Go2Tex

Pricing your work is tough. But here's what I do. Figure what it costs you to make it, material, parts, supplies. Then mark it up a certain percentage to cover your overhead. Then, figure how long it takes to make it and decide what your time is worth to you. Add it all up and that's your asking price....... Now, your "gettin'" price might be somewhat less depending on the market.

Yeah, I think that's during the "little ice age"..... global climate change, NOT caused by Man. But, I digress from the topic...... glassing seems to be about the same as tempering, which I have found firms the leather and with drum dyed leather, like W&C chestnut or brown, it darkens the leather and makes my carving flat and lifeless. I try to avoid it as well as excessive smoothing on my fork covers for the same reason. I just don't like the results. Has anyone else had the same experience with glassing drum dyed leather?

All right, come on now...... that can't be your first saddle! That horn, the cantle binding, .... you didn't just pick that up "wandering" around here or readin' some books. Like JW said, it's better than my first saddle..... hell, it's as good as my LAST saddle! You good, boy. ... too dang good. So, how'd you do that full cap horn wrap?

The bar at the Holiday Inn is big and very handy. Pick a time to meet and somebody set up a table with a sign.

Rest the arm. All that tap-tap-tapping will not do it any good and might mess you up real good. Try working on low impact stuff like swivel knife cuts.

I think you have to look at your price point, your market. If you are aiming at the high dollar market, then you will want to use the custom tree guys mentioned above. If you are looking for a cash cow product that you can pound out quick and keep the price down, then there are several options available. I haven't built on a H&F tree, but I have seen some examples at the shows and talked with the guy. They build a LOT of trees. The ones they had there looked about like Bowden trees as far as a quick visual inspection can tell.

Sounds about right. As with everything, there's variations on that method. I kinda have developed my own slant on it too and even that is evolving as I do 'em, always trying to improve and/or simplify. I like using stirrup leather plugs instead of the "flap" cutting. But, as far as the hand hole goes, that's how it goes. Except, I glue the cover to the strainer before I nail it down and I use the 2 piece strainer, like Pete Gorell. The front half of the cover is split down fairly thin so it doesn't add any height and the edges skived down. It can then extend under the plugs and glue to the first ground seat piece. The front of the cover is not glued to the strainer until the hole is cut out, so you can use it for a guide to cut the hole. I make my last ground seat piece wide enough on each side at the stirrup plugs so that there isn't much trimming needed at the end. Remove the tacks, pull out the plugs and you're done.

I tried watching the video but with our satellite internet, it didn't work too well. Kept locking up on the bobbin part. What are the chances of ya'll mailing the video to me on CD or DVD? Sure would help. Lots of really good info, like, how to thread the machine properly. I discovered that after 4 years I've been doing it wrong. And how to make all those fine adjustments.

All I can say is....SWEEEEET.

Nylon and polyester threads will melt with the tip of a soldering iron, thus keeping the thread from coming out. You must keep the tip clean or it will also make a mess and you must be careful not to touch the leather as it will burn it, of course.

I figure to use about 5" per hole of lace on a braid like that.

It is exactly the "professional" part that produces the pressure to perform within time and cost constraints, which in turn causes stress. It is a well established fact that humans generally do not perform as well under stress. It has a compounding effect. The more stress you're under, the more likely you will mess up which in turn causes even more stress. When the inevitable screw-up occurs, not only have you wasted your time, but you have also wasted material, which affects your bottom line. So yeah, leather "vocabulary" gets spoken in my shop on occasion. It's also why I build really strong work benches so that when I go to hammering out my sress with whatever the offending tool is most handy at the time of breaking point.......well, you get the drift. It's also why I keep a good supply of liquid libation on hand and I start singing that Jimmy Buffet song about...."it's 5 o'clock somewhere". ....... It's great to be your own boss. Quitin' time is whenever you want it to be.

Exactly. Good job on the wood grain. So, how'd ya do it? That vinegaroon method works great, eh? Did you soak the project in it or use a dauber/applicator? The photo appears to show the fine cuts didn't get dyed.

