itchaguide

I am rather new to leatherwork and I am still collecting tools on a "as required" basis, today I had my latest Tandy order show up in the mail and it included a lace maker.. I have been messing with this thing for 30 minutes and so far I have a bunch of leather chips and not much else.. the blade now has a "U" shaped notch at each opening.. OK I paid $6.00 for this POS but even so I would expect that a tool would at least cut a few feet of lace before the blade wore out... I am really getting discouraged and would appreciate any suggestions for leather supplies besides Tandy.. Oh and I am in Canada so a company that has a catalog or decent online store and will ship to the great white north would be a bonus.. thanks

Thanks Andy, I will go with doubled harness leather, what would you recommend for dressing? I do guide in the Itchas and hope to be back up there this fall, lots of boo and some big moose up there if you are fortunate enough to draw a tag for the rut and know where to look :-) Rod

I want to make a halter/bridle combo, so far all the stuff I have made has not been stuff that has had me worried about sweat (saddle bags, scabbards etc) so I have not lined it. my question is what is the most economical leather to line it with? keeping in mind that I might never use the leftovers so I don't want to buy $200 worth of leather to line one halter. What a great source of information, I visit often and read old posts and it is great to see so much good info shared.. Thanks in advance Rod

I agree that many people tie on the rigging without a problem I just wanted to put it out there, lots of people have never seen it.. Oh and I also use a quick release knot on the latigos when I tie to the cinch ring.. I have never had one come loose on it's own and they are quick to loosen when you have a wreck.. I use the double cinches on my own outfits, two separate cinches offer more adjustments but I am lazy and the doubles are easier and I have never had one rub the elbows unlike doubles if not adjusted properly. I guide in the exact area where Hobson and Panhandle Phillips ran cattle and I have spent time in the cabin they built on Itcha lake.. unbelievable country with some serious moose and Caribou as a added bonus, I love the area and it has given me a real appreciation for what those two Wyoming cowboys went through.. Thanks for the tip on Montana Pitch dressing I am going to give it a try. Rod

I guide up here in the mountains of British Columbia and typically spend about 3 months packing camps, gear and meat every day. my last season I kept a GPS in my saddle bag to log my miles and ended up with 1000 kilometers (600 miles) over the course of the season... I don't meant to say anybody else has a wrong method but in my experience the britchen should be snapped to the rear cinch ring not the front one, this prevents the rear from becoming loose or ending up bunched against the front one on long hard downhill trails. I have also managed to cause sores (even with a good pad) by tying the latigo to the upper ring and a old time Idaho mule packer I guided a few years back taught me to tie the knot on the cinch ring, this reduced the bulk under the pack and I have never had a animal sore up high since. now for my fabrication content of the post... do you have a suggestion for treating skirting leather to help protect it against sweat etc.. I have a horn bag I made and treated it with pure NF, the bottom of it sits against my horses neck and where the sweat gets to the leather it has turned completely black.. BTW; That is a really nice rig, I built my first one by trial and error without a pattern years ago and it works but I am sorry to say it is not nearly as nice to look at.. Cheers Rod

The first thing I would do is confirm that it is actually tanned and not just salted and dried.. Any home tanning I have done included scraping the flesh side well enough that there was no flesh left. Home tanning is a lot of work and many people with good intentions quit before finishing the job but it is not uncommon to see salted and dried hides in hunters garages and sheds :-) If it is tanned and has dried out for 20 years my guess is that it might not be salvageable but I would still try, soak in water to soften and expand the fibers, let it dry partially and oil while still damp.. good luck.

I have a old hand crank sole stitcher that I have had in storage for about 20 years and though I would ask here about finding a needle to replace the broken one on it. The machine only has one marking on it and that is Frobana AG.. it takes a curved closed eye needle and I have been looking anywhere I have seen leather or industrial machines over the years and never had any luck.. Hopefully someone here might have some info on the machine and possible ideas on finding needles. Cheers

This is my intro post, I am pretty new to leather work. I work as a hunting guide and spend a couple of months a year in the mountains living in a tent and use the little bit of down time that I have to make gear for my rig. Unfortunately tooling is not a option in the bush but I have recently purchased some stamps and hope to change from pure working tack to some that is a little nicer to look at. here is the stuff I made over the last couple of seasons, all done by hand without a pattern.. I finish with NF and remaining color comes from hours in the weather.. I would appreciate any info on the best method to protect leather gear from the elements without ruining the natural properties of the leather. I have been told waterproofing with products like Dubbin etc are not good for the gear. I am also looking for a breast collar pattern to go with the taps that are next on my list. Thanks Rod

My first post, I have been reading here for days!!! :-) Mark B that is a nice design! any chance of getting the pattern? I have been making bits and pieces of my personal tack for a few years now and this is one of the best looking setups I have seen, easily adjusted to fit any saddle..