A Convenient Hobby For Pipe Smoking

[christeaux]

I was wearing my nice sunday boots the other day and I noticed that they could use a little saddle soaping, and it got me to thinking back when I used to make it myself as a little side hobby. It is a good time and saddle soap is a useful thing to have for just about anyone since most people have something made of leather. And I say that it is a convenient hobby for all of us because leather is used in so many ways by so many pipe smokers. Whether it is the furniture in your den, your pipe and tobacco pouches, your everyday apparel, or whatever weird things you may do with leather. And with our economy in such bad shape you can save a little by doing this yourself, and maybe make a few dollars selling it. We also have storage containers readily available to us, all those empty tobacco tins you have laying around are perfect for this. I guess that's all I have to say, this is random I know, but it is really late, and I am really bored.

P.S. Pirates are freaking awesome. irate:

 

[ejames]

Ain'tcha gonna tell us how to make it? Not that I can think of any need I might have for it right off the top of my head!

 

[Doc Manhattan]

Ain'tcha gonna tell us how to make it?

You've seen Fight Club, right?

 

[Kyle Weiss]

So, now we're supposed to make our own saddle soap from our own fat to clean "whatever weird things you may do with leather...?" :lol: Definitely a late-nite weirdness post. 8)

In all seriousness, for the sake of brevity and not looking it up on all of the Internets, how does one make their own saddle soap?

 

[Richard Burley]

Please do tell. With this knowledge, I might be able to get a discount at Mistress Helga's House of Discipline, a local fun spot. That is, if she'll let me. (...whimper)

 

[dshpipes]

Please do tell. With this knowledge, I might be able to get a discount at Mistress Helga's House of Discipline, a local fun spot. That is, if she'll let me. (...whimper)

:shock:


















:lol!:

 

[christeaux]

Well the easiest way to make it that doesn't involve harsh chemicals or the chance for serious bodily harm, is to take 10 parts water, 2 parts neat's foot oil, 6 parts soap(for this recipe use ivory), and four parts beeswax. Cook down the oil and wax together, crockpots are good for this and melt the soap in the water on the stove, mix them together. Before mixing them make sure you have a good consistency, add water or wax depending on which way you need to go, and then do the same after. Then tin it and let it cool. I only just tried this recipe, its ok, the better recipes involve a little kerosene, lye, and castille soap or neat's foot(they are pretty interchangeable).

 

[dougc905]

So you use bathroom soap to make saddle soap? What does the ivory soap provide to the mix?

In other related news, I recently attended a PD session on making biofuel out of cooking oil (science teacher here). Basically, you add alcohol to cooking oil along with a bit of lye and boil the heck out of it. The diesel fuel will separate from a layer of glycerine. Once separated, we were told that the glycerine could be used to make soap. I thought of the translucent soap that my Mom had when I was young.

(its the soap connection - thats how my mind works)

 

[christeaux]

So you use bathroom soap to make saddle soap? What does the ivory soap provide to the mix?(its the soap connection - thats how my mind works)

Ivory soap is great for cleaning the leather, while neats foot will preserve and condition your leather it will not clean it, and if you have ever gone out riding horses, or just worn your boots out and about, you know what I am talking about, the leather gets very dirty and you don't want to oil dirty leather. It is also useful if you ever over oil something the soap can help to cut right through it. And now for some science, ugggghhh :x :x :x modern ivory has glycerin added to it, used as a softening agent in this case. :affraid: Da!@it the strain of all that thinking made me crap my pants. I don't really understand most of the science but I know it works.

 

[monbla256]

Currently owning and training one American saddlebred fine harness horse, I use a LOT of saddlesoap in a year. Your idea has merit but would take more time than I have available so I'll just keep buying my Belvoir Glycerine saddlesoap bars from my feed store Been using the stuff on all my harness and saddles for the last 40+ years since I bought my first horse ! But if I get some extra time I might consider it though I don't see as it would be any less costly than buying it pre-made

 

[christeaux]

Currently owning and training one American saddlebred fine harness horse, I use a LOT of saddlesoap in a year. Your idea has merit but would take more time than I have available so I'll just keep buying my Belvoir Glycerine saddlesoap bars from my feed store Been using the stuff on all my harness and saddles for the last 40+ years since I bought my first horse ! But if I get some extra time I might consider it though I don't see as it would be any less costly than buying it pre-made

In order to really save a decent amount of money you would have to put a lot of time and effort into it, and then it isnt huge savings, just a few dollars here and there , I did it more as a hobby, and a useful skill more than anything else.