bruce johnson

I've got a couple of those McMillen meander stamps. My wife didn't know it was supposed to be a border and started playing with it a few years ago. She came up with a geometric pattern that is pretty cool. It is one of our most requested patterns for ladies leather stuff - purses, checkbooks, etc. I have attached a picture of an early checkbook with it.

The whole thing is cut in a banana shape for me. As a generality, I allow about 1-1/4 inches at the bottom for the fold-out and then it depends on on the binding style for my top allowance. For a straight binding I allow about 1-1/2" around the top edge of the cantle. If it is a Cheyenne roll I allow about 3/4-1" plus the width of the roll. If the roll is level at the top I use one pattern. If the roll is to snap down more across the top, then I use a pattern with more curve to it.

Ross, I got this link from another post here a couple years ago, but can't find that post at the moment. Here is the link - Slack Belt sharpening . This method ends up with a slightly curved edge on the blade. Some people call it a Moran edge. It is sort of like a secondary bevel to back up the edge, only an infinite bevel instead of a fixed angle. This has made a the most durable edge for me. I was doing a light secondary bevel (Herb French's book) but if I got a really thin edge two things happened. Either I chipped out some edges when I was cutting curves bcause the blade was to thin or I rolled an edge. That was the "forgiving" part of the Clyde knives because I could fix it pretty easily. Once I tried this slack belt deal, It hasn't been the issue. I have a Harbor Freight 1x30 vertical belt sander and the belt grits they mention in the forum from Lee Valley. I also found another place to do the slack belt effect at a steeper angle. On my 4x30 benchtop belt sander there is a small gap between the roller on the end and the flat top that supports the belt. If I back off the tensioning lever slightly, it releases enough tension on the belt to be slack. It is good place to do things like the new Osborne strap punches and make a sharper edge that will punch way easier but won't roll. I do some of my clicker dies there too if they have a flat edge. I have some pretty wore out 300something grit belts I save for that. Some of the new edges are dull enough I go through a few grits to finally raise the foil edge. I think they said in that forum link that if you don't raise an edge in a couple passes you need to be using a coarser grit. Pretty much what I do. The only real fooler I have is sometimes I get a short foil edge pretty straight out from stropping but not wearing it off. It looks and feels good, but when I go to cutting hard leather it rolls. Stropping with a more agressive compound (I use gray for that) and then going to the green takes care of it.

Like Art, I prefer a 4 to 5 inch knife overall. For some cuts I use one down to 3-1/2". I roll a round knife to cut fringe, and will go to a big knife then. I like to skive with a wider knife too, and about a 5-1/2 feels right to me. I'd agree with Art's makers listing also and add a couple. I think the Rose knives are the top of the scale - they are hard. That makes them take longer to sharpen, but once they are right, they go a long time with just stropping. Then I'd give a slight edge to older Gomphs followed closely by the Newark marked CS Osbornes and older Harrison CS Osbornes. I have a couple Harringtons and they are about like the Gomph or Newark CSOs. I have had several Clyde and Shapleigh knives that I liked too. They are maybe a bit softer than the others, but not so soft you spend half your time resetting the edge. They make a real nice knife, pretty forgiving, and you can learn a lot about the mechanics of putting a good edge on one and not be taking all day to do it. For modern makers, I have had recent CS Osbornes and they are a notch to a step lower than the Clyde/Shapleighs to me. I've got a Dozier I like a lot, but he has had a really long wait time. I have had some Bill Buchmann and Linneman knives and they have some real fans too. I know one person on the forum here bought a Knipscheild (sp?) knife at Sheridan and likes it. There are some other newer makers putting out leather knives, but I haven't got to use any others. These good modern handmade knives have a fair price on them, so there is some sticker shock comparing them to a new Osborne or Stohlman. Another consideration when you shop for knives is a good cutting surface and sharpening system. I like high density poly with a smooth finish to cut on and glass to skive on. I like the diamond stones or wet-dry abrasive paper to profile. I set my final edge with a slack belt sytem with a superfine grit. I follow that up with green compound. I also strop with green compound to maintain.

