On Sunday, December 30, 2012 5:31:33 AM UTC+1, Michael wrote: > > At least, in this colder weather, I am pretty sure I can feel it > "breathing" through the 3 holes in my B17 saddle. > Maybe this is what they mean by "breathing". > Grant wrote that he puckered up and blew on a saddle and couldn't feel any > air go through. > But perhaps Brooks means the air passes through the three holes of the B17? >
"Breathing" when it concerns materials is about transportation of water molecules, not air. A leather saddle "breathes" because it can take up, and distribute the moisture from your behind and let it evaporate through the saddles surface. It has nothing to do with transportation or exchange of air, even though air in practice is the transportation medium of the water vapor outside the leather. As an example and clarification of an discussion I've seen about this, treating the underside of a leather saddle would indeed make it breathe worse. The vapor/steam pressure between your behind and saddle is comparatively high, and water is forced into the leather. If the saddle is untreated on the underside the water can evaporate more easily from there, beacuse the fat and waxes in leather treatment is designed to stop water from passing through, doesn't matter if it's coming from the outside or inside. If you should or should not treat the underside of the saddle however, is another question - but very far from an important one - as it works well both ways. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rbw-owners-bunch/-/_p0G5KsFJmUJ. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
