S.
Sounds to me like its been over tightened--loosen the nut first.
There are several things to consider before doing any reshaping.
If the leather is dry don't flex it before you first:
1/ Clean it...this removes the sharp grit & salt cyrstals that shred the leather fibers. --------Lexol cleaner(orange bottle)is very good, never use saddle soap)
2/ Apply conditioner -------If it is very dry use a very moderate amount of Lexol conditoner (brown bottle) and apply before the saddle drys from the cleaning rinse. -------If it is not so dry, dampen it with water cut with little bit of vinegar.
To shape it, tie a wide rag around the hammock, drawing it in a little tighter than it appears to need and then let it sit til its dry.
Treat with a moderate amount of Proofride.
Then let the Proofride dry before riding on it.
This has worked well on almost a dozen "its shot, you can have it" saddles.
Good luck, Calvert Guthrie Kansas City
In a message dated 11/20/2000 6:09:41 PM Central Standard Time, sjf11@idt.net
writes:
>
> I just took delivery of a used Ideale Model 6 I bought on ebay, and the
> shape is a bit funny - at the narrow part of the saddle, near the nose,
> the leather flares out more than it should. It looks like applying some
> gentle pressure and leaving it on there might reshape it.
>
> In other words, when you look at the saddle from the top, it's looks
> almost triangular instead of being narrow from the top down and then
> widening rather quickly towards the bottom.
>
> Suggestions on exactly how to do this, please? Do I need to apply goop
> of some sort first, and how should I restrain the leather?