Mike Craw

Hey Ray! I don't know if you've seen the YouTube video that Keith Valley did on antiquing, but he shows how he does a tooled saddle part. If you search "Cowboy Saddlery" there will be a list of videos on carving and tooling, and also the one he did on antiquing. Hope this helps. I notice he does not use a dog in his process. Mike

Hey Guys! A guy I work with wanted a pancake holster and Ranger belt for his 1911. He wanted it to ride lower than a standard pancake, a little more straight up and down (rake) and he wanted the Star of Texas on it. I decided to give him the whole flag! Mike

Hey mdmorgan! I don't know if you have access to the "Making Leather Cases" series by Al Stohlman, but he shows moulding cased leather over a wooden form of the shape and size of the object you're making the case for. You form it with a rub stick until the leather is tight down the sides and against the main board, and then nail all around the form where the stitch line of the case will be. Once the item is dry, you can remove it from the form and stitch it to a flat piece of leather that has your belt loop(s) on it. You'll stitch through or over your nail holes so they will never show. Hope this helps. Mike

Thanks Fred! The only color I can take credit for is the color of the binding split. The color's of the skin are thanks to the snake and the taxidermist who tanned it. Mike

Thanks Luke! Maybe when I give the strap to my buddy, the song will stop? Mike

Hey Guys! This is the copperhead skin I was asking for tips on oiling and preserving. Now it's a guitar strap. Mike

Hey Dave! i appreciate the wuick answer. Thanks!! Mike

My friend said that a taxidermist tanned the skin, so he's pretty sure it wasn't done in antifreeze. The skin is fairly pliable, so it might work as is. Do you guys who use snakeskins a lot use NeatLac to protect it? Mike

Hey particle! I just tried to watch your video about 10 minutes after Denster posted his comment, and the message from YouTube was that the video had been removed because it was over 10 minutes long. I din't know there was a limit, but apparently it's not on YouTube anymore. Mike

Hey Rob! As with most of us and our own work, you are the only one who can see the blemishes. If it drives you to better work, it great. If it drives you crazy...not so good! I think it's an outstanding first effort Mike

Hey terrhyd! Thanks for the suggestion. I'll check with him in the morning. I think he told me he sent it to someone to tan, so he may not know how it was done and he'll have to check with that person. Thanks again... Mike

Hey Guys! A friend at work brought me a copperhead skin that he killed and had tanned some years ago. He wants me to use it to make a guitar strap for his son. It has been rolled up for several years. It's still pliable, but feels rather dry to me. Would Lexol work to get it back to it's more supple state? What do you guys put on them after you're done making the item? Would Neatlac work to protect it? Thanks in advance for the help. Mike

Hey md! I'll throw my two cents worth in here. If you're going to do quality work, we have two tool makers who are members of this site. Lonnie Height took over Hackbarth when Ellis Barnes passed away last year, and Barry King, who is Don King's grandson and who apparently inherited his tool making ability. Both men make outstanding basket stamps in several sizes and it would probably be a good plan for the long term to have a range of sizes. Hope this helps. Mike P.S. Didn't mean to leave out Robert Beard's tools, but I believe there is a significant wait for them.

I'm guessing that's "Packing Iron" by Richard C. Rattenbury. Fantastic book! Mike

Hey Pete! I have the entire catalog from Chuck Smith that Lana sent me, but I couldn't get the 5,300KB swivel knife page file to attach. I tried to send you a PM, but I don't see any way to attach a file to that. PM your email address and I'll try to send it directly to you. With my computer skills, it might be quicker to print it out and mail it!! Mike

Here's the seat... And the underside... So, what do you old saddle experts (that's experts in old saddles...) think? Mike

Hey Guys! A fellow I work with brought this saddle back from his Mom's house in NC when he was there for the Holidays. It appears to be a McClellan tree with military fenders. The close-up is the stamp on each fender. The seat is different than any McClellan I have ever seen. It's a one-piece with holes punched down the center rather than being open. Do you all think this is a specific model of military saddle, or has somebody re-covered a McClellan tree? I have a close-up of the seat, but I can't load it because (I guess) it exceeds the size limits. I'll post it in a seperate post. Thanks for any guidance you might be able to give me. Mike

I found out that if you click on the boxes with the little red "X"s in them, the photos will appear... Mike

Hey alb! OK, I'll jump in. I assume that your three hours were spent getting your lace ready and then trying to learn the lacing pattern from a diagram as you went. If that's the case, it was three hours well spent. As with everything else we do in the shop, the first time always takes longer. I would guess that you'll get this down to a 30 minute operation once yoiu get familiar with the process. Everything usually takes Carlos or me longer, because we're both so critical of our own work that we spend part of the time tearing apart something we already did and re-doing it. His wife will come into the shop and start hollering, "Why are you ripping that up? It looked fine!" And one or the other of us usually says..."fine's not good enough." Probably not much help, but at least you know you're not alone. Mike

And you'd never have to sell another sewing machine again! Mike

Bruce and Steve, Thanks for the quick responses. Those were the tools I thought they were. No, if none of you other guys bid... Mike

Bruce, Could you tell me how they are listed on ebay?? I just went on and I don't see them. Ronn Ross put me in touch with a person he has dealt with about some tools. We exchanged some PM's but he hasn't responded to my last, and I'm afraid those are the tools he had avaliable. Thanks, Mike

If it's not too big, put it in one of those acetate document protectors you can get at an office supply store and trace right through it. Mike

We have a set of Weaver round punches in the shop. The thing I like best about them is that they are finished smooth inside the barrel, so that the leather plugs don't stick. With our Osborne's they are rough and the plugs get wedged inside the barrel. If you don't make an effort to drive them out at the end of EVERY use, the moisture in the leather starts to rust to the machining marks inside and it's a real pain to knock them out, especially with the smaller ones. Mike

It does David, thank you. Mike