Knut, Thanks for the compliment. I think the hardest saddles to make look mechanically good are the plain ones. The sweet spot is probably called different things by different people. I guess I call it the place where you settle into when you are relaxed and seated. On a normal saddle I would have made a tad more "slide" in the cantle dish maybe although this tree has a good transition already. I also would have started the rise about 1-2" more forward of this one. I had the advantage on this order of seeing his other saddle and the seat geometry. I could see what I needed to do with this one to make it work better for him. If this works out like we anticipate, we can do some some tweaking on his other saddle.

This is a cowboying saddle I just finished up. It is built on a 16" tree. The guy is pretty stocky but short legged. It was nice to take an order from a guy who came in knowing what he needed for the most part. He doesn't do well with Nevada twist leathers and the dropped ring rigging, so we went with 2-1/2" leathers and regular Blevins configuration. I cut the fender leg a little shorter to accomodate that also. He wanted a shorter sweet spot in the seat and quicker rise than what he was riding, so I got that benefit of that before working the ground seat too. Pretty minimal stamping with the swells and then small corners.

That is one cool can. Great job, I like it a bunch.

I use electrician's tape. You have to be careful on some conchos. The real thin cheap conchos will collapse if you grip them very hard.

I predrill pilot holes for my screws about with a smaller bit than the shank of the screw. That way I still end up with some bind on the shank. I set the depth so the last 1/4" of screw is not drilled for more bind. That is just the way a coupole guys have shared with me. When I go to seat one, I use a pair of channel-lock pliers with taped jaws. I have a pro-concho turner and it works alright if the hole is fairly loose (like on a repair). I can't get it to really seat one though. It works a lot better for me to back out old conchos. One thing to be aware of is that if the hole is not at 90 degrees to the surface. As you get close you will end up with a bit of a problem. A rawhide mallet will ususally bend over that edge of the concho to make it flush. Also some conchos don't have the screw soldered on at 90 degrees and you need to be aware of that and compensate with the mallet, so I have been told.

RW, I do quite a few in that type. I use chap leather for the gussets. For the bottom I sandwich some 1/8" masonite between the lining and the tooling leather to stiffen it. I started putting feet on mine after the first couple to keep them up off a wet counter. For the feet I use round 3/4" punchings and run chicago screws through them and the bottom with the screwhead inside the bag.

Ray, I have sewn some miles on one of the early Boss stitchers and sometimes still wish I had it. They are pretty simple to operate. The downside is that it takes one hand to run them so you have one hand to hold the piece. You learn to use binder clips and things like that to hold pieces in place instead of two hands. There wasn't much I couldn't get sewn with some improvised clamp or support one way or the other. There are some bigger stitchers that have a large hand wheel on the front to run them also. I am sure someone has adapted a powered machine to run by hand control for people with limited foot control too. If so, you still would only have one hand running the piece anyway.You can run most powered machines by hand turning the flywheel. Some of them have been adapted for a crank handle on the flywheel too. The servo motors can be set to sew pretty slow on a powered machine, but it still takes some foot control to stop and start. The biggest problem I had starting out with a clutch motor was I drove it like a gas pedal. I used the ball of my foot and pushed to go and let up to slow. When someone showed me to use my whole foot on the pedal - "Toe to go and heel to slow" it gave me way more control. When I switched to servo motors it was even more precise.

I have some old Tandy catalogs, a flyer and some ad inserts for sale. The forst is a Hinckley-Tandy Leather Co catalog #67. I have been told it is from the 1940s. I have Tandy catalog #75 with a mailing date of 9-29-53. The flier is "The Tandy Leather Post" from 1954. Kid's size saddle kits were #34.50, ostrich legs big enough for two wallets were $1.50, goat skins were 50 cents, and Cape (buffalo?) was 33 cents a foot. Catalogs #82 and #83 don't have dates, but catalog #84 is Spring-Summer 1959. What might have some more appeal is that all of these catalogs were mailed to the Duhamel Trading Post in Rapid City, South Dakota. My great-grandfather rode a Duhamel saddle in the 30s and it raised a couple more generations until I retired it to my living room. I am open to offers on these, and they can all mail in a flat rate envelope.

