Mechanical Cowgirl

Bud, Thanks for posting that, good to know! It must not damage the leather much if you can keep repeating the freeze and thaw on working gear without it breaking.

Well, it tooled up and dyed with no issues. There is no difference between the part that froze and the part that didn't so far.

Hi Steven, I don't know about bleaching the leather, but would it work to use some sort of a slicker to firm up the leather? Get it damp and use a piece of glass or very smooth wood to rub it down and hopefully compress the fibers. I've also heard of someone adjusting their splitter so that it only rolls the leather through it, compressing it, without splitting it. Not sure if this helps...

Best of luck on it! And, have patience, it may take a few rounds over a few weeks to get it rejuvenated.

I've worked with some very dry saddles before and had some success on them. I use saddle soap and water, clean it and get some water soaked in to it. Don't drench it, just let it get nicely damp, then let it set in a cool area for a few hours and check on it now and then, add a little more water as needed to get the bag evenly damp through the thickness of the leather. Just be patient and don't get too much water in there at once. After you have the leather dampened evenly (again not wet, just lightly damp) put a dubbin inside and out. I can't guarantee what result you will get but with some tinkering I've had some good results on saddle skirts. Good Luck!

I agree that it may be difficult to get a good result stamping on a finished belt. The best thing you can do is to try it on the same type of belt and see what happens. A girl came over last weekend and stamped a name on a used belt, it turned out okay, but not like it would have been if it was done as the belt was made.

I haven't sewn thin leather, but my mom does a lot of sewing (machine) and she often uses a smaller diameter thread on the under side than on the top. Maybe this would help in hand stitching as well? Just a thought...

Thanks Bob. I think I will complete this one as an experiment and let the owner know to keep an eye on it, and also to let me know how it performs over time. It will be doubled and stitched so if some saddle makers did this on a saddle, I should be okay here. I've never even thought about what happens to leather if it freezes before... water and mould and getting dried out I've seen before, but not freezing! I wonder about gear that gets used in freezing weather in the snow and such where it could be soaked with water and then freeze?

I haven't tooled any leather since we are working on the road so last night was my first time casing leather overnight in the RV fridge. Long story short, it froze about half of my piece. Has the strength of the leather been compromised? This is for holding big iron worker wrenches, so it needs to be safe and strong. Will the leather be ok, or do I need to cut a new piece? Thanks!

If it's just bent up from improper storage and not because it's dry I'd say you could dampen it and put a draw down on it. if you don't havea draw down strap put the saddle on a stand put a clean cinch over the seat and use a latigo to snug it down till it dries. I have a saddle stand with a tray underneather for brushes and stuff so this gives me something to hold the contraption down. If there's any indication that the top of the leather wants to crack when you flex it down where it should be make sure you condition it well first before strapping it down. I've used leather new and a local Dubbin with good success, make sure the leather is pliable before doing the above And of course when you strap it down it doesn't need to be too tight and make sure you aren't mishaping anything else in the meantime. This is what I've done before, can't say it's right, I'm self taught, but it has worked... Good luck!

I'm having trouble getting the picture to load, trying again...

The fenders, rigging, seat, and jockeys on this saddle are doubled and stitched. No tooling, no makers mark. It is numbered, the latigo keeper has a '0' above the slot and '3761' below the slot. Rawhide covered tree and all brass hardware, the rigging rings are North and Judd as a. I'll attach a picture on here, anyone recognize the work?

Thanks everyone! This hardware is on a really cool old saddle, all brass hardware, and the seat, jockey's, fender's, and rigging is double layer and stitched together. Not a whole lot of wear, no makers mark, just a number.

I have an older saddle, numbered but no makers mark. The rigging rings are brass and stamped with a small anchor. I thought I remembered seeing somewhere what company this was and now I can find them. Anyone have an idea?

Has anyone made their own saddle pads? I'm not sure if it would be cost effective at all, but just wondering if there's a way to make a good contoured saddle pad for less than the 150 to 250 Classic Equine and Professionals Choice make them for. Plus it could be made to really compliment your saddle. Ideas?

