Go2Tex

The osborn #6 is what I've been using on the skirts and horn but it's getting loose and I need another one. I was going to upgrade this time and ended up with the 2 #5's. Oh well, it still works. I could enlarge the one Watt tool but it's like heracy to mess with such nice tools.

hmmm...... sounds like a great idea using drill bits. Only problem is, I never have the right sized bit and it's my luck that the thickness of that sandpaper wouldn't make a wit of difference. I'd still end up with a bigger hole. But, alas, at least the drill bits are good and round and hard, so.... what the heck. My question is, why doesn't Jerimiah Watt make a number 6? His 5 is just a bit too small for my skirts and I ain't takin' no chances on those babies with an open end edger! Probably how folks end up with those fancy scalloped skirts. heh heh

Ditto all the above but for someone starting out or on a budget, you can get decent round edges from the cheaper bissonnetts from Osborn. They just don't come as sharp or stay that way. But, heck, like you say, time is money and if I spend an hour trying, unsuccessfully to sharpen a dang edger, I could have just gone and bought a new one! ...or, several. Those open edgers are great for long straight edges but really suck on the curves, especially the tighties. That's when I grab for that el cheapo bisssonnnettte that I broke trying to sharpen it. It's now a great little tight curve, open front, round edger. Of course I had to buff it smooth but it edges my skirt wool and even gets into those tight spots triming the cheyenne roll binding. I keep it REEEALLY sharp, though. As for sharpening these buggers, try a wood dowl of the right diameter wrapped with very fine sandpaper or emery cloth and then strop on the edge of your strop board.

Well, if your innards are battery terminals, then you're in trouble bud..... in more ways than one.. As for all this loose talk about quitin'.... I'm reminded of the lyrics to a song that goes somethin' like, " she ain't much fun since I quit drinking"......That just about sums it up for me on the subject. Oh yeah, and about that flask.... I like the attitude about the copyright. heheh....

Ditto all the above and particularly the 8 button half seat panel effect. SWEET! I like that rear cinch too. Need a closeup so I can figure out how to make one.

A big Texas howdy from Floresville, Texas! Welcome aboard. That's some mighty fine carving and especially for only one year. Ya might try picking up a lifter from Barry King or some such when you're feeling flush. Really gives some depth to those pedals.

Thanks for the ideas. I do the same thing except for the tempering on the flesh side. Be interesting to see that done. But, alas, the seat went back in, albeit very snug at the ears and it usually is for some reason. Might have to do some finesse on the ear cut but then, I usually do anyhow. Spent the day tooling one fender. Tried that idea of wetting from the back side and all that did was make it uneven. Had to put both fenders back in the plastic bags to even out. That wasted time. ehem...... But, once I finally got started, about 1:00pm, all went well. and in a short 6.5 hours I had the following results. And now it's Miller time! Actually Shiner time, but ya'll probably don't know what that is.....

Viewfoil is a medium used in a photocopier to make overhead projector presentations. It is fairly firm, clear plastic on both sides, unlike mylar that has one or both sides with a surface that can take pencil or ink and is erasable. The viewfoil is great for laying over your wet piece of leather and finding your edges, or copying a pattern because it is perfectly clear and is not affected by the moisture, as would be tracing vellum. I use a fine point felt tip marker on the viewfoil. It will rub off, however, so be careful when turning it upside down for the reverse side, especially on wet leather. Use an indelible ink pen. A circle pattern is the basic design element for Sheridan style carving. The vines and pedals swirl around the circle and terminate at the flower. Each circle flows to the next with connector vines, with other features interspersed to break up the monotony or fill in a open space. When laying out a design, a circle pattern can be placed under the design and traced, rather than using a compass. A piece of mylar or viewfoil can be layed over the design to check to see how it looks or if it fits, etc. Filler features, like swirls or leaves can also be put on the viewfoil to aid in laying out your design.

Thanks Brian. Interesting way of doing it. Might save some time if I just dunk one side at a time the next morning. Like you say, just give it some color. Not so much time wasted waiting for it to dry enough to tool. Ditto on not re-wetting the carving but trying to get a carved seat back into shape to fit the tree can be a challenge. I try to wet it down on the back side but it bleeds through a bit. Any tips on dealing with the inevitable stretch from a large carved part like a seat? The fit is so crucial but once it's carved it's like trying to put toothpaste back in the tube.

Thanks. The pattern was cut down from a previous one for a 16 inch seat. This one was 14. I spent tons of time on the original working out the flow and several hours making it work for this seat. Everytime I do one I think it's the best and then the next time I pick it up to use it I end up redoing much of it. I guess that's natural. Once I carve it, I see problems and things that didn't work well. The intertwining vines, or overlaping vines, allows for the flower circles to be placed closer and makes it easier to adapt to an odd shape, like a seat or cantle or whatever. Once you have a the basic pattern of flow for the overlap from one circle to the next, you just keep repeating it from one circle to the next. I use a piece of viewfoil film with my circle pattern on it and a few other cheater features, like the swirls and leaves. Mylar drafting film works the best for making patterns, by the way, but is sure is expensive, now that I'm buying it myself.

