Josh Ashman

The leather and guns look great Robert. Is that a 44 mag model 92 with the Ruger? They make quite a pair! Best regards, Josh

Chris, Yes, the copper rivets are set by hand with the tools Ron noted above. I use a horse shoeing hammer instead of a ball peen hammer and I also keep a nail nipper at my bench to cut off the extra length on the rivet. I haven't seen the Tandy video but I'm sure i set them the same way. One thing you can do to "dress" them up a little is round off the rivet side, I use a double cap/jiffy rivet setting tool (the one with a concave side) to do this. It fits pretty nice on a #12 and works OK on a #9, just set the burr, flip the piece over and using the concave face of the rivet setting tool smack it pretty good once or twice with with a mallet or maul. You can over-do this so a little practice isn't a bad idea. Ron's suggestion on sewing the stress points is also very good advice. Good luck, Josh

Chris, I mostly use #9 and #12 copper rivets and burrs, I also do some sewing and sometimes I'll use double cap rivets and chicago screws. It all depends on the application. Double cap rivets aren't super strong so if the piece your riveting will recieve much pull it's a good idea to sew it as well or use a copper rivet. Chicago screws are OK for attacing bits to headstalls or reins to bits but they do rattle loose and having your bridle fall apart in the middle of a ride is never very fun, I'll usually use a laced tie instead of a chicago screw if it makes sense and looks right. I've attached some pictures below to maybe give you an idea or two, the best thing is to look around at tack you like that you feel works correctly then build yours in a similar fashion. Good luck, Josh

Craig, Dwight's suggestion to use some extra thread was pretty good, it seems like the first 6" from the needles usually get it the worst. You can also see a lot of improvement just by going over your stitches with your overstitch wheel after you get done. I rarely make anything that is truely black but here's some that are certainly dark and the stitching stayed pretty white. FYI, the IWB is dyed with eco-flow dark coco brown (cut with a little water to give it a little distressed look) and a resolene top coat and the western rig is fiebings liquid antique black with leather balm for a top coat. Good luck, Josh

Thanks Ron & CW! I appreciate the compliments and the good feedback. Best regards, Josh

Thanks again Bob, I really appreciate that you're taking the time to share your thoughts.

I think there is a difference between "fatal flaws" and things we would do differently next time. I've sure never built anything that was "perfect" and my very best work from a few years ago isn't nearly as good as what I make now. If I make a major mistake I toss it, if it's a minor mistake I fix it as best as possible and move on. Do the best job you can and get better with each one. That's my 2 cents.

Thanks Dave & Jinxed! I really like the combination of rough out and smooth out too. The border stamp pattern turned out really nice and it all seems to flow together. I'm pretty pleased with that aspect of this saddle. Bob (BondoBobCustomSaddles) took the time to give me a few pointers in a private message, which was really nice of him and I'll share one of the things he brought up. One of things I didn't do very well was the blocking on the skirts. I'm sure the experianced makers all see it straight away but the novices like me might not be picking it up. It's easy to see that the back jockys don't sit down on the skirts like they should. It's not so much that they aren't tight but that my blocking wasn't good enough. I did block around the back of the bars and even tacked ths skirts into the edges of the bars while it dried but I didn't go far enough and once the intial blocking was done and the skirts had shrunk a bit I didn't force them back to where the blocked edge matched the skirt. Add that to the previously mentioned horrible cantle binding and this saddle doesn't look near as good as it should from the backside. Neither of these is a "fatal" flaw or has any "structural" impact in my very humble opinion but they certainly do detract alot. Anyway, I shared that so maybe others could avoid these problems. If you go look in the "Makers" page cac just posted some pictures of an awesome roughout association saddle where he nailed the jocky/skirt fit up and cantle binding. Best regards, Josh

That looks great, very nice job! I really like that you fit the swell cover without cutting it. I'm sure you'll have a very happy customer. Best regards, Josh

