Long story short, I want to prevent clothing staining from a Sheldon-esque neatsfoot-soaked B17 (4000+mi). Would treating the top with Proofhide [again] and perhaps "hair-drying" it in work? I have attempted nothing yet.

This saddle has been re-re-assigned to the commuter since it is uncomfortable for long distances. It was initially treated with Proofhide top & bottom, then Stübben Hamanol, then the neatsfoot.

Thanks for the advice,
Tim

I checked with my B17 expert ...
My son..... the wrench.. <--- (said with reverence)

Anyway.. He thinks the only solution is to wear black pants. It should eventually dissapate over time.

I wore a set of black gym shorts over my cycling shorts to help absorb the oil. It took about a month of riding for it to go away. You can also put a dry towel or somthing like that on the saddle while you are not riding.

Any more stuff on the saddle like Proofide is just going to make it take longer.

The absolute best all around leather treatment that I have found in over 40 years of using and treating leather is Obenauf's LP ( https://obenaufs.com/ ). It is all I use on my Brooks saddles, and works beautifully on any other leather, too. Since it is mostly beeswax, it will seep less than neatsfoot oil, but it is definitely true that any leather treatment product will seep to some extent. +1 for black pants.

Thanks for the ideas. I have put a barrier cloth between the seat and shorts/pants to help wick the oil out as cbchess suggested. Will forego any applying any more stuff for now...at least to the top.

Obenauf's Heavy Duty LP is far and away the best leather treatment available. It's great on everything leather.

If it's uncomfortable because it's sagging too much, lace the sides together with shoelace, and then tighten the tension bolt slightly. It should help dramatically.

The leather lace (lesson: don't use leather lace) on my saddle broke in the middle of a tour, and the saddle became unbearble until I laced it with a bit of discarded nylon chord I found on the side of the road.

As for the colour, you'll have to wear black shorts for a while.

Bury it in clean kitty litter (clay) for a day or two. This will draw the access oil from it and not harm the leather. Once dry you can seal it with a clear shoe polish to prevent bleeding of the dye.

Stop you Cretins! Use only proofide.

Cretins.

"He has just returned from defeating the Cretins at Sparta!
Oh!
Make that the Spartans at Crete!"

First one to ID the quote wins!

The neatsfoot soaking was done two years ago so I doubt the kitty litter would do much. But that is a clever idea

Have you used clear shoe polish as a sealer on any of your saddles?...what kind/brand?

Mel Brooks, "History of the World part I"

...The servant waits while the Master... bates?

DING DING DING!!!!

We have a winner!!!!

This is my new favourite garage alchemist method for ruining a perfectly good saddle. Right up there with the guy on the ss/fg forum who suggested soaking it in neatsfoot and hitting it with a baseball bat, then baking it in the oven.

Nope, it's the opposite. 4000+ miles and essentially no sag even after backing off the tension 8 full turns. That was the reason for the neatsfoot soak...which was the only thing that improved the comfort, although not enough for long distances. Still a usable saddle for around town with some sort of barrier or resealing.

I wonder if you could wrap a damp washcloth around an oily saddle for softness/flex, and then polyurethane the whole thing so it never dries out and never gets you wet or oily.

I've heard that when they start to sag you should tighten the adjustment bolt to the max and then bake the saddle at 350 in the oven for an hour to make sure it keeps shape.
Then dunk it in a bucket of vegetable oil for 24 hours.

Half credit... actually only 1/3 credit. Obenhauf's is better and cheaper. It's got propolis or something bees make. Smells like honey. Can't lose with a seat that smells like honey.. Want to smell mine?

_ Mr. Brooks

If it were my saddle, I'd put it out in the sun, or in a pinch, in an oven warmed to 120 degrees or so. Oil "dries" through a process of oxidation, and elevated temperatures will speed this up. Getting to warm will damage the leather, though - 120 should be plenty safe (no worse than leaving it in the sun for a bit), but much warmer and you'll really be pushing it.

I wholeheartedly disagree with Sheldon's advice for soaking saddles in Neetsfoot oil - to be fair, I haven't done it, but it seems to me to be a perfectly good way to ruin several pairs of pants as the oil wicks out of the leather. If I didn't use Proofide on mine, I'd be tempted to use Sno-Seal, which like what others have talked about is mostly beeswax. That's what I've used on hiking boots for years, and while I've worn out several pairs of boots, it's never been the leather that's let go.

My B-17 has no noticeable give under my 250 lb. Clydesdale weight after two years and 5k+ miles, but it's still a rather comfortable saddle for me. If the basic shape of a Brooks doesn't fit your posterior, I suppose that puts you in a bit of a pickle if it doesn't break in all that well.

I considered leaving it up on the roof during sunny summer days but never did. I'm 170lbs and probably ride light in the saddle cuz the darn thing never broke in. The neatsfoot soak, although drastic, was a last resort that helped.
I also might have the good folks at Selle Anatomica cut their trademark hole in it. I have an SA that works fine for long distance. As stated, I'm really just looking to make this a good commuter saddle and am currently using a barrier (old piece of denim) until the oil seems to be more or less done wicking.