ponygirl

Tim, I was browsing wade saddles one day and bumped into your website. I've been dreaming of the half breed wade (with the flowers) you have up there ever since. Maybe someday Not a saddle maker here, but I can certainly appreciate a nice buckaroo rig. From a customer's point of view, I really like your lines and the rise on the seat looks perfect. Looks like it would really sit down on a horse too.

will do...thanks guys! I'm so excited to make my first pair of chinks

Hey all! Turns out the flywheel was loose! I feel so silly now, it's stitching perfect now. Thanks so much for that suggestion, if we had not checked that, we would've went to the shop. However, the knob in the center in the flywheel doesn't want to STAY tightened. Any ideas how to keep it from loosening?

Thanks all for the responses and advice. I'm going to take some of those pointers in the morning and see if we can't get her working again. I'll let ya know how it goes! Thanks again.

This is a continuation, and a change, of my thread below... I wasn't sure of how to change the title, so I started a new one here. So it seems the bobbin isn't the problem. It was suggested below that the needle was hitting the bobbin case, so I took it apart and that doesn't seem to be the case. Now the flywheel is spinning (with or without the bobbin case and bobbin in place) and the machine is not working properly. Sometimes it will work and sometimes the fly wheel will just spin and the needle won't function. Sometimes when it does work, the motion is very jerky and erratic, sometimes it works smooth. Like I said in my other post, the machine was working fine the first couple days we had it, then it decided to go postal on us... I have posted a video on YouTube, I'm sure it does a better explanation than I. I am mechanically illiterate, so any guesses as to what's going on would be great. I'd like to tweak with it and see if I can avoid the long drive to the repair shop. Thanks in advance.

Hi all, I recently purchsed a Singer 31-15 which was sewing nicely until this afternoon. The issue appears to be the bobbin. I've made sure that I'm winding and picking up the thread as instructed. However with the bobbin and bobbin case in place, either the flywheel will not turn or it will turn but the machine will not sew (in other words, the wheel turns but the mechanisms which run the needles don't move). When it does work, it moves with an erratic, jerky motion. With the bobbin case removed, the machine moved nicely both manually and with the motor. I'm not sure if the bobbin case is locking in properly. Could the case be worn and need replacement? I've checked to make sure there's not thread getting caught anywhere inside. Perhaps I'm just making an obvious newbie mistake that is going unnoticed, or perhaps a part is worn. Will inapparopriate thread size cause any issues here? I am running a 69 top and bottom polyester apholstry thread. Any insight is much appreciated!

I have plenty of chinks to use for patterns but unfortunately no cutting chaps around. Nobody I know has them. I'm going to order some chink patterns from Mr. Klenda, but if anyone knows where I can get cutting chap patterns that would be great! I don't want to buy a $400 pair of chaps just to make a pattern off em!

the suppliers list is perfect, didn't realize it was on here. thanks much, I think i'm all set.

Thanks all. Seems the ads are for lots of leather and machines and not so much needles and thread. perhaps I haven't stumbled on the right ad yet.

I'm hoping someone can chime in on good websites to buy leather sewing thread (nylon, polyester and the like) and leather needles. I can't seem to find these things in the local fabric shops. I need sizes 69, 92 and 138 size threads. Thanks!

Luke, To be honest, I don't know much. I do know it's a needle feed machine.. the feed dog keeps running the material through straight right? Are those the little feet underneath my leather? I thought that was a walking foot? If you have any references about this machine that talk about it's mechanics I'd love to read them, I've been unable to find a manual. You mean 138 for the top thread and still a 69 on the bobbin? Another elementary question.. would it be bad to run the same size thread both top and bottom? What do you sew with your 31-15?

