty to use, just toss them and make new ones. |
| Removing Bad Tarnish Ingredients: Washing soda Hot Water Aluminum Pan Instructions: Remove silver from tack. Dissolve one handful of washing soda in hot water in pan. Soak silver in solution. Remove as soon as tarnish disappers, rinse and polish. |
| Silver Cleaning Paste Ingredients: Salt Lemon Juice Instructions: Make a paste of the salt and lemon juice. Use a soft rag to apply and clean silver. |
| Brighten Silver Ingredients: Soft Cloth Turpentine Instructions: Put a couple drops of turpentine on to a soft cloth and use to polish silver. |
| Careing for Stainless Steel This is for careing for Stainless Stell pots but it will work for your stainless steel bits too. Do not soak Stainless Steel or it may become pitted. To shine rub with flour, to remove bad spot use lemon joice. Silver cleaner will stain stainless steel so never use it to clean bits made of it. |
| Caring for Brass To remove tarnish use a paste of salt and lemon juice or just rub with a half of lemon dipped in salt, then rinse. To remove verdigris(the green stuff) rub with a solution of salt and ammonia (wear gloves when using ammonia). |
| Email Stormie |
| Natural Leather Polish Boil 1 1/4 cup of Linseed Oil. Let cool and add 1 1/4 cup Vinegar. Apply on a cloth and then buff leather. |