Kate

Bob, I gave him your number as a "check here first" reference - and I do know that these are pretty scarce. It was bobbins I got from you Kate Thanks, Bill. I will pass on Bob's number to him Kate

I used to do the hole punch on the ends and connect with knife and chisel - WAY too much work. I wanted a "just so" curved slot for my Kate's Comfort Pancake model holsters, and finally just gave up and MADE the tool I needed, a curved drive chisel, cut from an old shoeing rasp. While the steel was still hot, I peened down the rasp teeth to create a textured surface - easy to hold even with tired hands, and it looks pretty cool too! <br>Since this was tool steel to begin with, it had to be heated and quenched to remove temper to shape and sharpen, then re-tempered afterward. Post-tempering, I then put a polish on the sharpened edge. It doesn't take much of a mallet strike to drive it through even tough horsehide. To use it, I just space the round punched holes on the ends, then use the drive chisel to make the "fill cut" tangent to the holes - easy, fast, accurate.

Well, I just never have liked lacquer or other varnish-type finishes on leather. The acrylic version is only marginally better for leather that must withstand hard wear, often in all weathers. I treat my finished gunleather with my own concoction, beeswax melted together with equal amounts of pure neatsfoot oil. It solidifies. into a paste, which can be rubbed into the finished piece, then warmed with a hair dryer to "melt it in" to the grain. Then a serious buffing with soft clean cloth will bring up the sheen. It gets better with age, and is easily fixed if scuffed or scratched, unlike painted on clear coatings. Done right, it's virtually waterproof too, and will NOT attack a fine blued finish. Guess maybe I'm still too old fashioned, but I like the results. The pic is of my personal carry holster - got to be 12 years old now, still looks pretty good.

I have a good old Landis #1 harness stitcher, and it's pretty well known in some circles. Got a request today from a man in Arkansas, who also has one - and needs a shuttle for it. I told him my shuttle was for sale, but only with the machine! Man, I feel for this guy. Is there anybody out there who knows where a stray Landis shuttle in GOOD shape is? If you know of one, let me know, and I'll pass on the info. Thanks,

Beautiful work, Linda - and I'll bet it rides nicely too. Where did you source the deerskin for the seat? I am hoping I don't need to, but may have to replace the cream doeskin on the old sidesaddle I am currently working on. I bought the fiberglass stuff to remake the tree today.... stinky shop coming up! Kate

OK, you got me on that one. What part of a bareback rig does a stirrup leather hang on? Seriously - I know I'm way out of it, but I can't picture this. Please enlighten me! I do appreciate your offer - Smith Worthington has always been very responsive to customer requests for me on saddle questions (ie, age, etc of saddles) but I never thought of asking them. I do have a feeler out to Malvern Saddle Co in theUK, as they carry quite a lot of sidesaddle parts and pieces, was hoping they still had a hand in tree making. It's such a nearly arcane thing these days. Looking forward to hearing from you! Thanks again, Kate

I'm in the starting phases of restoring a really beautiful old sidesaddle, and need to find a replacement for the truly awful rusted cruddy stirrup bar. Would love to put in a modern safety bar, but shy of buying another complete English saddle and cannibalizing it, I am not finding this particular hardware. Does anybody here have any leads to getting the hardware? I know, most folks here are Western types - and the last time I put a new tree in an English saddle was near thirty ears back..... had to order that tree from England! Just hoping, ya know. Thanks for any help, Kate

The last two of these I have seen go across ebay went for about $600 in decent shape. That's why I am loath to sell mine! Best of luck finding a good crank splitter, they are tough to get.

You have a private email. Kate

Got my burnisher from Scott today, it is simply the prettiest thing I have in the shop. Incredible quality of workmanship. Thanks Scott! Kate

Just a stray thought, but I had some leftover clear material I used to make windows in a jeep top I rebuilt - years ago. It sewed up nicely, was crystal clear and very tough - and if you can wrangle up an automotive upholstery show near you, they may have some. Look for it to be over twenty bucks a yard. Best, Kate

Gosh, those are some nice Bible covers! I guess I need to get serious about making one for my Grandfather's pristine Masonic Bible (I think it was presented to him for attaining some office or other, it's virtually unread) and my Grandmother's beloved tattered old Bible which DID get a lot of use Grandma's is a challenge, as the original covers are falling away - nothing to hold it into a cover, per se. I'm still ruminating on how to do this - it actually needs to be re-bound, but I fear damaging it if I try that!

I can't find a web presence for them... of course, on the phone to order from them, they were "good ol' boys" who were not too impressed with modern technology, unless it meant better steel. Henley Manufacturing Co, Inc. (318) 631-3545 4229 Pro St, Shreveport, LA 71109 That is from a web search, and it is the same as the letterhead on the invoice I got from them in 1999. I ordered their Extreme Alloy blade and a knive body custom made short for me. Still love it. Kate

Dustin, I think that Bob's comment on a swivel knife being a very personal preference is spot on. I also had a chuckle at his reference to the Henley being chosen because of it's coarse checkering - I ordered my Henley because they gave me a really FINE checkering - they called it a "fine knurl". The coarse checkering just tears up my fingers too much - knobby arthritic joints and not enough callus, I guess. Anyways, you will find that a high quality blade makes a whole world of difference in the ease of carving. Poor blades don't polish up as nicely, nor do they hold their edge, and they stick and hitch and chatter - a good one glides. Keep it stropped and clean, and you will have much better results! Best of luck with your new one, Kate