Actually if you all could keep this conversation here it would be appreciated (TK - I bought that little 31-15 today that I was telling you about. I'm so excited, she runs really nice So am I reading this right... you can run a 69 thread on the bobbin which is for the bottom thread and either a 69, 92 or a 138 on top? What size do you think would be good for chinks and chaps with 4oz-6oz garment leather? Why type of thread (cotton.. nylon?) would you use for this project on this machine? Where do you buy these from... I was going to just wander over to a local fabric shop tomorrow. Are you using leather needles or just regular ones? pardon my ignorance and thanks for the help!

ahha! i got it. thanks. i'm assuming it's best to use latigo for this if I wanted to sell them? What weight would you recommend?

I know this is an older post but I figured I'd throw in my 2 cents. I just got a custom wade on a laporte poly tuff tree a couple weeks ago. It is the best wade I've ever ridden in, hands down. I was very skeptical at first, but gave it a go. The tree is light and tough, the cable rigging pulls evenly down on the front and rear of the tree (you can rope just fine single rigged) and it fits a whole lotta horses very nicely. The seat is really nice and narrow with a close contact because the ground seat is built into the tree (that's how I understand it). The saddle with double rigging and stirrups weighs 30 pounds. I love it!! I'm not sure of how to order one, but I've been thinking of buying one and just hanging fenders on it to use as a light weight mountain saddle. If you find out where to get one, let me know, I'm hooked! Cheers, Hanem

I'm hoping to get my paws on some patterns for chinks, armitas, cutting chaps and shotgun chaps. Does anyone know if you can find these patterns for free online? Anyone willing to share theirs? I'd be happy to pay a small fee and shipping if you have some you could mail me. I've got a couple chink patterns, but would consider another one. I'm really hoping to get my hands on a nice cutting chap pattern and a pattern for armitas. Now that the sewing machine is sitting in my garage I can't wait to make something so help a girl out! Any info on chap and yoke weight and leather type/provider preferences is appreciated as well! thanks!

Hi all, I'd like to make some hangers like this But I can't figure out how the braiding is done to connect the loop. Any explanations or links to instructions? I'm also interested in any other traditional leather hanger designs without any hardware. What weight latigo would you use to make a hanger like this? Thanks!

I found a bunch of good starter tutorials, and even some gifts of old stamping tools! thanks guys!

Hey everyone, thanks for all the help! I did purchase the machine yesterday for $400 with a new table and new 1/2 hp motor. I figured that wasn't half bad for a deal. It sews the chap leather with ease, We've sewn a few pieces of 14oz shirting leather together with no problems. But whew were you all right, this thing TAKES OFF when it catches! Gonna take some practice to get it down. It rolls for a few stitches too. I'm going to try and master this machines crazy speed without buying a servo or reducer, we'll see if I give in to the purchase after a week or so of crooked lines! I'm building a little table for it to create a flat surface. Anyways, I'll post some chaps once I get to that point Thanks again!!

This is exactly what I have been looking for. Thank so much!!

Hi all! I've caught the leather working bug. I found a good sewing machine and are going to begin making some chinks, maybe a pair of cutting chaps cause I need them I'd like to start to play with some simple geometric stamping and basket weave. Does anyone know of a good instructional resource for a real beginner, either online or a book or two? How does stamping leather work, in a general sense? I've read that Veg tan is the best for this type of work, can you also use chrome tan.. or even brain tanned leather (I'm taking a brain tanning class in a few weeks and might end up with some nice leather if I don't mess it up!). How did YOU first learn to stamp and carve? Any info is much appreciated! =)