Thanks for your thoughts. Always good to hear what others have experienced. I just know that with heavy skirting, a good soaking and then let it dry slowly works the best. It just takes FOREVER and with saddle construction, the seat gets wet and shaped and dried and then wet the second time for refit and then carved. I like the first wetting, if possible, for carving but it's been almost impossible for me to manage it on a saddle seat. I have to say, though, last night the leather gods were cooperating and the leather dried nice and slow for me. I had all the time I needed...... and I needed plenty. 4 hours to cut, bevel, detail and background one side! 9 flowers, a few leaves, a couple acantha features to fill in some dead ends and lots of vines and pedals and more background than I like, but that's just how it worked out this time.

Oh wow! I have a ton of wool scraps left over from my saddle skirts and this would be a good use of it. Please, somebody get going on this idea and buy my scraps!!!

OK, for all you pros out there, here's a topic that oughta get the juices flowing.... Now, obviously, carving a saddle takes time and carving a saddle completely takes lots of time. I'm mostly interested in how ya'll go about carving the seat. It has 3 panels that need carving and I have been starting out with a fully cased seat leather and keeping it wet with seran wrap where I'm not working. But, DAMN! It takes me about 5 hours to carve one panel, give or take an hour. Does everyone have this experience, or, do you just do it quicker? It just seems to me that there's gotta be an easier way......... like, maybe wet just the area where you're working and then do the other panels the following day. I like this stuff, but is there an easier way?

Beautiful work! How did you transition from the round braid to the flat leather buckle ends ? Ending a braid is always where I have problems.

Your schedule C will be figured for the business whether you itemize or not. Any taxable income from your business will be added to your total taxable income. If you then have less deductions than the amount of the standard deduction, you'll take the standard. One little known surprise comes down the road in the form of capital gains from the sale of your home when you take the home office deduction for your business. Yeah, nobody tells you that. Here you are taking that couple hundred bucks deduction for that 8 or 10 percent of space you use in your home. Then, you sell your home and make a nice big profit from the equity that has built up over the years and the tax man is standing there with his greedy mitts open at tax time. Normally you wouldn't pay capital gains on your home unless its up in the millions, I believe, but the business gets hit! So, unless that home office deduction is really big, don't bother. And, about that glue and rivets and dye issue come inventory time..... I use a scale and just weigh it and make the convertion to figure the value of what I have left of each.

If you're looking to learn the craft of saddle making, then this would be a good project. Take that thing apart down to the bare tree and see how it's all put together. The tree might not be worth the expense of rebuilding on it, but if it's sound and really does fit your horse, then get Dusty Johnson's book and video on saddle making and invest some money in leather and a few tools.

I do both. It's really nice to have orders because you know it's going to be paid. But, I like doing spec saddles because there is less pressure. I can do it any way I want. So far I've done well selling them.

Yeah, you want to slick it first with the aforementioned methods, then paint or coat the edge.

And for all you keyfob fans.............

The trouble with Weaver is they only seem to sell TR grade. That means you get a bit of crap with each order. They don't make it, they just sell it so you get what they have and that means generally right off the stack. I like their premium latigo and love their shearlings, but I must say I haven't been all that fired up about their veg tan stuff because of their TR grade system. I agree with the comment about Wicket and Craig. You get it fast, usually, and you get what you order. You want it all # 1 grade? That's what you'll get. I do have a problem with their new phone answering system. I called up a while back to place an order and there wasn't anyone available to take it! All I got was a menu of people to chose from and nobody would pick-up! I finally had to leave a message and wait several days for an answer. By that time I'd changed my mind, and they lost a sale. Didn't use to be that way. You'd call and be connected to a salesman right away. None of this menu crap.

I believe you are correct about that. They have something called air freight and it quoted in the $400 range. So, I'll have to talk to them on the phone. I should be able to ship by slow boat for about $100.

Hey thanks guys! I knew somebody here would have some answers. Gotta love this forum. One question though. How do you insure the package if you use the Airlines? Do they provide it as an extra cost?

I have been presented with a bit of a problem. How to get a saddle shipped to another country. The quotes I get on-line with the usual suspects, DHL, UPS, USPS, are all so high as to make it prohibitive, almost $600 for a saddle with insurance. Also, the customs, duty, export license stuff is a bit overwhelming and frankly, scary as hell. My question for yoose guys who have done it is,............. H E L P !

<" it takes the people to elect a congress that will respond to them "> Yeah, and we're getting a daily dose of the reality of our political system that keeps the tax code and a lot of other rediculous laws in place. Just turn on the TV and watch the spectacle of how "We The People" get to choose those leaders. It's enough to make me want to puke. Unforntunately in this country we're closer to the image of the guy standing in front of the tanks in Tianaman Square than we are to the image of the Berlin Wall coming down. In each case it comes down to the guys in those tanks either going along and following orders or, refusing those orders and doing the right thing.

Looks like a nice, comfy seat. All leather groundseat?