JAM

Thanks, CW - I'll try that.

Yes, and the problem is I'm losing the edges. When everything gets dull on that tiny blade, I can't get a handle on sharpening the edges. They all get rounded over. How do people sharpen these particular awl blades? I can do the Tandy and Osborne blades just fine - they are wider and I can see the angles and edges - but the Douglas blades are so fine and the angles are different. A saddlemaker friend of mine breaks them all the time and so doesn't need to resharpen ;-) but I don't break mine and wondered if anyone else actually resharpens theirs and how they do it. Thanks for the advice about the ebay "6 Gray Rubber Polishing Point Cylinder Dremel 427 Rotary Dental Jewelry 240 grit" - I can give something like that a try.

That's exactly what I use - a hard-felt wheel with green compound on a 1700 rpm buffer - works great for everything but the Douglas awls, which are extremely slender and precise, and the wheel just seems to make things worse. There have got to be more techniques that I don't know about.

Does anyone have any tips or advice for sharpening an awl? Specifically a Douglas awl? They're wonderful when they're new, but they do get dull and I cannot get them sharp again!

Hi, everyone, Here are two difficult questions that have come up a few times for me, and I'd like to know how others handle them. You've built a spec saddle and advertised it for sale. You get customers calling who have seen the pics, read the specs, and love the saddle. They want to know: 1- How do I know it will fit my horse? Can I take it for a test and return it if it doesn't fit? and 2- Will you take less money for it? How do you field these questions diplomatically? Julia

Well, here are pictures (not very sharp ones, sorry) and an important UPDATE on what I learned from the good folks at Campbell-Randall. These lines of stitching were 5-c left twist linen, both top and bobbin thread lubed with silicone (which does nothing to protect the linen from the elements like wax does). I got a call from a wonderful gentleman at C-R (I'm sorry but I cannot remember his name). He said he understood I had questions, and then we had a long conversation about the history of thread fibers and stitching machines, and essentially my Cobra 4 is not built for linen (no machine in that class is built for linen) and I'll make a monster if I try. Linen is no good unless it's waxed, and wax of any kind is hard on my machine. However, they carry an off-white bonded poly called "Deer" that closely resembles the color of natural linen, so I can use that on my saddles anyplace that I need/want to do machine stitching and it will look like it's the same thread as the hand-stitched waxed linen horn and cantle. So that's the plan now for any saddle that's not priced for complete hand-stitching. Don't know if this helps anyone else, but it answered my questions quite well. Julia

Well, often bonded poly is exactly what I want - handbags, chaps, etc. - but in saddles I want to go with linen. Some of my "hero" saddlemakers only use linen, and that alone is good enough for me to try it. I like the look and durability of linen in horn and cantle bindings, and want the thread through the saddle to match. So I did my research (here and elsewhere) and this is an abstract of what I found: "Linen is a natural fibre and not subject to sunlight degradation like a lot of synthetics." "It is stronger when wet as the natural fibres swell up." "Linen Does not stretch. The stitches pull up tight and stay tight." "If properly waxed it will out last Synthetics. I've been around long enough to see the difference now 10 to 20 years is all that you can reliably get from Synthetics. I've had to replace stitching that was done by me in as short a time as 7 years using Polyester Blended Thread. Whereas I have never had a Linen Thread fail in nearly 50 years of stitching. Also there are more Dead Sailors (below the surface stitches) with Synthetics owing to the stretch factor pulling tight (over tensioning) when the next stitch is done." "A problem with synthetic threads is their strength! There is a danger that they can be pulled up so tight that the stitch cuts through the leather like a cheese-wire, and over tightening can also cause 'rippling' along the stitch line." "Linen doesn't rot if prepared properly with Beeswax & Resin." This is how I prep thread for handsewing horn and cantle bindings, and the thread pulls snug and stays snug and looks wonderful. "Barbour's Linen thread is all I use and have used for 45+ years - despite others experiences, I have found that linen thread holds up well over time and well made existing pieces bear that out. Not only is the leather in Packing Iron a good example of many existing pieces from the "Cowboy Period", all sewn with linen (or hemp) thread, but there are thousands of leather goods dating to much earlier (at least back to the early Middle Ages) still in good usable condition and last, but not least, such great leather workers as Al Stohlman used nothing but linen in his many years of working and thousands of pieces he made." Yes, much of this was handsewing, but if I can use linen in my machine, why not? I was excited to find out that it was used in machines long before the synthetics were invented. It will make a mounted shooting saddle that much more "period" without spending the extra time handsewing the things that can be done on the machine.

Dirtclod (and everyone else), Where did you find a wax pot for your machine?

Sure. I asked Lisa Naegle at Campbell-Randall this question: "In addition to using linen for all my handstitching now (and I have the whole beeswax/resin coad trick nailed) I want to use it in my Cobra 4. I understand that should be no problem - but is there anything I should do to treat the thread before machine stitching with it? Is there a wax system, or is it enough to run it through a silicone lube pot? (or should I even do that?) Or should I just machine stitch it dry?" and this was her answer: "If you decide to sew linen on your Cobra, you will need a wax pot. We have a liquified wax called Campbell's Thread Lube that we sell in quarts and gallons. The Campbell has been sewing linen long before synthetic threads were invented, so it is a good option for you. The quart runs $8.50 and the gallon runs $22.50." So I've ordered the wax (and wax pot, I think, if they have them). Meanwhile I experimented with some 5-cord left twist Hungarian linen. I filled a bobbin with it and soaked the bobbin with silicone lube from an eyedropper. Then I ran the top thread through a lube pot with silicone lube, both of which I got from Weaver. I loosened the tension way up and starting stitching through two layers of 12-13 oz scrap, and tightened the tension a little, just enough to make the backside look good. Using a 794LR size 230 Schmetz needle. It stitched really well - looks nice, no problems. Top thread makes a lovely embedded channel in dry leather, no grooving required. I think I need the wax rather than silicone for the preservative value (and to bind the thread and give it a bit of "stick" when the wax dries - I'm just guessing here). Either way I'm pretty excited to be going back to "period" with my stitching, even for the machine-stitched parts. And the hand-waxed 8-cord is going to make wonderful horn caps and cantle bindings.

