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Saddle Soap

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Barbara59

Post subject: Saddle Soap

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 6:46 pm

Joined: Thu Jul 07, 2011 5:04 am
Posts: 65

People often ask me what got me interested in making soap. I'm interested in anything hand made is the basic answer. Howerver, about 15 years ago when I was doing Civil War Re-enacting I met a soap maker at an event. She mentioned that soap made from 100% beef tallow was one of her best sellers. The cavalry guys (the guys who ride horses) thought her 100% beef tallow soap was best for cleaning leather harness and tack. Has anyone else heard that?

Barbara

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soapbuddy

Post subject: Re: Saddle Soap

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 7:15 pm

Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2008 11:14 pm
Posts: 24336
Location: Mistress Of Lather

Source: The Herb Companion Aug/Sept 1999

BEESWAX SADDLE SOAP

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

Harness, saddle, and bridle leathers should be cleaned and conditioned at least twice a year to extend their usefulness. In fact, all types of leathers would last longer if they received this luxurious treatment.

2 tablespoons grated beeswax
1/2 cup olive oil
I cup grated castile soap
1/4 teaspoon lavender or tea tree essential oils

Heat olive oil until warm and stir in grated beeswax until melted. Add grated castile soap and stir until well melted. Stir in essential oils. Pour into shallow plastic container or lidded tin. Cool before using. To apply, scoop up a small amount of saddle soap and rub onto leather in a circular motion, using a sponge or a piece of loofah. Rinse with a damp cotton cloth. Allow leather to
dry completely before conditioning with Boot and Saddle Conditioner.

HTH.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

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itspennylane

Post subject: Re: Saddle Soap

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 3:27 am

Joined: Sat Jan 15, 2011 11:42 am
Posts: 75
Location: Boston, MA

I grew up using Murphy's oil soap on my saddles and bridles. I'll have to go look at the ingredients to see what I would use, but I kind of agree that a castille would be best. You want to remove the grim and condition the leather, not dry it out.

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Barbara59

Post subject: Re: Saddle Soap

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 9:09 am

Joined: Thu Jul 07, 2011 5:04 am
Posts: 65

I guess my original post wasn't very clear. I want to make an authentic Civil War era saddle soap. While castille soap has been around for centuries I doubt much of it would have been available in either the United or Confederate States. Even if it was it probably would have been quite expensive, and not used on the harness and saddles of cavalry soldiers. I don't know how far back Murphey's Oil soap goes.

I don't see why a tallow based soap would dry out leather. The soap will be superfatted like any other soap. It just won't have ingredients that would not have been available in the United States during the 1860's. I imagine the leathers would have been oiled and polished after cleaning.

I think the re-enactors want a bar that they can pack in their saddlebags. I don't know, but I suspect that period saddle soap would have been in a bar, not liquid. I've heard that soap was made using the hot process and turned into bars by adding salt. Bars would be a lot easier for campaining.

I guess I'll have to try to track down some Civil War re-enactors that portray cavalry to see what they consider authentic. I was hoping someone here would know. Thanks anyway.

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Barbara59

Post subject: Re: Saddle Soap

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 9:47 am

Joined: Thu Jul 07, 2011 5:04 am
Posts: 65

I've done some reading and found that there is no simple answer. Reliable sources are few because the knowledge of how to take care of leather was so common that nobody thought to write it down! Also, leather during that era was tanned differently than it is today, or has been for the last 100 years. Nevertheless, I've learned that the most common soap used was made from cod oil. :shock:

Serious re-enactors like to have everything manufactured exactly as it was at the time. Many are content with items made using modern methods though. If I want to go through with the Civil War era soap thing I'll probably need to make a couple different types of soap.

Oof. Nothing is ever easy.

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panzerakc

Post subject: Re: Saddle Soap

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 2:09 pm

Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2011 10:42 pm
Posts: 454

http://www.fiebing.com/Home.aspx

This company makes saddle soap, and interestingly enough, has been doing so since 1895. I don't know if you contact them, they might have someone on staff with access to old recipes, if anything has survived. I know that's about 30 years off for a Civil War re-enactment, but they might be able to help.