I really like your work Frank, thanks for sharing! Best regards, Josh

Great looking rig George, I really like it. Best regards, Josh

It sure looks good to me Eric, nice job! Best regards, Josh

Excellent job on the leather and the grips Ran! Best regards, Josh

Well, it's not 100% done but it's very close. The wife is very pleased and can't wait to put it on a horse. Here are some pictures of how it looks now and a few i took along the way. I appreciate any comments and I'll be the first to note my cantle binding is horrible. Bad doesn't even come close and I know it, I'm not sure how to fix it on the next one but I need to figure it out. Other than that I'm fairly happy with it. Thanks for looking, Josh

It looks awesome, great job as always. There's no question you are your harshest critic, I think most of us are! I am somewhat concerned about your Ruger SBH being a "little" gun.... Take care! Josh

Thanks Harley, it has a border made with Crafttool D447, you can go to Tandy's website and search for it. I don't recall what the seeder in the corners are but anything you like would work there. Best regards, Josh

Thanks Brian, Semper Fi!

Looks nice mortar man, where'd you get the EGA stamp? Best regards, Josh 0311, B1/3

Thanks for your description on how to set the string Ron. I'll have to try pulling from the center of the cantle as opposed from the center of the horn and see how they come out. Best regards, Josh

Thanks Ron, I see what you mean on the rigging coming up to cover the front of the bars. That's an excellent idea, I'll have to give it a try on #4. I appreciate you taking the time to give me the info and the picture! Tom, I do have the book that came with the Dusty video but I haven't looked at it or the video for quite some time. As best as I can recall it was a piece of plexiglass with a wood frame on two sides, think speed square with a window. The idea for using it was to set one side of the rigging then place the jig frame edges on the tip and bottom edge of the bar then mark whatever reference lines you wanted with a greese pencil on the plexiglass. Then you go to the other side, flip the jig around, place it on the bar the same way and use the reference marks to ensure the rigging is equal. Here's how I set my rigging plates, I'm not sying it's the right or best way, it's just the way I figured out to do it. It's also probably a good idea to keep in mind this is based on me being in the middle of my 3rd saddle, I've done similar measurements on 2 other saddles that I repaired/replaced the riggins on. 1st - I tack the rigging on both sides, this is the part where I use my "good eye". 2nd - I move my work stand up against my bench with the saddle facing and square with the bench. 3rd - I measure from a reference point (leading edge, center back edge, pick your fav) on both sides of the rigging to the front of my bench (I hold a 4' level along the front edge of my bench top and a shelf that runs under it, you could also use a wall or any other flat surface). 4th - measure from a reference point to the floor on both sides. 5th - I tack a nail dead center on top of the horn (I've also placed the nail on the back side of the fork just above the hand hole, just make sure it's centered) loop a string over the nail ans pull down each side to a reference point. Once I've made these measurements I'll adjust one side or the other until they are all close enough that I'm OK with them. Anyway, maybe that'll be helpful or maybe somebody else will chime in with a better way. I can tell you I've been riding the 2nd saddle I made for about a year and half and haven't noticed any issues with the rigging being out of balance. Best regards, Josh

Thanks Tom, That is a flate plate rigging and the hardware is from Weaver, it's the Jerimiah Watt brand. I think you can also get it direct from him at his website www.ranch2arena.com . I pretty much follow the Stohlman books but I haven't built his rigging gauge. I use a combination of strings, tapes and levels along with my "good eye". The Dusty Johnson DVD shows a fairly simple jig that looks like it would be easy to make and use although I haven't made me one yet. Best regards, Josh

Thanks guys!

Jinxed, I don't have the Watt or Cheany DVD's so I can't really say anything on them. I don't have the Harry Adams book but I have looked through it several times waiting for my wife to go through the SLC bead section (anyone who's been there knows...) and I do have the Stohlman books and have used them to build 2 saddles and I'm a little into my 3rd so I feel somewhat qualified to speak on them. In my opinion you'd be alot better off with the Stohlman books since they go into far more depth and cover more ground. This certainly isn't meant to say the Adams book wouldn't be good to have, I hope to pick one up when I have an extra $100. The Stohlman books do include how to make patterns although you'll have to be a little creative to get everything to apply to the half-breed you're looking to build. I'm sure others will chime in and give you completely differant advice, some of it will probably be much better than mine. Good luck and have fun, Josh

Thanks Bob! I appreciate the kind words.

Thanks!