Sure - I asked Lisa: "In addition to using linen for all my handstitching now (and I have the whole beeswax/resin coad trick nailed) I want to use it in my Cobra 4. I understand that should be no problem - but is there anything I should do to treat the thread before machine stitching with it? Is there a wax system, or is it enough to run it through a silicone lube pot? (or should I even do that?) Or should I just machine stitch it dry?" She responded: "If you decide to sew linen on your Cobra, you will need a wax pot. We have a liquified wax called Campbell's Thread Lube that we sell in quarts and gallons. The Campbell has been sewing linen long before synthetic threads were invented, so it is a good option for you. The quart runs $8.50 and the gallon runs $22.50." This was a big help to me - I hope it helps you, too

Never mind - got the answers I needed from Campbell-Randall, my linen thread supplier.

Never mind - got the answers I needed from Campbell-Randall, my linen thread supplier.

Hi, I want to use linen in my Cobra 4 for saddle skirts, and I've been experimenting. Now I have questions: Should the linen thread be run through a wax pot or lube pot, and if so, what liquid should be in the pot? Or should I prep (wax) the thread somehow before I ever thread the machine? What should I do with the bobbin thread? Should it be dry linen, same size as the top thread, or what? I played with 5 cord, left twist, both dry and run through a lube pot with silicone (with 207 poly in the bobbin because that's what I had in there), and a size 200 needle, and it did okay but the thread tends to get a bit rubbed and frayed-looking as it pulls back up after catching the bobbin thread. Any ideas? Tips? Advice?

I've been playing with linen thread in my Cobra 4 and having good luck, but could use some advice/tips. I'm running 6-cord S-twist thread through a size 230/26 LR needle, and using 277 poly in the bobbin for the sake of experimentation (I haven't gotten around to trying linen in the bobbin yet). I've tried it both unwaxed and waxed (I made a terrific thread wax from a 1:3 mix of resin:beeswax), and it works both ways, although the waxed thread makes the tension a lot tighter and makes the machine work harder (and I can only do finite lengths of thread I've waxed by hand - is there a better way to wax linen thread as it runs from the spool to the needle?) I suspect that waxed thread will have more longevity than unwaxed. I've got the tension worked out and like the stitches, although they untwist a tiny bit in the stitching (and don't look tightly twisted in the finished stitches), and the thread shreds a little as it's pulled up through the leather after catching the bobbin thread. What is causing this, and how do I correct it? I love the idea of using linen in my saddles, in the skirts, etc., as well as the horn/cantle. Does anyone have any advice on how to make it work better? Thanks, Julia PS Is S-twist the same as left twist? How can I tell whether it's left or right twist?

Yes it does help. Thanks, Bob!

Does anybody do lined fenders? And if yes, what weight leather do you use for the lining? What about lining other saddle parts, like the seat? If you ever line saddle parts, when and why do you do it? Julia

Try RTC (weavers and sheridan leather both carry it). No volatiles, dries really fast, and is the best resist for antiquing I've found (2-3 coats). It goes on thin like water, and dries fast, but let the final coat dry over night before you antique. You can use it as a topcoat when you're done, also. It is kinda shiny.

Hi, all, Question about stretching stirrup leathers: When I do a plain saddle, it doesn't much matter when I wet the assembled leathers/fenders and put them on the stretcher to dry, but if I tool the fenders (and I do half-leathers) at what point do I soak the assembly and put it on the stretcher? After the carving is complete? Will that hurt the carving? Julia

Great answers, all of them. Thank you. I, too, am a traditionalist, and as I said in my first post, after the compression thread I got to pondering... Sometimes individuals will do a thing a certain way just because it's the way they were taught (and occasionally that's not the best way, depending on who was doing the teaching). Even if it's traditional and has stood the test of time, I want to know WHY. As for the woolskin question, you've all answered that question really well.

Ah-hah! That's what I was curious about.

Outstanding answer to my query, thanks!

Well, since I build saddles I think I'll do an experiment with my own saddle and take the woolskin off and see what happens. I can always put it back on if it turns out to be a bad idea. The historical perspective sounds familiar based on old saddles I've seen, and pictures of even earlier traditions. That's part of what I was wondering. Thanks, everyone.

But the saddle is always sitting on a pad or blanket (or two). English saddles are leather on the underside and sit on various kinds of blankets or pads - so I'm not convinced that rubbing is the answer (yet). But that's certainly one idea to think about

Hi, all, I was perusing an earlier topic about woolskin compression, and how a new saddle doesn't really fit the horse until the woolskins are compressed, and how to speed up the compression; and I got to pondering why we use them at all. Why not just put leather on the undersides of the skirts? Has anyone tried this? Does anyone have a functional answer as to why or why not line the skirts with woolskins? Just curious. Julia

Don't forget about making from scratch. You can start with large nails, spikes, and bolts and grind the heads into your own custom shapes with a belt sander, dremel, and files, one of my favorite flower centers started out as a large nail. You can add fine lines with a gunsmith's checkering file. And you can make modeling tools and petal lifters from 1/4" stainless steel rod.