Go2Tex

She has a saddle business on the side and she's selling them on EBAY. Bwahahahaha

I get fairly close results by adding yellow to medium brown and then just a tiny fraction of black. It helps to thin the brown down a bit. Remember that oil will darken it up.

So, if the lining isn't stitched, I must assume it is only glued? There must be some book binding glues for that, or would any good leather glue work? Excellent work, by the way. As always, you set the bar very high!

Got the invite to attend Saddle Week again. Looks like a lot more money for a lot less instruction than the old format.

Nah, if I did that she'd never leave..... and, I'd never get any work done.

Laced skirts? No way! I wouldn't even quote them. They couldn't afford it.

I don't get a lot of visitors to my shop but almost everyone who comes in ends up with his hands on the horn of the saddle I'm building! They don't touch the tools, and for the most part, that wouldn't bother me. But what is it about brand spankin new saddle horns that attracts people to want to rest their hands on 'em? God only knows where those hands have been! I just look down at the horn and pray they didn't just finish working on their tractor's gear box or something.

I notice nobody mentioned cleaning cost when replacing wool. If you are taking the saddle apart, it seems a good idea to give it a cleaning also. Plus, I hate working on dirty old tack, so I'm going to be doing it anyway. Might as well figure it in as part of the cost.

Bar grounders can look great and also really bad. It's hard to get it right sometimes, for me anyhow. So, the overall affect is the important thing. The background is just that. It adds depth, to any style and can also add some of it's own unique character and flow within the pattern. If the backgound area is really large, it begins to take on a dominate role and that much bargrounder work can be overwhelming and detracts from the overall appearance. Just my 2 cents worth.... I like the carving. Shows tremendous knife control. Better than I can muster on my best day.

Wow! You really nailed that basketweave. Looks perfect going down those straps.

Happy BD to your daughter. And, nice job on the album, too. Lots of background area. Looks like you got it nice and even which is no easy task.

You could always gamble on the futures market and pay up front or an agreed upon rate in advance.

I don't know, Bob. There are a "few" things that come to mind. But that could be a bit off topic there....

Aah sooo...... that would explain it! I too begin cutting wet for fear of drying out too soon and wet leather seems to cause more drag. I figured it was friction or something at that point. I just love those "bingo" moments I always get here on the forum. We've been having really dry weather down here this year and I have been dealing with quick drying leather as opposed to having to sit and wait for the dang stuff to get ready. Normally it's a bit more humid and the leather just never seems to get ready. So, now I'm keeping it under plastic and just working small areas at a time. Cutting it wet is not as good as waiting until it's ready. The cuts close up and you have more trouble getting your beveler to stay down in them as you walk it. One thing about knowing when the leather is ready, the old thing about feeling for the coolness with the back of your hand...... never works for me. I can't tell that way. I just can't. I have to judge by the appearance, the color and the texture and just plain give it a test with a beveler. I guess that's why it so hard for me to switch from drum dyed to natural colored leather, different times of the year, weather conditions, shop temperature, and most of all, lighting! I wish there were a better way. How about using a moisture meter like the home inspectors use? Anybody ever tried it?

Absolutely beautiful work! I really like the way the flowers stand out. Could you tell us how you did that? What processes and finishes did you use?

Drag can come from a couple different causes. Maybe you just need to strop the blade. A sharp edge needs to be polished. I usually have to strop a few times during a cutting if it's big. Some leather seems to have a tendency to create drag more than others. Drum dyed leather drags and chirps or chatters the blade after a few cuts and I have to strop it clean again. Must be the oil or something in it. It might be the leather is dry in the middle and is grabbing the blade or won't open up for the blade as you cut it. Then, it might be those dang pesky grimlins...... the same ones that make those mystery marks that all of a sudden pop up right in the middle of a piece of work where you swear there wasn't any before.

Been there done that. Transparencies, or what we used to call view foils, work great but are a bit thick, so you have to press hard to get it to transfer and in the process, the ink does wear off eventually. I much prefer drafting film, or mylar. It's damn expensive but the thin stuff works great. It comes in larger sizes too, so you can do a big project on it. Get the one sided film. I don't know if your inkjet will feed mylar, though and it might smear. Never tried it in the printer. I don't design on the computer anymore... now that I'm retired. heheh

Smells Bad? What smells bad? I actually have learned to really LIke the smell of cement. In fact, I can't hardly wait to get back out to the shop so I can sniff some more of it. heheh

Yep, you put the loops through the strap first, then stitch the strap to the belt.

Very nice work, indeed, my friend. I know the pain of hand stitching those cartridge loops. I've been thinking for awhile about coming up with a better way to do it so I can use my stitcher. I don't like the idea of the thread going across where the cartridge goes. That could wear out with a lot of use. I don't like the slots, because of the bulk on the inside of the belt. I'm thinking about a strip of leather about a half inch wider than the loops, which would be wide enough to get the stitcher by the loops with slots for the loops instead of stitching. Then stitch the strip to the belt.

Ditto all of the above. Very fine work. It must have been hard to pick the winner with so many good pieces. I have one of Paul's knives and I use it everyday and love it. My biggest problem is trying to decide which blade to use!

I'm afraid there will be no compromise here. Poor Noah is going to have to choose between his hobby and his girl. Ah heck, it wouldn't be the first time that happened in history! Women are always making us men folk change our habbits and hobbies. And we DO IT damn fast too if we want to continue to enjoy our most favorite hobby..... the one we can't live without. So, Noah ol' buddy.... suck it up, Dude. Take up golf or something, 'cause you ain't gonna win this one. At least not for a while. If it's that good, and apparently to you it is damn fine stuff, then you hang in there and wait until the little lady moves on to some other cause du jour and then you can take up the leather hobby again. Good luck to you and I hope this post didn't OFFEND anyone.

And apparently, if the buyer turns out to be a crook, Paypal will charge you back for the money you were paid. You will be out the money and the item you sold and shipped.

Dusty Johnson's book of saddle making and repair has a very good list of the basic stuff.

Well, you certainly didn't waste your time or the scholarship. Obviously you have fine tuned your skills very well. It is amazing how much can be learned from spending some time with a master of the craft, regardless of one's previous skill or experience. Now you have me thinking...hmmmm