bruce johnson

You can also use a fine point soldering iron to trim the tags with. I try to pull both tags to the backside on machine sewing and do that. It burns a little knob on the end that resists pulling back through. Shoptalk sells a little battery operated cautery pen to use as a thread burner. I use them a bit in my other job. It cuts clean and works well but doesn't leave a knob, it tends to cut flush. I like that wrap the needle too. I had an old Irish harness maker show me that. He wrapped once on every stitch. He put 2-3 on the last couple depending on how thick the leather was. He taught me to tie in buckles, took my awls and made darts from the old ones, rasped my stitching horse jaws to be proper without asking, and we enjoyed a wee bit o' Bushmill's Black. A grand time was had that day....

Joshua, It just keeps getting better. Good looking work. Yeah, they'll like it. Sehr Gut.

It really depends on how much leather you are going to run under it, how much you will use it, and your budget. When you said saddle bags I am thinking that you are going to prefer a cylinder arm machine for them. You can always build or buy a flat bed attachment for doing other stuff. I would shy away from the 440 and similar machines. There is a thread somewhere already on these. If you are going to spend that much on one machine, then pop for the extra $500 and get the 3000 or whatever machine there is in your price range. Personally I had a cast iron Boss and liked it for what it did. When I bought mine, there was no Toro 3000, nothing that would sew close to what the Boss did within $3500 of the Boss' price back then. I had to buy it out of necessity and budget, and would do it again in a heartbeat in the same situation. My business outgrew the Boss and I sold it. For the $750 price and 10 minutes away, that is a pretty good deal on the Boss. Tippmann will inexpensively rebuild them if they ever need it and warrant it like new. There is a little bit of a learning curve for the Boss, but there is on every other machine if you haven't run one too. I taught 2 wives and a 15 year old son to sew on mine in about 5 minutes each. If you want a powered machine then you have some better priced options than I ever did. If two machines are an option, the Boss to sew the things you need a cylinder arm for, and a flat bed for the other stuff might be a good way to go. A good flatbed like one of Artisan's or Ferdco's new ones, or a good used Pfaff 1245 might be the way to go to have the best of both worlds on a decent budget. I wish someone had told me that years ago instead of trying to make one machine do everything. My thoughts.

Gum erasers are those brownish tan erasers. I use one of those blocks made for cleaning off sanding belts. That is crepe I think, and works well too. Just kind of pulls the hair from under the stitches. Another tool that works OK is the bent stylus end of a modeling tool. Just kind of run it so the bent end is next to the stitchline and run it along the stitches under the hair kind of lifting as you go. You may still have to pick some hairs with whatever you do for the best effect. Not everybody does this, it just depends on how finished you want to get. They sure sell a lot of production overlaid belts and purses with hair buried under the stitches.

For what it is worth, Bob Douglas doesn't make jerk needles. (Sorry, couldn't resist). Most all of the jerk needles seem to chuck up into about anyone's awl hafts. You can get hafts from most all suppliers from TLF to anyone who carries Osborne to Dick Anderson, Barry King, or Bob Douglas. You can order the jerk needles from places like Weavers that have some parts for the needle and awl machines. I got a few kind of for the asking from an old shoe shop. I'd check around from a guy like that first.

Just to throw out another name - Sheridan Leather Outfitters sell some really nice awl blades. Can someone refresh me on who makes them? Bob somebody I think. Yeah Rickey, I would have to say in four or five years of leatherwork internet leather groups, this has been the most unanimous reply for a maker or supplier of ANYTHING I have ever seen. They really are that good.

Johan, He has sent some to us at the cowboy museum as well. I am sure it is from the same guy. He has been around the country a bit and has done saddles in different regional styles. Some are quite good for what he has to work with. In one of his letters he said he was doing some miniature holsters in historic patterns too. Thanks for posting.

Luke, It sure sounds like a problem with the motor. My servos make no noise when on, and very little if any when sewing. The dial on mine go from almost a stitch every 5 seconds to ripping a strap out of your hand.

Elton, If he doesn't like the colors, she just needs to find another boyfriend who does. They are looking good from here.

Ed, that concho turner is a decent enough tool. It is not for Chicago screws in any great fashion. It is alright to do what it is designed for. It will loosen or tighten screw back conchos on saddles. I can't get it to really get a concho as tight as I like or to budge one that is set. Once you get one loose or are starting one in, it saves a lot of finger twisting. I still have to finish up or start one back out with a padded set of channel lock pliers. I wouldn't jump on it a must-have tool, but it is sort of handy at times.

