M.J. Corlett

Greg, We are going to work for the ZX at the View Point Ranch in Christmas Valley. Should be moved over there by the middle of the month. Misty

I sold it!

I will have some pictures to post as soon as my Husband brings the camera home from cowcamp This weekend I have only built one saddle and that was on a Rick Reed tree. The saddlemaker that I learned from had started out building saddles on Superior trees and said that I might want to go that route until I was good enough to order trees from Rick Reed and such as him. Well, I won't be making saddles anytime soon...we are exteniding our small family and I had already ordered this tree. Long story short - I have never used a Superior tree. MJ

Hi, I have a Superior saddle tree up for sale. It is their Ray Hunt wade with a 16 1/2" seat, 4" cantle, semi-quarter bars, 6 1/2" gullet. Paid $250 + s/h, asking $175. Thanks, MJ

Here is my 2 bits a month later I use a light poly maul from Barry King for my tooling, a heavy rawhide maul for stamping. Here is the advice that the saddlemaker I studied under gave me: Mauls are better to use because they are round . Where a mallet is flat, it can hit the top of your tool at an odd angle and make your tool "bounce" over or move and they do not disperse the impact evenly. The maul seems to hit and disperse the impact evenly. That said, he told me to never use poly when you are using forceful blows (e.g. for stamping or setting copper rivets etc.) as a poly will deflect. This is especially true when using the domer for your copper rivets. I use his advice. Misty

Hi, I was just looking through the forum and saw this. I covered one of my work tables with 3/4 poly board from this site. My table is 3' x 4'. http://thecuttingboardfactory.com/Merchant...egory_Code=3WSA

Another method is to dampen a few of the fringe at a time, twist them, and hold them (usually 3 or 4 together) with one of those heavy duty metal paper clips. (drawing a blank at what those paper clips are actually called). This will leave a little flat mark on the end of the fringe, but like Greg does, just cut it off close to that. Those paper clips are great to hold the gusset in place on saddle bags after you glue and during sewing.

I suppose you could say that. I am originally from Winnemucca, NV. (That's my husband in the picture). I made most of the gear he's using, including the saddle. I don't work rawhide yet, but will soon. I have waited until my father could teach me the foundation of it. one more

Hi all, I am trying to get a picture of a pair of chinks I made posted. Cutting the fringe has never been a favorite chore for me and I seem to have always done it the long and hard way. That said I usually get the outcome I want. I have always thought that cutting out a pie shape piece would make it easier, as Greg said, but wondered how it would lay after that. I think I might try it now...Thanks Greg. The pain staking way I do it is as follows: Make light pencil marks at the angle changes and use a clear ruler (quilter’s ruler found at any store that carries quilting supplies - Wal-Mart). I too, like mulefoot, find the clear ruler to be very helpful. However, I used a rotary cutter at one point, but once you make a cut - that is it. I now mark my entire fringe line with my tracer, using the ruler, and cut with the...uh-oh...scissors . They have to be extremely sharp. As I get closer to rounding the corner, I make the outside of the fringe wider and just cut off the extra to make all of the fringe the same size. So, essentially, I am cutting off very small pie wedges. Don’t know if you’ll want to go this route, but there ya go! Misty

HI, New here to the forum. I tie cinchas and wrote an article for the Leather Crafters and Saddlers Journalon this subject. I would be happy to send you the article that I wrote. Although, it would be better to have a copy of the LCSJ yourself, as the LCSJ has the pictures along side the article. It was the NOV/DEC 2004 issue. Misty