alb

It's hard to say without seeing the saddle. I've reworked saddles with surface cracking that had lots of life left in them. With others, the surface cracking was just the tip of the ice berg. After doing a lot of them you start to get a feel. The best products I've found for restoring leather are those from Preservation Solutions. http://www.preservation-solutions.com/ The company has good customer support as well. Whatever you do, don't just keep adding oil.... Ann

I love it!!!! Ann

A picture might help......

You are mixing up a few things here. A thonging chisel is used to cut slits for lace, not to mark stitches or punch holes for thread. When stitching pieces of leather together, such as you might with a sewing machine, you use thread, not lace. I'm not going to discuss using a "sewing awl" with a small spool of thread attached such as Tandy sells, as I've never used one. Usually when people talk about hand stitching or sewing leather - it is with 2 needles and thread. To mark the line and provide a channel for the stitches, you can use an edge groover, but it's not required. If you do not use a groover, just mark a line with dividers. Then, using a stitch marking wheel or a pricking iron or even a ruler and a scratch awl, mark the position of the holes. You do not punch through leather with a scratch awl or the other tools, you are just marking the location of the holes at this point. Once you've marked the line and hole positions, use an awl and two needles and thread to stitch. One of the Al Stohlman hand stitching or case making books would be helpful to learn the technique. There are probably videos that would show it as well. Have fun! Ann I'm assuming if I wanted to start, I'd use the edge groover, then use the thonging chisels to set up the hole placement, then poke through both pieces with a scratch awl and then sew through with the sewing awl or hand sew with 2 needles. I'll probably order a book from Tandy tonight. Have I made any wrong assumptions?

Good advice already but I thought I'd add one idea that will help with keeping the leather from sliding around. You will eventually get the hang of keeping it stationary just using the side of your hand while walking a tool, but it can be frustrating when starting off. You can take some wide clear packing tape and tape the back of the piece so that it overlaps an inch or two off each side of the piece. Then fold the tape under the piece and stick it to your surface. Enjoy! Ann

Would you mind sharing a link to the leather chemist forum? Thanks, Ann On their forum, the leather chemists were unanimous: animal/plant oils were not bad for leather; mineral oils would deteriorate leather over time. In fact, they went further (might have been in a different discussion) to say that acidic is good for leather (pH of 4 is ideal). Leather is actually acidic as it comes out of the tannery: place pot metal on wet leather for 90 seconds and see what happens.

I recently tried something new with my strap scraps and I think it would work well for scraps the size you have. I punched a hole in the end of each piece and then threaded them onto heavy duty wire hangers that I created, and then I hung the whole thing on the sides of shelves that hold my hides.. I created a separate bundle for each width and type of leather - latigo 1" on one, larger latigo on another - veg tan on another, etc. I just cut off whatever I need for a particular job. You might need some help getting it mounted as the bundles can get really heavy but it sure beats hunting through boxes or piles which is what I used to do. Let me know what you end up doing as I'm always looking for good ideas for making things more efficient. Ann

Fantastic!!! I'd love to see the top of the horn and a close up pic of the carving on the fender if you happen to have additional pics. Nice job on the hidden stitch on the cantle binding. Ann

I recently went to a week long leather workshop and asked a friend if I could borrow her camping trailer to save some money on the hotel bill. She said no as she would feel as if she were contributing to the use of leather, which she is against. I couldn't believe it.... I don't think our friendship will ever be the same.... Ann

I think you did a very nice job! The leatherman cases I make are similar to the original design, a folded case. I like this style you've made very much. Ann

Awesome job! How do they fit? Ann

The kind of distraction that makes a difference for other people. I like hearing you talk. (or type). Ann

try e-mailing them directly: books@noblefootwear.com

That saddle looks like it's in great shape! I agree that a good cleaning and conditioning will do wonders . I would however *not* use a stiff nylon bristle brush. A soft vegetable brush or a soft toothbrush are good, but the finish on the leather can easily be damaged if the brush you use is too stiff. If you do decide to use neatsfoot oil, use very light coats and wait a day or so between coats to allow it to even out. Neatsfoot oil will darken leather and there is no going back once it's in there. Instead of Neatsfoot, on most of the restoration projects I do, I use the Preservation Solution products. They do a great job of cleaning and conditioning, don't migrate out of the leather and they don't darken. I love the look and feel they give older leather. If you do decide to take it apart and put on new wool, be aware that there will be a lot more staples, nails and screws attaching the various parts to the tree. As Mike said, work slowly and carefully. You will be removing the screws that hold down the seat leather but *don't* remove the seat. As you get into it, if you have specific questions, post them. Have fun! Ann

Oh my, My mother the birdwatcher would be horrified that I don't know an emu from a Sand Hill Crane! That is really cool that they hang out at your house. Ann

ARe those your emus? Is that a baby one in the picture? Cute! Sounds like you're on the right track, when ready to restart, just shout out and people here will help. One of the cool but also frustrating things about leatherwork is that no two pieces of leather are exactly the same and some can be *really* different. It takes awhile to gain enough experience to deal with them without getting totally frustrated. Take care, Ann

SFS ASSOCIATES, INC. DAN BUSSE 5450 HIGHLAND PARK DR. ST. LOUIS, MO 63110 Phone: 314-531-1830 Fax: 314-531-1882 These guys know everything there is to know about thread (and most large scale leather equipment) and they are GREAT to deal with whether you are a hobbiest or a huge shop. Ann

I love seeing your work. Thanks for taking the time to post it. Ann

Ed - does this give you a good set? Are you finding it to be more efficient? Ann

Oh I don't have to imagine the frustration I've experienced it myself! Ann

Thanks Dwight, I understood that it was laid on edge, I was just trying to clarify if the curve was over the entire length of the rule. I can see from your sketch that it is. Thanks! Ann

I appreciate hearing the 'long story'. I have been doing saddle work for less than a year. I work with a gentleman who has been doing it for almost 50 years and he has a tremendous wealth of knowledge and experience. That being said the more experienced, knowledgeable people I can connect with and learn from the better. Thanks, Ann and yes, of course when we do fixes on trees, the entire tree is checked and repaired.

You'll get much better advice on the machines from others on the list. I did want to comment on the collars - they are fantastic! I love the colors and the dye job is excellent. It does look like you have the buckle on backwards on a couple of them. I appreciate seeing your work. Ann

I'm trying to imagine this. So if you took the 48 in rule when it's flexed and tied, and laid it on a table with both ends flat, the middle of the ruler would be 6 inches above the table top. So you're curving the entire piece 6 inches over the 48 in total length. Is that right? Ann

I think it turned out great! How did you lay out the pattern onto the leather? Ann