Shed find...

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ratdaddy

ratdaddy

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Here is a couple of bikes a friend of mine found in a shed in a trailer court. the owners were evicted and left a bunch of crap in two sheds. So I got a couple of freebies. Both have minor surface rust that will come off easily

Schwinn lightweight three speed.
schwinn.gif



Raleigh three speed. It has a leather brooks saddle that I am going to try to salvage. Anyone know of a good leather fixer-uppper?
raleigh.gif


here is the chainwheel on the Raleigh...I think it's pretty cool. They have this on the P.U.B. Cruiser that they have.
chainwheel.gif


I think I'll use the wider rims on the Raliegh for an upcoming project. I'm hoping the brooks is salvagable.

jeff
 
good old Dubbin..or Mink Oil works pretty good to work the seats.
Great score....
I have a bunch of Raileghs myself.

I'm gonna post up the pics of the Brooks Saddles I just scored.Don't worry if your seats don't clean up perfect...it's a saddle for a Future Rat Bike.Worn is good.

nice Shed find....Gotta love them Trailer Parks :lol:
 
new_dharma said:
if the seat (brooks) isn't ripped, should be OK...I use Leather conditioner and cleaner for horse saddles...i brought one back from the near-dead...ask at a tack-shop for advice. I can post the product names later (i'm at work right now).
Click to expand...

I quoted myself...i'm a dork

i used "Leather Therapy Restorer & conditioner" made by Unicorn editions http://www.leathertherapy.com/restore.html and then used Tattersall Soap. If you look at "orange bike" http://ratrodbikes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=323 you can see the saddle, but nothing really close.
 
Rat Daddy,

If this is your first Brooks Saddle, slow down and don't do anything just yet. Can you post a few closeup pictures? The top, both sides, and the underside, would be helpful. It looks as if you have a B-72 Brooks. If the condition is fair, you should do nothing except apply a few coats of a Brooks product called Profide. Nothing more, nothing less. Brooks saddles will last a long time when treated with Profide. Sometimes when treated with other leather conditioners they will look great but then begin to stretch. When they stretch too much, you will need Pastor Rat to give it a proper burial.

I have a B-72 on my Collegiate and Professional models on my two Schwinn vintage road bikes. Look for a year stamped into the metal frame in the rear of the saddle. Look for tears in the leather around the rivets. Here's a couple of pics of my B-72.
BrooksB-72HR2.jpg

BrooksB-72HR1.jpg
 
It doesn't look too bad, just dirty. The cracks look minor. I think a gentle cleaning with saddle soap, following the directions that come with the soap, let it dry, and then a coat of Profide, buff, Profide again. Do the underside as well. Then post an "after" picture to show your progress.
 
PastorRat said:
It doesn't look too bad, just dirty. The cracks look minor. I think a gentle cleaning with saddle soap, following the directions that come with the soap, let it dry, and then a coat of Profide, buff, Profide again. Do the underside as well. Then post an "after" picture to show your progress.
Click to expand...

saddle soap is probably the worst thing you can do to a brooks seat...

"In the late 1800's the final tanning of leather required the talents of a 'currier'. This craftsman took the tanned but brittle hide and worked oils into it until the desired flexibility was obtained. This process was called fatliquoring. The fatliquor of choice was an emulsion of oil in soap. This 'saddle soap' was not used as a cleaner. It was a softening conditioner.
In fact, saddle soap is a very poor cleaner. It must first dissolve its own oils, limiting its capacity to dissolve dirt and oils in the leather. Saddle soap is also inherently alkaline but alkalinity is damaging to leather. Another problem arises during application. Most saddle soaps instruct the user to work the lather into the leather. Since loosened dirt is suspended in the lather, it is pushed back into the leather's pores."

just my $.02
 
new_dharma,

Lawd, Lawd, thank you for bringing me back to the straight and rusty way! The last thing I'd want to do is lead a fellow ratter astray. Any suggestions for a Brooks in the type of condition shown above? A good brushing to knock the dirt loose? rat daddy's B-72 looks to be covered in a few years worth of drywall dust. I would think it would be important to remove before Profiding. Do you?
 
Blow the dust off it with an air line. Ive always used Brooks Proofhide on my leather saddles but would assume that any good leather restorer will do the business. Leather saddles do have a finite life. They stretch and sag over time and theres a nut under the nose to restore the tension and prevent the saddle becoming a hammock. Dont touch the adjustor nut until the leather is supple again or it will split at the rivets.
Nice saddle by the way.
 
PastorRat said:
new_dharma,

Lawd, Lawd, thank you for bringing me back to the straight and rusty way! The last thing I'd want to do is lead a fellow ratter astray. Any suggestions for a Brooks in the type of condition shown above? A good brushing to knock the dirt loose? rat daddy's B-72 looks to be covered in a few years worth of drywall dust. I would think it would be important to remove before Profiding. Do you?
Click to expand...

i usually "clean" the leather with a moist terry cloth. The combination of water and the texture of the cloth helps remove the dirt. THEN i'd use the Proofide (of similar product).

I went to a tack shop with my first close-to-death Brooks (same condition as the one above), and the woman was really helpful in selecting products. She told me she collects saddles (horse-type, not bicycle) and has brought back many in the condition mine was in.

Everybody has their own way of doing things...the topic of leather saddle care (and cure) is a HUGE can o' worms in other forums that I usually don't touch.
 

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