Go2Tex

20 years, eh?....hmmm..... on second thought,...... Yeah well, I wouldn't want all those employee problems anyhow. With government regulation, I figure one employee would cost me about 3 times the wages I paid him..... or more. I'd have to hire a full time book keeper, CPA and lawyer just to keep the Federales off my back. Any wonder most small businesses fail?

Hey, I think there's already a remedy for that. It's called a Patent.

Ahh yes.... the ol' pricing thang.... yeah, that could be a whole book. In fact, there is a whole book on the subject. And quite a few topics on here about it too. It's not easy. I struggle with it too. I think you should just charge whatever you feel comfortable charging. What's the end game? Are you looking to build a customer base? Or, just re-coup your costs and a bit for your time? Doing it for fun or profit or both? Then, you have to consider what you throw into the mix that a customer couldn't get off the shelf for half the price. The hand stitching is wonderful, but is it any better really than a well done machine stitch? I know how much time you spent doing it. That's why I now have a machine. And most of the buying public is accustomed to seeing the "professional" machine stitched, automated product with perfectly straight cuts, painted edges, etc.... the "one-size-fits-all" cookie cutter stamped out product from Wal-mart. What would you pay for it? What do they go for on Ebay? I've seen belts alone going for $150. Is it hard or impossible to find a rig for that gun? Well, if so, then you have a custom rig and should set a custom price. And finally, just how good a friend is he? OK, I just threw that last one in there for laughs.

Thank you. Thank you very much. Well, I would like to make a nice carved holster for an auto. Been wanting to do that for a while but I can't seem to talk anybody into it. Maybe I should just do one, post a picture of it on here and see if it P.O.s anyone. ..... just for the heck of it. As for the slick fork trees........ I have been using Timberline and Quality, (Felkins), mainly, unless a customer requests another maker. They're all hard to get lately. 3-4 months is about what you're looking at, minimum.

So eh..... I think you forgot the snaps. I saw a purse once that looked a lot like that one. Don't you have any ideas of your own, dude? Just kiddin' there, Luke. It's a mighty fine purse. Now, if you can just get your wife to carry it..... "Merry Christmas, Dear."

Well if I'd known there was that much money in it, I'd be making a lot more holsters and a lot less saddles. ....... So eh, move over boys. The cat's out of the bag.

Howdy Ya'll up North where it's already snowing and such. Guess what? Just read the weather forcast and it's gonna be 90 degrees on Wednesday down here in South Texas. It's almost Thanksgiving and I'm runnin' around in my friggin flipflops and wife beater. Oh yeah, I BBQ'd last night and sat out on the porch until late into the evening listening to the crickets. heh heh heh.... I bet most of ya'll sat huddled around the fireplace listening to the wind howl.

Alright guys and gals, help me out here. When covering my horns in the conventional method, with full leather wrap, (wings attached to bottom piece), I skive the wings down to a feather edge and really put the stretch on it wet, tack it down and let it dry. It looks absolutely stupendously marvelous....until it dries and INVARIABLY the edges start to pull away. I thought leather was supposed to shrink as it dries., dang it. I've even let it dry, then re-wrap it using my chinaman choke strap.... and it still happens. It's as though the leather just keeps stretching. So, the question is, am I taking all the stretch out and therefore it's not staying tight, (per the latest article in the Journal)? Or, am I skiving the edges too thin, or maybe both? I've tried glueing the dang little buggers down, but somehow I don't think that's the right solution. Or, should I start using firmer leather for the wings?

Your Boss is a choke point, eh? Well, I'd say what you need then is a 3rd Boss and it just so happens I have one available for immediate shipment, slightly used, (only hit 3 or 4 times with a sledge hammer). .....and, no returns please. heheh

I hope this is a reeeaaally good buddy. 'Cause you just bit off a huge chunk o' work, just learning how to do it. Since you're just doing it as a favor, I'd forget the rawhide braid and just do a cap and wrap. Cover the top and bottom of the horn cap and then put a latigo wrap on it to cover the neck of the horn. This is demonstrated fairly well for the absolute beginner in Dusty Johnson's book on saddlemaking. And it won't cost you near as much. Also, the Leathercrafters and Saddlers Journal did a 3 part article on the rawhide braid for a horn. Don't know if you can still get them but it covers the whole sha-bang.

Yep, had the same problem everytime I need to make a thumb break. And yep, the belt clips work nicely but the cost would be too much if you make a lot of them. Any kind of thin spring steel will work. I normally sandwich the metal between the back piece and the lining but on an unlined holster you just put it on the back with a rivet. It works, but it's not as finished looking.

Well, you know how I'd describe my bobbin tension.... "really messed up" most the time. I have it cranked down about as far as it will go. hmmmm..... maybe that's part of the problem. Trouble is, if I don't crank it down all the way, I end up with the knot laying on top of the stitches. So, I loosen the thread tensioner spring a bunch and the stitches don't seem to pull down tight. I think what I need is good, hands on class. How 'bout it Artisan guys? Next saddle show? Or, how 'bout one of you other experts? Sign me up.

