Stamping Swells And Cantles

[bkingery]

Ok all you saddle makers, I replied on a post this morning about stamping and carving on wet moulded stuff and told the person to ask the saddle makers because to me doing a swell would be the same thing. After posting this I have been cruising LW and the web for what seems like days trying to find ANY information that might help. NUTHIN. ANYWHERE. Can some of you explain your process for those of us that are dumbfounded.

Pretty Please.

With sugar on top.

Many Thanks

Bryan

[rickybobby]

Bryan,

After the swell is finished and other parts are done and ready to assemble, I rewet the swell, wrap it in a plastic bag overnight, then trace my pattern, swivel knife, and start tooling!

If there is another way "I need to know!" If you were to tool it first then put it on the tree you would loose the depth of the tooling and smooth out tooling marks while working the swell cover to fit.

Rick

[BondoBobCustomSaddles]

Ok, lots of guys do it many different ways. This is just how I do it, and I like the results because I don't get that "fade" in my tooling when done. I always tool my fork/swell covers already installed. I have my version of the "old george" stand that I modified with a trailer hitch ball and a clamp to allow me to move and set my tree in any position I want, and of course that is with the surface that I am working on presented so I can tool it comfortably. As for the cantle binding, I have a 5/8" plate that has a curved edge approximately the same as the cantle binding. I clamp the plate to the edge of my bench and then put the binding on it, and tool it there. This give me again a good surface to tool on and presents the binding in a good working plane.

Hope that helps, again, like I said, that is just one way, there are many others. I will try to find a pic to show how George holds the tree for tooling.

Bob

Edited November 7, 2011 by BondoBobCustomSaddles