JDFred

I’ve got a friend here that makes saddles and has some scraps of sheep skin but I wasn’t sure if that would work because of the skin. I guess you could shear the scraps?

They need to be fairly stiff as they are used to leverage off of to keep your balance in many different situations, steep terrain, or leaning forward for roping or even a froggy horse. The saw dust is a good idea. I may try it if the bottom flap closes tight as the saddle is intended to hold it closed not be sewn down. I’m not sure either as this is the first pair I’ve made. Thank you for the idea.

I’m building a set of bucking rolls for myself, the packing is supposed to be sheared wool; however I’m not finding a local source maybe I need to look harder. I have set a sorta unrealistic finish time so I don’t think I’ve got time for the internet to bring some to me. I’ve sen a YouTube video with a guy using horse hair to stiffen up a set of bucking rolls. I was wondering if cotton balls would work to pack them? Or is there something else I could use?

A pancake knife sheath for a folding knife was one of my early projects. There are lots of digital patterns on the internet. The one I used was from tacktemplates.com. One other thing to add to that basic tool set is a cork backed steel ruler.

Use a glass slicker to pre-stretch your strap before tooling.

Tacktemplates.com has acrylic templates or you can get them as a digital copy and print it on card stock. Pikes peak saddlery has some acrylic templates also. Tandy’s horse tack pattern pack also has a version of a split ear headstall.

The one I make the side with the buckle for the adjustment is 15”. The part with the slit is 36”. You can use a 3/4” or a 5/8” strap width. Start the holes for the buckle about 2-3” from the end and put hole about an inch apart. The slit for the ears starts about a foot from the ends and is about a foot long. I cut the slit about 1/4” wide and make the strap on either side of the slit the same size as the rest of the strap. You can offset the slit to make a dee shape if you like and you can scallop the ends where the bit attaches for a finished look. The first one I made I just took a 3/4” strap and punch 2 small holes on each end of where the slit would be and cut a slit between them. All the other measurements for buckles and holes I approximated from other head stalls I had. But that one because of how narrow the straps are on either side of the slit leave no room for buck stitching or tooling. Hope this helps and good luck

In my mind oiling and conditioning are the same I know they are not but both are preventive maintenance. I have some mink oil I’ll try that. Neatsfoot oil is my preferred oil for things. I ended up with some neatsfoot compound somehow, not sure if that is ok or not I’ve heard some different opinions on the stuff. It smells like kerosene to me. Had a friend that makes saddles tell me it’s ok the smell kinda keeps rodents away, but 100% neatsfoot is better. That is more in a tack room setting not so much for boots that get kept in the house. My thought was animals react different to different things in life was not sure if that affected the leather in some similar way. Thanks for the help.

I have a pair of elephant boots that I’ve had for awhile, and I think I need to oil them. They are starting to get a little stiff, but they limber up after a couple minutes wear. Not sure what to use, I’m not worried if it darkens them some as these are my riding boots, I live in far west Texas and I like them for their toughness against the mesquite and other assorted sticker bushes. This is my first time around exotic leather so I’m worried I’ll break them somehow. Any advice is appreciated.

In your last picture were making a stand alone loop to slide your tab through? If that is the case it would become bulky. I mocked up what I described earlier forgive the sloppy stitching.

I looked at google (so it has to be true) a magnet can affect the strip on a credit card with long enough exposure; however chips in cards don’t seem to be affected. You could maybe try cutting two slots it the wallet for the strap to go thru and eliminate the need for hardware. You could put some decorative stitching around the slots to make them look nice.

Have you considered a magnet closure instead of snap? The only down side is at this point you would have to disassemble the wallet to get the magnets where they go.

Here is the first set of spur straps I’ve made. It’s also my first for hair on and doing an inlay. Is there anything to improve or to not to do?

chuck123wapati is right about buying tools to fit patterns you'll end up with more useable tools to start with. The Tandy craftaids are good for learning and they give you the stamp numbers you need for that pattern. The stamp numbers aren't just Tandy's numbers they are the same for most manufactures. I second DieselTech on the Pro Leather Carvers. I've bought from them before, and as soon as my wife says ok I've got another order for them, just type the stamp number in their search bar and it'll come up. I favor the Craft Japan, but they have several different brands.

Thanks for the help I think I gonna get the stylus type for the convenience factor. I’ve found if something is easier to use you’re more likely to use it. Thanks again.

I’m trying to learn some floral carving, so I got a couple Tandy Craftaids. I was seeing which tools I had and what I was lacking, a hair blade for the swivel knife was one of my deficiencies. I found blades (1/8” and 1/16”) for a swivel knife, but I also found from Tandy a hair blade stylus looking tool with the same sizes. I’m not sure which way to go as I’ve never used this tool. The blades for the swivel knife seem like you would get a better impression as you apply more down pressure; however the stylus has the advantage of not having to change blades to change sizes. So any input would be appreciated. Thanks.