Goldshot Ron

You are welcome. I see that you and Randy are both from Oklahoma. He's a pretty good saddle maker, and a good source of information. Well, have fun keeping your granddaughters safe.

Kathy, Your pictures suggest that it had a factory finish on the saddle, and you washed some of it off. The seat jockeys do not appear to be dry, and the type of leather they used looks like burgandy latigo. Latigo does not shine naturally, but has a dull finish. What I use on latigos and strings is Rudy's Leather conditioner. I use it on saddle seats where you do not want oil wicking into your jeans. Springfield Leather carries this product, which is made in Vancouver, Washington. It is a non-oil product, but it does not shine up. It works to prevent mold and mildew on leather. So, you are correct, I agree that you need to oil the saddle. When I have a really dirty saddle, I will use a formula of water, a few drops of Ivory dish soap, and amonia (enough to keep the amonia smell) to cut the grim and gease. Your saddle would not need this treatment. Good luck, Ron

Kathy, It sounds like you removed the oil from the leather by cleaning it the way you discribed. I would recommend using Neetsfoot oil to condition the leather. Start in an obscure area first to see what it does. If you do not have Neetsfoot oil, a virgin olive oil will work also. I am not familiar enough with Lexol products to comment on them; I haven't used Lexol in over 40 years. My basic procedures is to brush off dirt and dust, wash with saddle soap, and when dry, oil with Neetsfoot oil. Once the oil has penetrated the leather and is dry to the touch, buff the saddle with a cotton cloth. Ron

Several years ago, I saw a saddle made by your father. It was fully tooled with long tapadaros. When I searched for the maker, the search kept coming back to a Bill Conway in Pueblo, CO. It is good to know that he is the same person. I have worked on a couple of Ted's saddles; and, they were really made well and his tooling was outstanding. I never met the man, but I feel privileged to have repaired one of his saddles. Thank you for the information, Ron

Jonas, very nice work on the lead. Tom, I have looked at your seat project and it seems like there is no cheap-decent looking repair that one could do. But, could you cut the stitching along the bottom of the tear, insert a patch under the seat, stitch along the upper part of the tear, and finish by restitching the original seam? With that said, it doesn't seem like an inexpensive repair either. You still have to remove the bottom of the saddle to get to the top section, don't you? I'd like to know what you decided. Ron

Randy, I have only been planning this saddle for over a year. My new strategy is to build a saddle, use it, then sell for used. I sold the saddle I was using over a year ago, and it's time for a new saddle. What style trees does Swanke make? A 9 month wait is about the speed I move. The primary styles that I have used are: Wades and SF Bowman. The primary purpose for the saddle would be mountain pleasure riding with the capablity to tow a pack horse or two if needed. I'll post a photo when completed. Ron

Hi Randy, Did you ever post a photo of this saddle for you daughter? I am working on a design for a new saddle, but I have yet to decide on type of tree and rigging. Sue mentioned Arizona Roper in her long past post, and I am leaning in that direction, maybe a tree from Double L (Quality Manufacturing). Thanks, Ron

Tom, I wish I could offer some timesaving tips, but everything seems to take longer than I would expect. I didn't mention rubbing in conditioning after rubbing the edges, or sewing a loop to put around the reins. Ugh...now I have to go make Christmas tomales. Merry Christmas.

They look real good Tom. To answer DieselTech's question, when I make split reins I use harness leather also (but the natural color). After cutting the reins and edging, I but an end of the rein into my bench vise, apply saddle soap to a piece of canvas, and rub the "hell" out of the edges. The reins are dampened and the rubbing will stretch the reins.

Hey Mick, First, what type of tree are you using for your saddle? An Aussie saddle would be different from a western tree. If you are using a western style tree, my main approach is to locate the center of gravity for the rider. This would be your lowest point of the seat. Now, for a man, your seat would be narrower than for a woman. And the woman's seat would be a little flatter. With that side, what you wrote is correct: everyone has an opinion about what is comfortable. The dish in the rear of the seat is important to remember: a flat butt doesn't need as much dish as a round/plump butt. Ron

I see no one has replied to your question; so, I will offer you my thoughts for what they are worth. Pre-made strainers may or may not fit your saddle trees; I have had this experience. Every maker has a different pattern to their strainer, and again, these patterns may or may not fit your tree. I make my own using 22 gauge galvanized sheet metal. Use a piece of light cardboard or poster board, and lie it over your seat. From the bottom of the tree, with a pencil draw the opening between the bars, swell, and cantle on the sheet of cardboard. Note on the cardboard where the stirrup leather notches are located. Now, from the marking measure out 1 to 1 1/2 inches on the bar side and the cantle side. (This will be your nailing location.) Before cutting out the three side of the poster board, make sure that you will have enough material to fit. The swell side where the hand hole will be is the tricky part. This varies between the different styles of trees, and the room that you will need for your hand to go into the hole comfortably. At this point I will let you figure out what you like, and how to determine this design. Some people cut the stirrup leather notches in an arch design, some cut it out rectangularly; this again is your preference. The rear of this arch ends at the rear of the stirrup leathers notch. good luck, Ron

Here's another tip that I just learned yesterday. If you change the size of your needle, make sure you change to the oppropriate size hook shim. I had been using a size 25 needle, but I change the thread and changed to a size 23 needle. On my test piece, the stitchline was good. When I started sewing my project, on tight turns the needle would jam and break. After a time of cussing, checking timing, and cleaning and oiling, I thought to check the shime. It fixed the problem. This is something that clone owners do not have to worry about. Ron

I could not find the YouTube video. But, here is how to tighten the tension on the stitch lever. (Lift the lever up to the maximum reverse position. Under the lever, you will see an allen head bolt. Take a 4mm, long tee handled allen wrench and tighten or loosen that bolt to the desired pressure.)

I will have to see if I can find it on YouTube.

Weaver has a good You Tube video on Adler's. It is an easy fix if you watch their video.