Frank, You pretty well hit it. The round bottom edgers will cut a rounded profile. The blade edge is thin with a low bevel, and they do almost a "quarter round" profile. Sharpened up well, they run the easiest of any edge bevelers except for maybe a really good sharp bisonette. Most of the other lower priced edgers will make a square cut profile edge. The blades are flat top and/or bottom and the profile of the cut matches the profile of the blade edge. Also the ones with the edge in a slot, sacrifice one to see the cutting angle is 30-40 degrees inside on some of them. That is why they get pushy and chatter more. Also hard to work the inside to sharpen like some will tell you. Those slotted ones are easier to work off the bottom and just strop the slot. The round bottoms are the easiest to sharpen and maintain. You can take a round object like a nail or screwdriver shank depending on the radius you need and wrap it with wet/dry sandpaper, then work it on that. I strop the bottoms of mine on a leather edge with compound and the top with a felt wheel on my dremel on slow, Just a touch will do it. The round bottoms have the longest life also. As long as you maintain that profile, you can sharpen most of them back for 2" or a little more. Roundbottoms work great for trimming excess and leaving a nice rounded profile, like on a cantle binding or the sewn in lining reinforcements. If you keep the toes ground back as you sharpen them, they will do a tight radius in a slot also.

Because of more tools for sale,I have increased the number of pages of leather working tools for sale on my website. I added a few tools yesterday includung a great little Gomph knife, and I have quite a few other tools I will be listing in the coming days and weeks. Coming up I have several Gomph, HF Osborne, and CS Osborne hand tools, as well as a splitter or two and rein rounder. I also will be listing some more recent good solid using tools as well. Several have asked me to be notified when more tools are listed and so I am starting an email notification group list. If you would like to be on that list, please contact me at this address - bruce(AT)brucejohnsonleather.com - *substitute the @ symbol for (AT)* Please title the message "Tool List". Eventually we will get a software program for automatic subscriptions, but for now I am doing this manually. Thanks,

I skive the edges of mine down to about 3 oz at the edge and back about 1/2". I soak them in warm water for about 20 minutes before I wrap. I wring it out and then cut a slot just long enough to go over the horn. I go down through the handhole, then under and up the front. For right handed I wrap clockwise. I pull on the tail hard as I walk it around and lay the wrap in place. I make sure everything is where I want it and looks alright. Then I unwrap and really crank it on the second time. I wrap the tail around a stick for leverage and wrap again. I lay the stick against the horn and walk it around. I slip the tail and I need to and it really goes on tight. I finish off by pulling the tail through the slit exposed at the back of the horn and the excess lays off to the left. Mine are tight enough I have to work a needle nose pliers under to get the tail. I tap all around with a small hammer and then go over it with a choke strap. Edit - I found some pictures of a couple I have done. I try to make the slot just long enough to go over the horn and so the tail will fill the slot. I think that makes a cleaner look to fill the slot and not have a big gap. On some big caps and small necks you can't though. Also If I hang the rope strap off a dee on the swells, I screw down throgh the mulehide and then wrap as normal and tuck the tail under the first wrap. The Wade shows that method.

I cut on HDPE and like a bigger board. I have a 2x4 sheet of 3/8. I stand it up against a wall when I am not cutting. I get less knife drag on HDPE. If you punch on HDPE, it can crack. For punches I like LDPE and have a few 12x12 pieces I can toss on a granite on the working bench and some smaller ones I can slip in a pocket or on the drill press to punch a hole against.

Good call, Bill. It is part of a McPherson equine dental speculum. Here's one in action - McPherson dental speculum . You can also see the downside of them in that picture. They are like a deer-basher bumper if the horse decides to sling his head.

The round knives that are the most comfortable for me are 4-5" across the tips. It gives me good control. Four inches is a good starting size. I like a wider knife for push skiving down an edge. I also use wider knives for when I am making a rolling cut and not a slicing or puch cut. I do rolling cuts to "chop" straps to length and to cut softer leathers, especially for fringe. when you roll the knife you never want to roll over past center of the front of the knife. You lose any leverage advantage. Friend of mine did that several years ago. The underneath point kicked up into his wrist.