Yep, that done it! Thanks. It's plenty fast, jes like befoe! ...Now, if I could only figure out why in hell the bobbin thread tension keeps messin' up. One time it's laying on the bottom surface and the next time it's in the middle where it's supposed to be and the next time it's up on top. If I change bobbins, it seems to correct itself, then, I believe it's usually toward the end of the bobbin thread, it tightens up again and the knot is laying on the bottom surface. I like the machine. It does the work. But one thing I can't figure out is why Artisan can't publish a comprehensive, well illustrated FRIGGIN MANUAL????!!!!!! P.S. - I checked and found the "black knob"..... and it actually has a little decal that says, appropriately enough, "KNOB". Unfortunately for me and all the other users, they neglected to add the rest of the decal that explains what the little "knob" does. Yeah, that would really help. And, not only that folks, but it would be nice if this was even mentioned in the non-existent manual. I think I've had this machine for about 2 years now and I recall asking about a manual for the 3000 at that time. I told Steve the illustrations really were terrible. To this day, I can't look at the picture and know for sure if I even have this thing threaded correctly.

You are very right about the sharpness....... now, where in God's name did I put those damn blades???? Moving is hell, folks.

Yeah, for a relatively inexpensive tool, it works pretty good. The thing is, you need nice firm leather, like kangaroo. I've had pretty good results with it. The problem I have is keeping the leather from curling up and subsequently widening. Seems I recall reading somewhere on the Net about putting some kind of plug in the cutting slot to keep this from happening. Anyone tried this or some other method?

Maybe I'm just getting so good with it, but after my recent move it seems the machine doesn't want to go as fast as I'd like. I had to disassemble and reassemble it for the move and in the process I made some adjustments to the belt tension. It was beginning to slip a bit. Now I'm flooring the pedal and asking for more and it just ain't there. Waazzup?

Try this: http://www.leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=1125

There was a whole thread on everybody's shops. Lots of pics. Do a search on "shop" under saddlemaking, I believe.

There was a vendor at the Wichita Falls Boot and Saddlemakers Show that gave me a couple sample bobbins of Model "0" #6 Natural thread. It is plenty big and looks like linen. Not sure if it is or not. Can't remember if he said. I was looking for hand stitching thread. He gave it to me and said, "here, try this". I gave it a test try on some scrap and it looks mighty nice. Probably what you're looking for. But it is real thick. I couldn't pull the chords apart. It's almost like a fine weave of tiny threads and lays kinda flat, like flax. I was able to thread it through my small needles too. The guy was Phil Goldberg of Trendware Footware components. His email is : phil@trendw.com

OK, I have that "I'm not worthy" kinda feeeling. Thanks for that, Greg. But seriously, with materials like that alligator, there sure can't be any do-overs, huh? I was drooling over the exotics vendors at Wichita Falls and reeling at the prices, but that crock has such a nice feel to it. Sure got the creative juices flowing. Thanks for the inspirational presentation!

I mould before I stitch. But, I don't mould the back piece. That way, like on a pancake holster, it stays open for re-holstering the gun.

OK, now I can say, "been there, done that". And let me say this about that...... DO NOT EVER THINK ABOUT STAYING AT THE ECONO MOTEL. It is about as bad a dive as I have ever stayed at and I usually look for a bargain motel since all I need is a nice clean quiet bed and a shower. This place was none of those. The Motel 6 was like the Hilton by comparison. Other than that, the show was nice. One thing I have to say though, the way it was set up in that Ag Center building made it hard to say the least. It's a BIG convention center building. You could probably have a rodeo in there. So, it was curtained off on one half or less of the room. The problem was, they chose to curtain off the side FURTHEST from the parking lot where all the vendors and competitors were parked. Now, this meant that everyone had to lug their saddles and goods a long damn way to and from. The real zinger was, they had these huge bay rollup doors they "could have" had opned for us to make the trip shorter. but NOOOO. They couldn't seem to figure out how to get somebody from the convention center operations staff to just be there to open those doors, which were locked! And to make insult to injury, there actually was a guy around there that could have done that but no, he didn't seem to understand the problem everyone was having. And another thing, there was just about nuthin' to do all day Saturday except walk around, sit around, talk to vendors and try not to spend any more money. We had to be there at 9am on Friday and then stick around all day Saturday waiting for the results. There were no classes to take, no parties, no meet-and-greets, nuthin'. If you didn't already know everyone there, you were just left out of the loop. And the beer cost $4 for a small Bud Light draft!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ....Now, I'm not complainin'..... OK, maybe just a little. But, come on, Bud Light? It's all they had! Congrats to the winners, though. I learned a lot, since this was my first show. I'd give a full report of who done what, but I didn't have a list of the entries, just a looooooong list of the vendors and didn't write it all down. I do recall Don Butler won for best tooling in the open floral and Pedro Pedrini won Best in Show and workmanship. Paul Van Dyke won the open geometric class. If anyone has it different, please correct me. As for the bootmakers, I couldn't hear or see what was going on over there. In summary, let me just say if you're thinking this little show down here in Texas is small potatoes, think again folks. The big guns came out and there was some absolutely stunning work there. You know when Troy West walks away empty handed, it was some mighty tuff competition. For me, it was an honor to have the opportunity to have my saddle sitting in the same room as those other guys.

Sweeeet! Here's my new shop building. It's 24x24 steel. I'm going to insulate it and put up OSB on the wall, and maybe some accustical panel on the ceiling.

You might try Bowden Brand trees. http://www.saddletree.com/catalog.html

Hey, is that Texas sand I see in the background? Good job on that saddle. For number 3, it's great! And, I really like that rawhide hobble hanger. How much you charge for 'em? Maybe I'll just buy 'em from you instead of making my own. I suck at it. One thing on your saddle I noticed. The lines will look a bit nicer if you shorten your jockies a couple inches at the lacing. Show more skirt at the top. It might be on this one, the skirt is short too. So, a little less jock, a bit more skirt showing behind.