Go2Tex

Yeah, that's about the same as what the CPA had me do last year. Figuring the COGS, cost of goods sold, has a couple different lines though. What do you put under "other costs"???? I lumped everything into one line last year and that created an IRS flag situation because one line was out of the ordinary. It's cr*p like this that drives me nuts. Is leather a raw material? Rawhide is more raw than latigo. Just how processed can a material be before it's considered not raw? And how do you know for sure how much thread went into the saddle? Weigh every spool of thread in your shop before and after? And then there's the inventory nightmare every year...... do you actually count every friggin screw, nail and rivet? Do you estimate all the scrap or just ignore it? The CPA said no, just estimate it. OK, sounds good. So, what good is that info to anyone? and if my estimate is off, I get audited someday. What gets me is all this tax nightmare is caused by the government taking too much to begin with and then trying to catch people trying to get out of paying it. The whole thing is overly complicated and literally impossible to get right. The IRS knows that and keeps it that way so they can audit just about anyone at anytime for any reason, no matter how you do it. If cops stopped cars at random for no reason and searched them, the courts would throw it out. The IRS does it routinely and people go to jail with little or no recourse.

hey, no eye rolling here. I was fairly well adicted to Combat Flight Sim for a while, then I got into leatherwork and it's been down hill ever since. But, welcome aboard and enjoy the ride.

Sooo, every year it's the same. What line do I put this or that on the Schedule C? I have so much conflicting information on this stuff it always drives me nuts. There's the info in the Dome Register, there's the help prompts in the Quicken program and then there's my last year's tax forms completed by a CPA, and they all are DIFFERENT!!!!!!!!!! I'm wondering how everyone else does it? When compiling your figures for the CPA or if you do your own taxes, where do you add up stuff like your small hand tools? Do you depreciate them all for 7 years like you would your sewing machine, or do you just bury the cost under "other costs" or supplies? And then the rhetorical question, what friggin difference does it make which line you put it all on if, in the end you just add them all up and subtract the total from your gross? It's enough to make a grown man drink.

All right! That's it. I quit! Jes kiddin'. Actually, I'm just gonna copy it. heheh

Well, this has probably been hashed over a hundred times on this forum but, what the heck?.... what else do I have to do today? So, this is how I'm doing the process. First I carve, let dry completely, as in, over night. Then oil and let dry completely, as in 1-2 DAYS. Then I try to antique. First I hit the highlights, (high, untouched areas), with an acrylic resist. I've tried Tan-kote but it doesn't seal as well if you want a lot of contrast. Let it dy completely if you have the patience, which I usually don't, but you should. Then I slap on the antique paste with a wool scrap. I guess you could use a spatula to put it on but then you need the wool to kinda work it into the deep recesses of the carving. I then use a paper towel folded over and flat and just wipe off the excess from the highlights and borders. Let it dry for a few minutes and then I use another piece of wool and give the whole project a wiping to further remove excess antigue. This will put some antique on your highlights which you then remove with a wet cloth or paper towel or sponge. The sponge works well because it holds the moisture and picks up the antigue but stays flat on the highlights and doesn't put a lot of water down in the carving. The problem is, the antique paste must have wax in it, like shoe polish. After a while, it will turn chalky white and must be buffed. Well, this is not good for a carving. So, maybe one of the other products for dying the carving, something without wax and something more water-proof would be better for saddles or anything made for outside use. Then, I just put Tan-kote over the project when it's good and dry. Maybe a spray application of saddle lac would be ok but I don't like the really shinny look. Looks like friggin' plastic.

Oh definitely! Get an easier subject to work from. I don't think Al Stohlman could do that photo justice in leather. The picture itself has a strange expression, I think. But what do I know? I don't even DO figure carving. But, I have done art and I know ya gotta pick your subject carefully. Pick something too hard and you'll get discouraged.

Oh yeah, these 2 things will kill ya. Actually, I usually don't spot the flaw until I wet it down for carving. I've got a pretty good collection of parts in a box now from that very situation. Or, you cut out a fender from what you thought was going to be thick enough and ...AAAH CRA**!!... it ends up about 10 ounce on the back side. And this all results from having to work around flaws in a side. If every side came perfect and wide, I could throw the patterns on there in the same place every time and never have this problem. But cows are cows and tanneries are tanneries. And another tip, ask for a right side and a left side. You won't always get it, but it helps in laying out those parts, particularly your flat plate riggings.