Yeah, nice job for light brown. It's a pain to get that light coat using a douber. I've gotten a nice light coat, unintentionally, by dying wet leather. Of course, if you were going to try it intentionally, the leather should be cased well so that the moisture is even throughout the leather, giving an more even obsorption. But, it's still a crap shoot every time I open a bottle of dye. I've found that moulding the leather will make it more difficult to get an even effect also. A lot of rubbing down of wet leather is the same process as tempering strap leather to make it firm, so I guess the pores of the leather get pressed together and, voila!.... blotchy dye jobs. That's probably why my dyed saddle seats are hard to dye evenly, hmmmm. Moulding/rubbing also puts a lot of oils from your hands on the leather, which requires cleaning with deglazer or something to remove all that grime.

Excellent work! Nice, clean lines. Is that a Timberline BW? Which horn is it?

I had one in for cleaning that was sooooo bad,.... ( how bad was it, Johnny?)....... It was a carved saddle and I tell ya, I couldn't get that mold out of the carving to save my life. Finally, I went at it with paint thinner. That worked. Then, of course I had to treat the leather with lots of conditioner to counteract the drying effect of the thinner, but it worked. I know, most of ya'll are probably shaking your heads with disgust but I tell ya, I was so sick of the smell of vinegar after scrubbing and brushing for hours with little or no effect on that mold that I just had to fish or cut bait, if ya know what I mean. The vinegar would get most of it but there were these little specs that just would NOT come off. As shown in this before and after pic: And just so you don't all think I ruined this rig, here's how it turned out.........

Excellent work, Ronny! That in-skirt rigging seems like the best way to go for cutters. No issue with stirrup leather swing. Did you use a regular Dee and drill holes for the rivets? I did that too once, on a flat plate rig, but I raised it up enough to put a plug between the stitches and the rivets for added strength. It worked out really nice and I had no complaints. Who made the tree and what size? I just finished building a BW from Timberline, a 17". I had some issues with the overall length, getting enough skirt behind and up front. There's a point where ya just can't make the skirts any longer, or the jocks any shorter in the back. I ended up stealing some skirt from the front so I could have enough behind the bars in the aft. I'd also like to mention how nice your ear cut looks. I always have a tough time with it, no matter how many times I do it, so I really appreciate one that is done well.

Great to have you aboard! Your knowledge of English saddlery will be a very nice addition to the group. I'm quite interested in the construction myself. It seems much harder to find good info on the subject than Western saddlery.

I bought a quart bottle of liguid antigue from Zack White about 6 years ago. Still have some left, so I don't use it too often, since I also prefer the paste. But the Zack's stuff will get down into the fine cuts and when I need a little touch-up close to stitching where I need a lot of control, I apply it with a small brush. Zack's resist is an acrylic, very much like Resolene and seals the leather completely. Of couse, you can't get oil through it.

I should think it would add substantial bulk. The stuff I use is close to an inch thick pile. The skin is about 1/16 plus thick, maybe twice that in places and fairly firm. Of course, you could soften it up and cut the wool down with shears. But the idea is an interesting one. It is used to line rifle scabbards, of course. It does compact down with use on a saddle, and being wool, it wicks moisture so that might be a good thing to line a knife sheath with.

You're gonna pay at least $6 shipping no matter where you buy it unless you go pick it up yourself.

Well then I may as well use my stitchin' horse.

Interesting idea, for sure. I like the width of it, so you don't have re-position your work as often. On thing, though..... it mounts to the bench but at a low height. I would be wanting to stand up to work. It looks like I'd have to bend over to see where I was putting the awl.

Great looking chinks! The pocket is a nice touch as well. You might find that a rope will catch on it though. Might consider putting one on the left side. Or, just put a holder for your light, etc on the belt far enough to the back that you can still reach it, but it will be out of the way.

Excellent!!! What dedication to a project to spend so much time and effort just on a study. Amazing detail.