Wolvenstein, There are really a lot of variations in upholstery leather. It can be full grain, top grain, corrected, or finished. By itself it seems like uphostery leather has no standards. It looks like you have a leather that has had a pigmented finish applied. Heres a couple links that might help explain some of the various definitions and processes - Hewit and Chesterfield. I came onto this when someone sent a few of us a warning about some upholstery hides they got to make chaps out of. They bought three hides and cut into all three of them before they found the finish peeled off. No returns.

Harvey, I guess I didn't know they still made it. I am sure that formulation has been changed somewhat. I liked it alright when it was Drakes. It was a little thicker than water. I used to kind of slather it on with a cellulose sponge, and kind of keep working it around until it looked alright then leave it alone. It would darken up the overall finish a little. Good for coloring and finishing linings that you might not want to oil and have the oil leach into papers.

Chuck, Someone already did it for us, but it is a book. I have it and I use it quite a bit. I am sure there are errors and definitely some omissions, but it is pretty thorough. Here's the link - Old Saddlemakers Book. If you look at the old ones, worth having for sure.

I have just started looking into this deal too. Some of these processing deals are nuts. My local banks has enough fees, charges, and set ups that even with the lower percentage I am about $400-600 behind the 8 ball to start every year. It really looks like the Propay deal from what I can read is a better deal than the virtual terminal from Paypal. A few good testimonials for it here. From the other side of the coin, has anyone had a bad experience??

Currently 50 with off and on rain today. Need the moisture badly. I am glad it is in the liquid form. As far as the cold, been there, done that, live here now. The old joke around here is that we tied a set of Carharts and 5 buckle overshoes to the front of the truck. When we got to someplace where a local asked what they were, we stayed.

Mike, Thanks for posting the pics. It looks good. I like mine in that style. After you get a couple more, you can join our "old splitter junkie" club.

JW, I get my strainers from Bill Bean. He sells them direct or Vandy and Luke have them at Sheridan Leather. I take mine over a wire wheel to kind of clean up the burr on the edges. I have bought my bucking rolls in the past from Tips in Winnemucca. At least around here, they have a decent reputation for holding up, and are stuffed pretty well. They don't give resellers prices, but are good enough I figured I could just buy them and hang them on less expensively than the time it would have taken me to work out patterns and techniques on making them. Some of the reseller bucking rolls are pretty iffy - loose packing, wavy welts, and things like that. After this little rush here, I am going to take a couple weeks and work up some new stamp patterns, some new sewing machine feet, and some new products. Bucking rolls are on that list.

I guess I am missing the point of the whole doughnut thing here. In my mind that filler has to be nailed down (or machine screwed through an aluminum bare horn) to keep everything from twisting too. Most of the leather horn repairs I see are from either not using a filler or thinking glue will hold it. These are on mostly the cutters and barrel racers. On the ropers they will twist even with a filler if you yank one hard enough. For a cleaner look I usually soak my fillers, and then when the moisture is right, use a hand sledge or shaping hammer on my anvil to really compress them. I think the boot guys do this for heels and call it hammerjacking. I started doing this about a year and a half ago or so. It firms and compresses the leather and I don't have such a clunky edge. For the barrel and cutters I will sand those edges even a little thinner to make a nice pretty edge. By sanding the edges or thinning the edges of my fillers, I can help to maintain a slight dome on my caps too.

Bruce, Happy birthday!!!! - the other Bruce

I pretty much do my cans like Richard. I have only used Barges on them - two thin coats on the leather. I weight my covers for 12 hours after I have set them on. I use the Smith Brothers cans. They are a little hard to get right now, but I have scored enough here and there to get me past Christmas orders right now. I have done a few goat string cans and the cosmetic cases with the DallyUp flexible plastic deals. They have held up for at least a couple years so far with nothing but glue. I haven't tried the thinner rope cans yet.

They are better than the last ones you asked about. They are a step up in consistancy from the Bowden and H&Fs I started out on.

Ricky, Post a picture of what you have now. Randy, That is the same kind of bobbin winder I got when I got a Boss back in the day. It went with the Boss when I sold it. After that I took the shaft out of a bobbin winder that rubs up against the belt on a motor machine. I chuck that into the drill and use it like the one that came on the Boss. It goes fast, and I get more even and consistant bobbins than I got with the mounted winders.

Happy Birthday Holly, Hope you get to do all want to today.

There is or used to be a map thread in one of the subforums where we could put our location, picture, and maybe contact info. I am heading out right now, but someone else may find it and point to it before I can.

According to the Rojas books, they didn't stay in place all that well back then either. I would kind of doubt Ernie rides one.