Anita

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Barbara59

Post subject: Re: Saddle Soap

Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 6:26 pm

Joined: Thu Jul 07, 2011 5:04 am
Posts: 65

I couldn't find any recipes for Civil War era saddle soap but I did learn that cod liver oil and tallow were common. I bought two 16 oz bottles of cod liver oil at the pharmacy and figured a 6% lye discount . I also added 2 oz beeswax as I thought saddle soap should be a hard bar. I thought about adding a scent but couldn't decide what would be considered "period" so I went without a scent. The soap is about a week old now so isn't finished curing yet. One thing is for sure though...YUCK! Soap that smells like fish...YUCK! This soap may be perfectly good for cleaning leather but I can't imagine using it for anything else. Once it's cured I'm going to wrap it in plain brown paper so I don't have to smell it :mrgreen:

. I'm going to find someone who does a Civil War cavalry impression and ask them to try my soap. I don't know if I'll do this again. Tallow is so much more pleasant.

Barbara

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soapbuddy

Post subject: Re: Saddle Soap

Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 8:35 pm

Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2008 11:14 pm
Posts: 24336
Location: Mistress Of Lather

Ewwww! Cod liver oil.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

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ljm1180

Post subject: Re: Saddle Soap

Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 8:38 am

Joined: Sat Dec 11, 2010 7:14 am
Posts: 6158
Location: Jefferson City, TN

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

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Barbara59

Post subject: Re: Saddle Soap

Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 9:34 am

Joined: Thu Jul 07, 2011 5:04 am
Posts: 65

Well, I didn't think it would be so bad since I wasn't eating it. I was wrong. Fish soap is just not nice. I wonder if there's an EO or FO that would cover that scent.

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ljm1180

Post subject: Re: Saddle Soap

Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 11:33 am

Joined: Sat Dec 11, 2010 7:14 am
Posts: 6158
Location: Jefferson City, TN

maybe anise? Or maybe adding a scent would just make it worse! :shock:

Wonder what a horse would think of that smell? Would it last on the leather? Interesting...

_________________
Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

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Barbara59

Post subject: Re: Saddle Soap

Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 8:35 am

Joined: Thu Jul 07, 2011 5:04 am
Posts: 65

I had a good laugh at my daughter's expense last night. I was re-batching the 100% cod liver oil soap because the smell was so bad. My daughter likes to smell my soaps so she came over to take a whiff. :shock:

"Ewww! That smell is from the soap?" she exclaimed. "I smelled that the other day and I thought it was me!" Apparently she gave herself a thorough scrubbing after smelling my soap and thinking the smell was coming from her body.

:lol:

I suppose I should have felt bad for her but I almost wet myself laughing.

She was not happy with me

Barbara

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soapbuddy

Post subject: Re: Saddle Soap

Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 8:45 am

Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2008 11:14 pm
Posts: 24336
Location: Mistress Of Lather

_________________
Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

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ljm1180

Post subject: Re: Saddle Soap

Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 12:24 pm

Joined: Sat Dec 11, 2010 7:14 am
Posts: 6158
Location: Jefferson City, TN

_________________
Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

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Barbara59

Post subject: Re: Saddle Soap

Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 6:26 pm

Joined: Thu Jul 07, 2011 5:04 am
Posts: 65

I told her I was going to post it. She said so long as I didn't reveal her name it wasn't a problem. She read the posts and had a laugh at herself.

BTW, the rest of the story is that I decided that the cod liver oil soap was too soft and smelled terrible. I had a batch of 100% tallow soap (with 3 ounces of beeswax) that hadn't turned out well so I decided to rebatch them both. I also added three tablespoons of lavender eo since I think it's reasonable that it would have been available during the Civil War era. Now I have a slightly fishy lavender that is tolerable for cleaning leather. I don't think it would make a pleasant bath. Hopefully it will turn out hard. I couldn't get the rebatch hot enough to melt all the beeswax.

Alas, soaping is a journey, but sometimes there's a good laugh along the way.

Barbara

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