greg gomersall

I have them available on a retail basis but not wholesale if that helps. Greg

You don't need the single hole for anything. I've got 3 different sets of hackbarth bargrounders and on the last set i never even bought the single cause i never use the other ones. i tooled a belt today with a very fine pattern on which i used my fine Don king bargrounders of which my smallest is a 4 hole and never had a problem with it being too big. Greg

Ashley you want to bark tan them and the tannery in a box you refer to is probably a chrome tan deal. Greg

I use a Randall Krebs pattern for my bench splitter and feel they are well worth the extra money they cost and I also have an 18" International Harness Machine Company crank splitter, A big splitter that works good is worth its weight in gold for evening up fork covers, cantle backs and bindings, skirt plugs, levelling skirts off and if you are doing a doubled and stitched rig you can even level the fenders and jockeys. Greg

When you try to sew your skirts the sheepskin will get tangled in the feed dogs and you will have a heck of a time. Greg

The rigging being in crooked from one side to the other could do this as well but I would suggest you pull the skirts and check the tree. I have a tree here that i changed out for a client. The saddle was made by a local saddlemaker of some reputation, the tree actualy has 2 different bars on it and they are set at 2 different angles. The tree maker had wrote the shop's name on the tree as they usually do so I keep this covered with duct tape so people don't know who built on it out of courtesy but i do use it a prime example of what a tree factory will ship to someone. Greg

Now-Now we shouldn't be bashing PETA. In fact anyone involved in the livestock sector in any way (including leatherworkers) should be card carrying members. Serious. Don't it stand for People Enjoying Tastey Animals. Greg

Elwood the Hot-Stuffed Latigo from Fox Valley Tanners in North Salt Lake City Utah is some of the nicest latigo I have ever worked with. When you order from them make sure you emphasize the weight you want as they will tend to gauge them lighter than requested but will pay attention if you make it clear. I feel 9oz is more than adequate for a latigo or half-breed, those real heavy ones are so danged bulky and I believe they wear out faster due to the fact your fenders and stirrup leathers catch on them more cause they stick out further. Greg

I fully understand. The translation from latin to english is " we don't rent pigs". In other words build on it if you like but a man that would rent a pig won't stop at other things. Greg

Nos Hoc Capio Sus Greg

Your 10647 # would be from the mid 30's. at some point around this number they switched to what they refer to as the positive drive feature, the stitch length adjustment is on the rear of the machine between the pulley and the main frame of the head. As for the age on your A2, from my research I found that W. Pearson and Sons was founded in 1877, They formed a partnership in the 1880's to become Pearson & Benyon which in turn was bought in 1899 along with 2 other companies by United Shoe Machine of Boston, Mass. This new company was called British United Shoe Machine Co. The high 11,000 is the newest machince I have ever heard of. I currently have a Pearson on full treadle stand with bobbin winder for sale. It has been completely rebuilt and was one of 3 I bought from Don King earlier this year. Greg

I would guess from my experiance that your pearson is from the end of WW1 to the early 20's. I have used one of these for over 20 years and love it. There are not many of these machines in the U.S. but I quite often have one for sale. Greg

Elton I have built on a bean tree before and I'm sure you will be happy with it. Greg

Steve those are nice. finaly got my computer working again. Don by putting the adjusting slots at an angle you can place the adjustments closer together. This is how they were generaly done here in North America. Greg

Ryan welcome on board. They are generally called a band knife splitter. I have a line on a couple but I will be away from the shop for the next week. I check into them when I get back. Greg

Roo, my grandpa's brother moved to Australia in the 30's, we stayed in close contact with him till he died so I am some what familar with your country and its customs.. Your country is one of if not our best supporter and contributor in The War on Terror. Thank you. Here in the US it is Illegal for a convicted felon to own or be in possession of a gun. Your country has developed into what we call a Nanny State where the government has way too much control over the everyday lives of your people. I'm just kidding with this next line but maybe your government has taken this concept one step further by thinking that because Aus started out as a penal colony that too large a % of the people have a felon in their family tree and and that the evil genes might pass down through the generations so they disarmed you all. I immigrated to the United States 2 weeks before the Sept. 11 attacks from Canada. I Love this country and the freedom and opportunities it has presented me. Greg P.S. The true definition of Gun Control is the ability to place your second round in the exact same hole as your first. Charlton Heston is still revered as President to a lot of people in this country.

A crown splitter is used on driving bridles and some english bridles. The poll strap or crown is split part way on each end and these ends form the billets for the cheek pieces and the throat latch while tthe top is one solid piece. Greg

It's affected me as well cause my tree makers keep raising their prices! You pass it on to the customer. I have been writing more saddle orders for Canadians lately than I was when their dollar was only worth $.66 US a few short years ago. Greg

Go2Tex A gator belly wide enough to do the inlay will run 375 to 400 so your right, it could hurt the pocket book if a guy were to messup. Thanks for the comments Greg

Proper hand sewing goes back centuries before Al Stolhman. The gentleman I apprenticed under in the late 80's himself apprenticed under an old harness maker in the 40's. The very first thing he had Hank do was hand sew triple ply harness traces by hand. Hank asked why hand sew these when you have a sewing machine right there, The reply was "you have to learn to hand sew properly if your gonna be any use around here." As for the times we now operate in, being efficent is the key to survival even when hand sewing. I have no idea how long it takes you to mark your spacings ,drill your holes and then sew your holster while reaching for your pliers each stitch but I would be fairly confident that either Darcy or myself could sew at 7 stitches per inch by hand using traditional methods and sew four holsters in the time you got through one. But what the heck I don't know squat anyhow. Greg

When you drill a hole you are actualy removing material,how is this type of stitch tighter. It takes time to learn how to hand sew properly but when you sew with an awl, you do not set the awl to run along your stitch line but diagonaly so that it will not tear. The Art of Handsewing by Al Stohlman is a good book for some one wanting to learn the correct way. If you are happy with drilling your holes that is fine, I don't care but some people want to elavate the level of thier work constantly and there are no shortcuts to excellance. Go back through your LCSJ issues and study the rebuttal Jeremiah Watt gave to the so called test on which method is best. There may not be a right way or a wrong way but there is a Traditional Way. Greg

If I recall correctly the test you are refering to in the Journal was disproven because the people doing the test DID NOT angle their awl correctly thereby were encouraging the seam to be weak. comman sense will assure you that when hand sewn correctly using an awl your thread will hold the seam whereas when you are drilling or punching your hole you are removing material and there is nothing left for your thread to lock into. Learn to hand sew properly and your work will have a sleek clean professional look to it whereas using prepunched or drilled stitching holes will leave your work looking amateurish no matter how nice you tool it. Greg

Andy welcome on board. You will have to make your own arrangements to get gator into Canada. It can be done but there is a lot of red tape involved. My suggestion would be to get it shipped to somewhere in Washington and then pick it up yourself and forget to declare it at the border, kind of risky but it sure is nice stuff to work with. A belly just wide enough for the inlay will usually give you a set of rolls as well and run you from $375.00 and up. Good to hear from you. Greg

You can get brown and black as well from Bieler's Mfg but the size selection is more limited. Greg

Elton try putting your spring from your old case on the new one and also try using 92 or 99 size thread on the bottom as it won't be as big of size jump. The only place I was able to get that size of thread in Canada before I moved was Warkov-Shafer Shoe findings in Winnipeg. Greg