I absolutely LOVE-LOVE-LOVE!!! my new Cobra Class 3 stitcher! I was on pins and needles waiting for the trucker to call - especially as the freight forwarding outfit messed up on some paperwork and it got delayed over a weekend.... Trucker called me, and suggested he take his (54 foot long trailer) rig into my little town of Sultan and meet me behind the feed store, as he does deliveries there a lot and knew he could get in and out easily. When I got there, the feed store folks already had the pallet off the truck and waiting on their forklift to put it on my old flatbed! I told the trucker, you can tell I buy a LOT of horse feed I had to wait until hubby got home that night to get it off the truck and into the big shop, using his forks on the loader. Next day I unpacked everything and then tried to move the box the head came in.. OOOF. bigger than I am. Put up the big ladder and hung the chainfall from a rafter, tied the head up in a nice rope sling, and then hoisted it up and rolled the table under it - easy! After a couple of false starts, and one call to Steve to make sure I had the right wires hooked up to the right places, I rolled it into my shop in the back and dug out some scrap to try it on - WOW.... Just WOW. This thing is magnificent. It makes sewing heavy leather EASY. OF course, my point of view is coming from an old Landis #1, but still - infinitely adjustable speed control (my first servo motor!) is a wonderful thing, and the stitch quality is very good. Steve is great - instant answers, and easy to get. I ordered additional needle sizes and thread already, and am loving this - my first new sewing machine, after all these years. and it has REVERSE - will wonders never cease. Oh, yes - and the bobbin winder works PERFECTLY. That is something of a miracle, in my experience! Huge thanks to Steve, I am a very happy Cobra owner. Kate

Bruce, I'd would LOVE to see more of these. I saw some work by somebody in Idaho who had the Barbwire stamps - they are so easily recognizable - but there aren't many out there. The last time I spoke with John, he was winding down, and mentioned his heart issues (that had forced him into retirement from "regular work"). He said he was trying to finish out a complete set of his patterns for each of his three kids while he could still do it. He sent me a couple of stamps gratis, in a brown envelope, and then I never heard another thing - I'd sent money for that last and largest BW stamp, check was never cashed nor returned. He was a good guy, and is missed. Kate

I have two sizes of Barbwire (of the three made) from Custom Leather Tools of Texas that I got back in 1999 - I was unable to get the largest, as John "went silent" and I fear he has gone over the Great Divide. I also have a couple of basketweaves, incredible quality. The quality of his tools is so far past anything else I have ever used, it's plumb scary. He used EDM (??) machining to do the stamping heads, wow, what a nice result. Am still looking for more of his work. Has anyone here seen or used John's stamps?

SOLD!!! The Lucris clicker is on its way to a new home - thanks Steve!

Fact is, most of the machines badged Dressmaker are Japanese clones of the Singer 15 class - good machines, usually. Oscillating shuttle. If you really want to sew light leather (or heavy upholstery!) on a home machine, find one with a rotary shuttle - White Rotary, or any of the old Pfaffs - get size 18 leather point needles, and a ROLLER FOOT. Without the roller foot, you will fight top layer creep until you go crazy. With a (steel, please) roller foot, at least you will be able to feed a reasonably thick stack without breaking the needle every foot or so. There used to be a couple of sellers on ebay that still had the steel roller feet - they are getting tough to find. Barring that, a teflon foot is the next best solution. I have in the past also resorted to strips of paper under the foot - just sew through them, then tear away. Ugly, but it works. Best solution - save up for a dedicated walking foot or better. - oh, and don't get suckered in by the Pfaff top feed foot - it is NOT hefty enough for what you are asking. Had one, sold it. Home machines are for sewing clothing.

That is a very old patcher... Fuzzy picture, but it looks like the second word is ELASTIC. I will have to hit my books to find more. You will play hell finding parts for it! OTOH, it would make quite the lovely window dressing

Are those birdseye maple grips in that third photo??? WOWzers, those are gorgeous...... would love to know where they came from Oh, yeah, also interested in the slickers - please shoot me a PM regarding pricing! Thanks, Kate

Hi Denise, The older ones have a sling seat (don't know about the Steeles) which is webbing stretched from pommel to cantle, then the seat leather laid on over that - pretty much like standard english saddle, but with a deeper seat so the rider doesn't contact the tree bars so much. The real old ones are actually a lot like a cavalry officers' saddle, with the long tree bars that extend back from the cantle - I would guess the origins of the plantation "type" are closely aligned with those officers saddles, same use parameters - long days in the saddle. There's an interesting variation on the plantation saddle, the Minihan, that fascinates me - good images on Gloria's site, http://www.4beatstitchery.com/. I had a very old and very fragile Minihan that I sent to her - I was never going to get anything done to resurrect it, and it was just too nice to let it rot.

The Gore knife and blades have been sold, and they are on their way to SPAIN!

Ugh. Ugh. it's in a box in the shop attic right now, in pieces... If you want to see what they are like in GOOD shape, ebay number 220434557530 is a fine example that has obviously been refurbished recently - new panels, and mighty shiny The one I have includes the fenders - well at least one of them is original, the other is from something else. Item 330338689691 is more like what I have - the older model, with fenders, rigged out cavalry style. Denise, if you are interested in having the saddle, I will get it down tomorrow and shoot pics - tonight I have to get four portfolios assembles for edge lacing! Kate