Reins Mom

Thanks for moving this post to the proper forum. Hope it helps someone. Pat

I bought one of those, don't really like it. I finally bought a quality skiving knife, Japanese, and got it very sharp. No problem skiving now. Good luck.

I am replacing the one piece swell cover on an old saddle my farrier wants to keep. I broke the saddle down and found I really do need a drawdown stand. The basic design was taken from the pictures and drawings in Dusty Johnson’s book “Saddlemaking Construction & Repair Techniques”. My husband worked out the measurements needed and the plan is the design pictures that follow. We used 2 kiln dried 2” X 12” X 8’ boards. They were ripped to 8”wide and 6” (actually ripped in half for a measurement of 5 5/8”). The opening for the 2x4 was cut with a jigsaw against a straight edge since we didn’t want to lose strength in the front piece. The steel angle with holes came in 12” lengths. It was available in our local hardware box store. We used a dowel for the “pin” to hold the 2x4 in place. The 2x4 crossbar only has one screw so it can swivel, I find that helpful. I shortened the bar that tightens the strap pressure to 32”. This seems to be the right length for me. I’m covering the stand with carpet and if I find the saddle slips around I’ll use the rubberized carpet grip on top of the carpet. I made a heavy leather hold down with D rings. It attaches to the crossbar eyebolts with straps with roller buckles. I used a snap hook on one side for easy off and on. Hope this is helpful for folks out there who are looking for a drawdown stand. The plans are a pdf file attached to this post. Pat Drawdown Stand[11083].pdf

I was given a saddle by a client that was allowed to get mildew/mold. There are light spots on the leather that are like little pock marks. I have experimented with light sanding in hidden areas and also burnishing to flatten the leather again. Does anyone have any suggestions? I have to take the saddle basically apart to thoroughly clean it and remove all traces of mold. How do I get an even color back on the saddle without the "polka dots"? I'm filling a niche in my area since there doesn't seem to be anyone else doing saddle repair or cleaning. I have done repair for my farrier and have seen what previous "repair" people have done and am appalled at the shoddy workmanship. One of the "favorite" requests is to turn the Blevins buckle so that the stirrup leathers are inside instead of flapping around on the outside of the fenders. I appreciate any suggestions. Patricia Noren

A friend from the barn is sure I can make a new cheek piece for her bridle. There are silver ferrules and a few braided rawhide pieces. I'm really not sure how to get the ferrules on the new rolled leather. Anyone out there who can give me some suggestions? Are there any books out there that would help? Thanks

Thanks so much to everyone who replied with tips. Darren, how do you go about retarding the timing? I went to Techsew and downloaded the manual for the GA5-1R. This looks like it will be a great help. I'm going to go have a session with my machine and see what happens. Pat

I actually have too much pressure on the foot. I really want to know how to decrease the pressure on the foot. The "groove" mark on the face of the tooling leather really affects the look of any stamping or tooling that has been done. Should I do my stamping and tooling after I do my stitching? The skipped stitches are not a function of too little pressure. I have a lot of experience sewing and recognize the effect of too little pressure. Thanks for the reply.

I have a Ferdco Pro 440, bought this about 8 years ago. Yes, this was before I learned more about leather sewing machines. One of my challenges is skipped stitches. I was reading another topic and saw that if you adjusted the needle penetration into the leather that helped. I will try that. My main irritation with this machine is the fact that even when I take as much pressure off the foot as possible the foot still leaves marks on the top of the leather. I'm wondering if the spring that pushes down on the presser foot is too strong or long. I, of course, don't have any repair manual and the people who sold these machines have gone out of business and are no help finding any kind of resource for adjustments. I'm hoping someone out there can help. Thanks a lot Pat

I have had my Singer 111w120 for quite a few years with no problems. The other day the timing belt broke. I purchased a new one and now am having a devil of a time getting the new one on. I would really like a manual. If I can't get one for this particular model I'm sure there is a manual for a model enough like it that would be helpful. Hope someone has some ideas. Thanks Pat

Hello, I have a Bartley, London english saddle that was bought for my sister in the 1950's. The metal label under the skirt is embossed with BARTLEY at the top and LONDON at the bottom. Were these saddles considered quality? This one was bought new in San Francisco, CA. There is leather damage on the padded portion. Right now I am building a western pleasure saddle and am considering refurbishing this one and using it on my mare. Any information would be helpful. Thanks Pat