Oiling Black Tack...

[Blue]

I just got a Dressage bridle and I've oiled a tiny bit of it with Farnam Leather New Foam (just to see if the dye would come off). My rag has a good bit of black on it from that little section, should I continue oiling the bridle with it or wait and find another brand of oil?

Also, is there any way to "dye" leather back to black? I'm asking because the Ariat dress boots I got new over the summer were oiled with the same stuff (Farnam Leather New Foam, which is what the tack store lady recommended) and now they're a really dark gray instead of black. :doh: She said to oil them before I wore them, which I did, and that's the only time I did. Since she recommended that leather cleaner I figured it was okay that some of the black was coming off (figured that was normal since it had a "waxy" coating)...but I guess not.

[alittleoffkey]

I clean my black saddle with saddle soap for brown tack, and I oil it with fairly cheap oil. The first few times I cleaned/oiled it, some of the black came off, but it's about 98% the same color as when I got it - 7 or 8 years ago. Sorry yours isn't working out as well. :( You can have your tack re-dyed. You can probably do it yourself somehow, but I would be too afraid of messing up my tack.

[luckydoublesranch]

Leather New is more of a cleaner with some preservative qualities to it. Overuse of a cleaner may in fact remove color and moisture. If you are looking to oil your tack you would have better results with a pure neatsfoot oil, mink oil, or even virgin olive oil. :) Check your cupboard and see if you have some olive oil, if not, neatsfoot oil is fairly inexpensive and readily available. Just make sure you get 100% pure neatsfoot, not the compound. A good coat of oil may help darken your boots as well. There are several polishing and dying products for black leather made by Kiwi brand that we have also had good luck with. Those can usually be found at most stores. Good luck!

[Ix3Morgans]

I would leave it alone. Pure neatsfeet oil will darken leather up a bit and is a good conditioner. I've been known to mix a bit of black shoe polish and olive oil to darken and condition when I bought some cheap tack. Just a thought.

[3equines]

I've remedied black tack with black shoe polish, the kind that comes in a tin, I apply it after cleaning and oiling the tack. Several coats applied over the course of a day or two at relatively warm temperatures (70 to 80 degrees) and worked in vigorously will bring gloss back to chaffed areas.

[HeartofSteel]

I clean my Dressage Bridles and saddles with just Glycerine liquid soap, some of the black does come off but still looks brand new. As for my Dress boots I got Fieblings (sp?) boot creme in black, and that stuff works amazing! Makes them super dark and super shiny! Smells kinda funky and looks like tar but it works :D

[Blue]

Thanks everyone! :)

Haffie - I'll def try that Fieblings for my boots! :D