You should be able to build a saddle with 2 sides unless you screw up or you get small sides. Now, that's not unusual these days. It seems the sides are getting smaller. I heard they're going to market sooner and thus have smaller cows. I usually have quite a bit left over until I do my plugs for the skirts, and after that, I'm left with some real nice small to medium sized scrap from the good parts and a bunch of belly leather that seems to pile up until I get tired of tripping over it and throw it out.

I haven't tried using that continuous stitch method because it seemed to me that the threads would wear out pretty quick with the casings catching on it as you put them into the loop. Obviously, you could gouge a stitch groove but.... wow, that's a lot of work too. Sooo, I've been stitching my loops by hand and it's a real pain. Fortunately, I don't do many belts.

The best advice I can think to give someone just starting out is, keep your tools sharp. Your knives must be sharp enough to shave with.

It depends on the horse and the width of the gullet.

I've tried both ways, slots and stitching, and either way is a real time consuming ordeal but the stitched method looks the best when I do it. I'm considering stitching them to a separate piece of leather and then stitching that to the belt. Anybody try this?

Well, it's about time somebody improved on the draw knife! So, how easy is it to adjust the width? And, do you have any other pics? Is the leather held down at the blade, like the wood one's Tandy sells?

I don't offer Paypal on my Ebay auctions because the fees are SO HIGH. But, I'm selling rather high priced items so the overall cost seems like a lot. Maybe I should offer Paypal, and for the regular account it's not too bad but they really sock it to you when you upgrade to take cards. As I've mentioned previously, Ebay is great advertisment if not a good place to sell, depending on what you're selling. For a guy who is way out in the sticks and a complete unknown, it's fantastic. You have an instant target audience of the entire World for a few bucks. As for shipping, try DHL. Tell them you want to open an account and you'll get a break on the shipping depending on how much you ship. For heavy stuff it usually beats USPS and UPS with a pickup charge but for small stuff I just drop it off when I go to town at the Post Oriface, eh Office.

Appreciate all the responses. I don't have the saddle myself, (thank god), it's somebody else's saddle and problem. I just find it interesting that a saddle could sit that "wrong" due to a tree being out of wack and the maker not notice. But, I guess it could happen.

I think you have a future in it.........

What could possibly cause a saddle to list, (sit crooked), to one side or the other, barring the obvious, i.e. stirrup leathers? Now, I can't believe a reputable saddlemaker would build a saddle on an obviously crooked tree, so let's rule that one out for sake of this discussion. What else could cause it? Let's assume the rider is very experienced and knows a good seat from one that is not right. I'm thinking the groundseat is a bit uneven.

How does it compare to Weaver's premium latigo?

I could be wrong but that mahogany is about the same as Wickett $ Craig's chestnut.

I don't think about the cow while I'm working with leather. My mind is too occupied with the task at hand but I do hope that all slaughtered animals be dispatched as quickly and painlessly as possible. We owe them that much, don't we?

While making straps I discovered that sometimes the straps turned out nice and firm. Turns out I was actually compressing the fibers through the process of splitting the straps while slightly wet. Then I learned that this is a process that can be done with any piece. You wet the piece and allow it to dry a bit. As the color begins to return, you compress the fibers with a slicker, rubbing it down firmly. So, part of the secret of firm leather is to buy it that way, usually strap leather is split down and comes out firmer or using a crank splitter yourself or by rubbing it down while slightly wet.

Confucius also say, "By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest."

Well, yeah but not exactly. If you price it cheap, people may not bid on it but the reverse is also true. If you price it too high, particularly on Ebay, it might not get any bids either. Ebay is like Wal-mart. People go there looking for a bargain. I think the secret to sucess on Ebay is to make them believe they are getting a steal, a really good value for the money. And then always deliver. Not cheap, but a good value. A good product at a good price. I've also found that timing is important on Ebay. Sometimes, the right buyers aren't looking. It only takes a couple of people at the same time wanting the same item and it'll take off like a rocket. The next day aftter that auction ends, put another one up there exactly the same and .....zzzzzzzzzzzzz, nuthin. Ebay is better for advertising than selling. For that it can't be beat.

Grasshopper... old Chinese proverb say, imitation is the highest form of compliment.... or, someting like that.

Not extensive research but enough to know it's a long expensive proposition and then not permanent anyhow. And as such probably out of the question for most inventions or ideas that won't be mass produced for years under that patent protection so that the profits would cover the expense. Having said that, you could always fake it. Just put that disclaimer "patent pending" on your stuff and hope nobody challenges it. After all, what's the meaning of "pending"..... or, "is"?