Dawes-man

Well, not so much darkening as aging, perhaps...

I have a 1950s Brooks Professional on my Chesini Pista and after a mere 3 months of use it's showing signs of not being up to the job; cracks and things like that appearing in what was a very clean saddle.

Seems a shame so I've just ordered a new Professional but they only come in Honey or Black and I'd like darkish brown. Black wouldn't look right (to me) and Honey is too light for the green chrome velato frame.

Anyone know how to darken a Honey-coloured Brooks without ending up with brown stains on the seats of your pants?

This is the bike:

Mos6502

The honey color will darken over time naturally, and with the use of proofide.

I suppose you could also try dyeing it a darker brown.

rhm

It will darken by itself.

If you're impatient, I guess I'd try tea. Make a cup of strong black tea (the real thing, not some herbal stuff), paint it on with a soft brush, and let it dry in the sun. Do not ride it until it is thoroughly dry. It will darken immediately, and may continue to darken over the course of a week or so.

beech333

Has anybody tried shoe polish? Does it rub off badly? I've been wondering the same thing with a honey newish B17 that came on a CL bike.

Dawes-man

Ah, tea! I drink about 5 cups a day of that and always come back from England with a stock of finest Assam. Got loads in the kitchen. Thanks!

matthieu

Proof-hide will darken it somewhat, but not a lot. I've found that heating leather up a bit before application tends to increase the darkening effects - although I have not tried this on a saddle, it was on the straps of a saddle bag.

Perhaps there are some other leather treatment products out there that will darken the leather significantly. Brown shoe-polish comes to mind, but I'm not sure what that would do to the seat of your pants.

Your best bet may just be to break in your new saddle on a bike that will see some higher milage, which is a surefire way to darken the leather.

rhm

That's funny, I'd'a thought they have pretty good tea in Japan!

If you try the tea, I'd like to see before and after photos.

Good luck!

clubman 

Don't do it if you want your clothes to to remain "skid mark" free.

Personally I don't think much of treating these expensive saddles with anything other than the age-old recipe of Proofhide, sweat and a splash of rain. It's tried and true.

JohnDThompson 

That's why bike shorts are black.

Oregon Southpaw

643mL of posterior sweat, stat.

SlowRoller

I believe Obenauf's will darken it significantly--much more so than proofhide. I myself haven't tried it, but I've seen some before/after photos. Good luck!

RFC

1+

or, ride naked.

Actually, I have had good luck with shoe polish on Brooks saddles.

Oh, and I don't think there is anything particularly magical about Proofhide -- it's just wax.

canopus 

Why not just go to a local leather (i was going to say saddle shop, but those might be a little tough to find in Japan) boot store and get some brown dye? I dye my dress shoes and other leather goods all the time. They make a leather dye cleanser also that opens the pores of the leather and cleans any conditioner applied. So clean it, dye it, condition it. And the dye won't soften the leather like an oil will.

beech333

That was my thought for this guy.

Dawes-man

They do but it's green. Funnily enough, though, as I was waking up just now I was wondering what green tea would do to honey. Something I like about the old saddle on the bike now is its very slightly green tinge.

I'll post the pics and thanks!

Dawes-man

And cod oil, which is supposed to be the best thing for leather and is why it smells as it does. That with riding naked might give mixed signals.

Valerie Wilson

Don't use cod or any other oil on a saddle because you will ruin it. Saddles are not ball gloves, they work like a hammock, and if you use oil you will over soften the seat and it will sag...sure you can retension it but it will continue to stretch. Has anyone read the warranty info from Brooks? If not you can access their web site and read it there, but it tells you not to use anything but Proofide or your warranty is voided...makes you wonder why huh?

Shoe polish will rub off onto your shorts and may make it look like you had an "accident" while riding! But it should be good for a few laughs.

Dustintendo

Yeah absolutely do not use oil. I used baby oil on my fujita belt and now I can't ride in anything but black shorts. Not sure if it wilk ever stop bleeding dye and oil.

MKahrl

Besides avoiding too much oil you should also avoid hot heat like an oven or a hair dryer. It will change the way the leather fibers connect with each other and make the leather harder, less flexible and shorter lived. Apply neutral shoe wax, obernauf's or Proofhide on a sunny day and it will sink in enough. It will still take years and thousands of miles for the honey to turn brown. But it will be worth it.

Dawes-man

My point was that as well as containing wax, Proofide contains cod oil, hence the smell of fish. It also contains vegetable oil and cintronella oil. Cod oil is a basic leather tanning and care product and has been used for hundreds of years. Brooks aren't new kids on the block.

Proofide is the only product I would use on a saddle and as Brooks advise, only very sparingly.

Back to the colour of my saddle. I'm all set to try the tea. Might try green tea first. OTOH, I haven't got the saddle yet and I might decide I like the colour. I doubt it but...

stringbreaker

Proofide it a couple of times and then just ride it. If you sweat on it and you will that will in conjunction with your body oils will darken the saddle in no time. Let it age naturally its the best way to make it look, well natural.

badmother

I used some saddle oil on a tanned Brooks, made it dark brown. No "sagging" yet. If Proofide is the only thing you should use then try to carefully heat it a bit until almost oily, then apply and leave to dry maybe??

SlowRoller

Found this on Flickr, which shows the affect of Obenauf's on a Brooks honey-colored Swift: https://www.flickr.com/photos/seditio...7613493709402/

The Obenauf's might be able to resuscitate your 1950's Brooks Professional, as well. Search BF for Obenauf's for opinions on how it treats Brooks saddles. Good luck.

Dawes-man

That's far darker than I'm thinking of, but thanks. As for resuscitating the Pro, I think it's inevitable that 198 lbs on a a piece of leather more than 50 years old is bound to stress it and that seems a pity. It should probably be on someone's show bike or used by someone half my weight.

RobbieTunes

Neutral Kiwi will darken it and riding will do the rest.