I have a chance to pick up a Foss saddle that is in decent shape with a 14" seat, it needs a good cleaning, fleece, and strings but otherwise it looks alright. I know these saddles were made in Twin Falls Idaho, are they worth fixing up as collector's pieces? I know it's hard without a picture, but is there any price range that is acceptable for one of these saddles needing some refurbishment? Thanks!

Ah, good to know. I would have never guessed that.

Thanks! Off to Tandy...

I'm starting my first saddle, it's a wade tree and I received some advice from a local-ish saddle maker on how to make my patterns for the ground seat but I'm stuck on the tools. So far I have two pieces in and I've shaped them with a round knife, hoof rasp, and a grinder with a wire wheel... I know I don't have the proper tools, so, where can I find some good skivers for working the ground seat? I have the little skiver from Tandy and we are just not getting along at all, not sure if there is a way to modify it so it doesn't gouge chunks out? The grider works pretty well, but not for the edges :-) And it sure makes a mess my whole shop is covered in leather dust and I get glared at by the cat and dog when I use it. I'd like to know what to buy and where to buy it. Thanks!

How do you cut your fringe on that 90deg corner? Do you have some very triangular fringe pieces or do you cut some of them out? Thanks!

I made a bass strap for myself out of 9/10 oz skirting leather and didn't line it. I've also made one for a local guitarist (electric guitar) out of 13/15 oz. unlined (tooled with flames and dyed black with skull conchos...) and he loves it, it holds it's shape really well and he can just flip it up on his shoulder.

Was there ever a maker that would stamp "COWCOUNTRY SADDLE" over a long horn steer head? I picked up this saddle thinking it was unmarked, then after I got it home noticed it had a barely discernable mark on the seat. It is the same shape as a Rowell Saddle Co. saddle that I have and it is built exactly the same. Strings not through the tree with the exact same style screw next to them to hold things together, same shape saddle, the horn is slightly thicker on this latest saddle and the stirrup leathers are under the fenders while the Rowell saddle has exposed ones, but that's all the major differences. I took some pictures of it and played with editing software and Cowcoutry and saddle are my best guesses. I'll put a not disturbed photo on here, the saddle isn't any easier to see it on hence why I missed it when I was looking at it to buy.

I made one for myself several years ago without any pattern, just went for it. I looked at a lot of pictures on the internet, decide what syle you want, how you want the holster to hang, will it connect to your belt or pants anywhere? do you need something on the off side to even out the weight ect... Then I made a paper pattern, I did a curve in the shoulder strap to fit the slop of my shoulder, and adjusted it until I was satisfied, then cut it out of leather. I just left the end of the straps as straps, punched holes in them and my holster has a set of buckles on it so I can change out the holster whenever I want and also the angle that it hangs, a fairly forgiving design. On the other side I have a knife that I attached the same way (buckles on the sheath in this case) or can attach a pouch with extra clips. It turned out very functional. Using a pattern pack would be quicker, but making your own will force you to really consider fit, style, design, who knows maybe you'll come up with an incredible design that will become your thing that sets you apart from the rest. Don't forget about the gun weighing more than just about anything you'd have on the other side, but if you want a fully concealable rig you'll not want a strap across the chest or any obvious connections to your pants. Also think about the angle that you want the gun butt to be at, are you going for secure, speed, accessibility... This will take you more time but if you do it on your own the first time you will be more prepared for customizing patterns that come in a pack. I've bought some pattern packs and have never used a single pattern out of them, mainly just look at them then decide I want to do it my way. Cheers!

Yep! Looked there, all it has is the exact same info that Bruce Johnson found and a picture of the maker's mark. I spoke with the guy my neighbor said to contact and he said he knew Ab very well and that "he made a hell of a good saddle." But told me to contact another saddle maker up in that area and if he couldn't get me any info then to call him back... the hunt is on.

Perfect, I will start saving for a Cobra and keep my eye out in the mean time for a used 441, clone or not, and try to see if I can re-arrange my leather shop to make room for the new machine. My husband just got done building me a new leather shop and I've almost outgrown it already in less than a month. Luckily about half the space is taken up by used tack that I have for sale, I can always forgo that venture and stick to just new stuff, but I figured selling some used stuff would help me get some exposure at first. Thanks a million for your help!