So I thought "Who would work on old leather that needs to be restitched?" Answer: A cobbler
Found a cobbler who is from Eastern Europe and has fixed a few leather soles in his day. We marveled at the "Saddle" together and I learned a few things. Earlier I had called the thick stiff board in the saddle a piece of plastic. Well after getting it off the frame I soon noticed it was not plastic but a 3/8ths inch thick piece of leather. The cobbler told me it is known as "saddle leather" which now seems obvious right?
So "saddle" comes from saddle as in "saddle leather" as in saddles for riding horses etc. Makes perfect sense.
This saddle is truly a saddle made form saddle leather hand stitched some 60 years ago with a cloth cover fitted over the top. The cobbler indicated it would have been formed around a "last" just like in shoes allowed to take that shape and then finished with the cloth cover. The comfort came over miles of riding as the saddle and rider grew together to create a personal shape.
The pieces of saddle leather in my saddle are very old and out of condition and showing some cracks. The cobbler is not sure if it will hold a stitch when he tries to make the repair. All of the stitching will need to be done by hand as the leather is too thick and too fragile for any machine work. There is hope...
I will wait to hear from him after he tries a few ideas and then gives me a quote for the work. I want to try and keep the original leather from this saddle. If I have to scrap it I might as well buy a new seat with comfy padding. If it is not the original saddle than really what does it matter what I sit my butt on?
So sitting just above those springs where might normally be a thinner piece of leather or even plastic or just a sheet of plastic holding in some foam is a 3/8ths inch thick piece of 60 year old saddle leather. I wonder if it has any life left?
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