Cleaning Saddle Tooling

Leather carving and stamping (commonly called tooling) is one of the elements that make western saddles so unique and beautiful. But that beauty comes with a price. Keeping tooling clean can be quite a challenge.

All of the nooks and crannies of the tooling catch every kind of dirt and grime that you run into. Simply wiping off the saddle won’t make much of a dent in cleaning the tooling. And even standard cleaning methods with a sponge or rag won’t get into the crevices and remove the grime.

Cleaning tooling requires using an implement such as very, very soft toothbrush with a bit of cleaning agent (glycerine soap, liquid saddle cleaner) and a lot of elbow grease. You need to work the cleaner and toothbrush into each crevice. Be generous with the warm water to loosen up the dirt and wipe often with a soft rag to remove the dirt you’ve loosened.

There’s no quick solution. It takes time and patience, but why have that beautiful tooling if you’re not going to show it off?  The colder months are a great time to settle in with your saddle and get that tooling sparkling. One way to reduce the amount of cleaning you have to do, is to always use a saddle cover when your saddle isn’t in use.