Whew, all this measurement inconsistency is making my head spin! The maker is Louis Carrillo out of Texas. He will be making the tree and the saddle. So to be more specific.... I start horses under saddle midway through their 3yo year. I am currently in the northeast (Vermont) but will most likely be moving to one of the Rocky mountain states this fall when I finish graduate school. Many QH here have too much TB in them for my liking. I am more interested in a saddle that will fit an average ranch QH (not the halter bread ones that are HUGE, or the ones with tons of TB in them, somewhere in the middle). Optimally this new saddle will fit horses that are older colts (I guess when I say colts I think of not finished). So perhaps 5 yo and up animals. My apologies for the confusion there. I got the angles on my visalia type saddle (it's not an actual Visalia Stock saddle, that would be far too expensive to stick on a colt! lol) by measuring it. The angle on my wade saddle was provided to me by the maker, Sparky Wallace. He said the Poly Tuff wade tree I've got is a 90 angle with a 6 1/4 gullet. No sure where he got that angle from if Poly Tuff doesn't provide one. I now understand that not all angle masurements are the same, or even meaningful. I guess I'm still real puzzled on how to get this tree built so that it works most of the time. Perhaps I should just describe the horse types to him and let his best judgement prevail. My own personal horse is a little on the shrimpy side. The wade fits her well with a 1" pad. I don't want to build this new saddle to fit her per se, so it would be silly to measure her with the DL system. Interesting that Vinton uses a Bowden tree. I've heard great things about these trees. Perhaps I should ask Louis if he is familiar with them. Thanks again for the great discussion!

Hey all! Thanks for the Dennis Lane Advice, I'll have the maker send my the system. Ad for padding up for thinner horses, I did mean all the colts, only the ones where the wade was squeezing em, but they didn't quite fit the wider rig. I looked at a Vinton cutter today thats a 6 1/2 gullet on 93 degree bars which looked like just bit wider than my wade, perhaps thats the way to go. I was hoping this saddle might also fit some older horses. I have a really old visalia with a 6 inch gullet on 88 degree bars that I put on the real thin built ones that my wade doesnt fit. I was hoping this new saddle might round out of saddle selection to accomodate a slightly wider horse (not mutton withered however... I see these 7 inch gullets everywhere... I'm not sure what horses they're going on, but they don't fit any QH around here.) Jman, I didnt realize that about wades in particular relative to cutters. Good info to chew on. The tree maker i'm working with will make the tree according to the Dennis Lane system and my wade tree is actually a poly tuff cable rigged tree. I don't want a cable riggin on the cutter so that leaves out the option of using the same tree maker. This tree will be handmade wood/bullhide. Bruce - do you think a 6 1/2 gullet would be too wide on older colts (say 5yo)? I know i'm just rambling now... just trying to throw all the info I can think of out there. Thanks for the help!

Hi all! I am just getting into leather working, but this looked like a good place to post a saddle fit question. I am having a ranch cutter made that i'll use to start and ride many different horses, so it's impossible for me to use Dennis Lane or another system to build the saddle for a horse or two. I'll generally ride horses that are fit, not too fat. Right now I've got a wade on a 90 degree bar with a 6 1/4 gullet that fits many horses nicely. However I'm thinking of going with a 6 1/2 gullet on a 91 degree bar for this new rig, so that it can fit a few horses that I might squeeze in the wade. For those more experienced than I, What gullet widths and degree on the bars have you found to work best with a wide variety of QH built horses? I'd like somehthing I can get maximum use out of, using a thin blanket for the thicker built colts and a 1" pad on the thinner built ones. Let me know whatcha think! Thanks much

Kevin, I've heard quite a bit about reverse being important. Will not having the reverse impact the quality of the item i'm making? or just add a little more time to the process? Deb's comment gave me the impression that it's workable. I've been hunting for a machine locally with the reverse option, and have found quite a few machines that claim to be "industrial" when really they can only sew some canvas. sigh. This is the first nice machine i've found in a couple months. I'd really like to make a purchase so I can get started on the learning process. The machine is actually not from a friend, so that's good. I've also made friends with the fellow at our local leather repair shop, and he's agreed to help me a bit, which is really nice. I guess I'll decide about that reducer and motor when the time comes I guess Ryano - I just grabbed that book off Amazon for 10 bucks! Thanks!

Ryano - that's exactly the type of tricks i'm talking about! thanks for the advice. A block of wood sounds a heck of a lot better than 150 bucks.