Re: [CR] Saddle soaking: No kidding?

(Example: Production Builders:Peugeot:PY-10)

Date: Thu, 28 May 2009 11:04:37 -0400
To: <Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
From: "John Betmanis" <johnb@oxford.net>
In-Reply-To: <884902.96931.qm@web82201.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [CR] Saddle soaking: No kidding?


At 06:44 AM 28/05/2009 -0700, Jerome & Elizabeth Moos wrote:
>This in't magic, although it may seem such to those of us who have become conditioned to throwaway synthetic materials. Leather is organic and as such needs the proper moisture to perform well. But when it becomes too dry it has the ability, within bounds, to absorb mositure and thereby regain condition to a great extent. Tony and probably a lot of the guys in UK and France have understood this for a long time, but not too many Americans seem to have thought much about it. Those used to using or making leather goods probably won't be surprised though.
>

When you think about it, this makes absolutely perfect sense. When leather is made from raw hides, it is tanned using water-based chemicals. In its final form it contains a specific percentage of moisture (water) that gives it its properties. Drying out or soaking while under stress will wreck it. However, you can probably restore it to its original condition if it's dried out by replacing the water content. This is very well known in wooden musical instruments, such as guitars. The ideal relative humidity for a guitar is around 45%. If it's allowed to dry out, the wood shrinks cracks and warps and seams open up. However, it can be restored to practically new condition by carefully humidifying it over a period of time, maybe over a week or two. The reason for humidifying slowly is because of the different woods, glues and used in a guitar; you wouldn't just submerge it in a bathtub. However, in a saddle all you have is leather and metal, so if it's not under any tension, soaking it in a pail of water should do the trick. Naturally, the leather will get soaked well beyond its natural ideal moisture content, but it also gets soaked like that during the tanning process. Then, if the shape of the saddle is maintained and it's allowed to naturally dry to its optimum moisture content, it should be practically as good as new (except for any damage it sustained while it was ridden when dried out or soaking wet).

John Betmanis
Woodstock, Ontario
Canada