Here's a source too - Maverick Leather

Art, You are dead on with your assessment of the Rose knives and I think the reasons for the soft spots on some. I use a belt for some work and keep a finger on the opposite side of the contact area when I am on a belt or wheel to monitor heat. I have gone back to mostly using wet-dry on the Gomph and Rose knives for one reason. It is a heck of a lot cheaper to buy sheets of wet-dry than belts, especially the finer grits that aren't sold at every hardware store. Roses will eat the grit right down to the nub on belts in short order. Keep using that belt and all you make is heat. The only time I use a belt much is a slack belt for the final edge. I have used diamond stones and like them for a lot of things, but laying a full sheet of wet-dry on an inspection plate gives me bigger strokes and more surface area and gets the job done faster and more evenly.

Bradley, Here is my anecdotal experience. Rose knives have the hardest steel I come across. An older guy that is pretty colorful described a Rose knife as "harder than a whore's heart and will stay sharper than a mother-in-law's tongue". Pretty much sums it up. To work on a Rose, you have to be of the right mindset that day because it takes some time. On my scale, Gomph is next in line - a little more forgiving to sharpen than a Rose but harder than an old Osborne. For me they hold an edge well. One small step below that are the older CS Osbornes - the Newark made ones for sure and the older Harrison marked ones. They are a nice combination of sharpening up fairly easily but still holding an edge for a while. I'd put the Shapleigh/Clyde knives with them. One bigger step below that are the more recent Osbornes. I don't know 100% the reason, but it seems like I see more Shapleighs and Clydes out here than maybe they do in other parts of the country. I am not sure if one of the bigger distributors back in the heyday pushed them or what. I'll see a nice set of older Osbornes and Gomphs in a shop, and there will be a couple Clydes or Shaps there. Even some of the old yard sale sets used to have a bunch of Craftools, but a Clyde knife with them.

Thanks for the nod Luke. I appreciate it. I do have round knives, draw gauges, English points, and slot punches on my site. I have some more I got in the last few weeks I haven't got to yet also.

Bradley, I don't know who might have made the edgers. I've had several round knives from Shapleigh and the word has been they were made by Clyde Cutlery in Clyde OH for Shapleigh. I seen no difference between the two in design or handle shape, so no reason to doubt it. Both have lightly etched logos too. Shapleigh went out of buisness in 1960 as I recall, so that will giuve some dating.

Aleta, I do put the conchos through the lid. I do a few every year where someone has a can already and I normally have them just send me the lid. If they can't spare it I do send just the leather for someone locally to glue it on for them. I have one going to Canada tomorrow that it was too expensive to mail the lid both ways. I made up an instruction sheet a while back for these customers, and will cut and paste it here - Gluing Rope Can Lids This is the way I attach the leather to the lids of rope cans. I have not had any come loose following this technique. I have reglued some for other guys, and had a few loosen early on. This way now has worked out to be the best for me. First off the ropecan, leather and contact cement should be room temperature. For glue I have been using Renia the last couple years. Before that I was using Masters and Barge original AP and they both were alright, but not the quick strong bond that I get with Renia. I have had poor luck with Duall 88. I first lay the leather on the lid of the rope can and line everything up. The holes for the silver conchos are already punched. I use them to mark the holes for the machine screws on the back to go through the lid. I mark and drill holes through the lid with a bit just large enough for the size of the screw shank. I rough up the lid of the rope can for better glue adhesion. I usually use a welder’s wire brush and then wipe all the dust off. I put a thin coat of glue on the leather and let it dry thoroughly to make a base. Usually it takes about an hour or so. Then I put another even layer of glue on the lid and another on the leather. I wait until the glue is mostly dry but still a little tacky. If it seems a little too dry I hit the leather side with a heat gun to tack things up a little more. Then I put wax paper on the lid to separate the lid and leather until I am ready for it to stick. I use saddle spikes in the punched concho holes to line things up. I go through the wax paper and into the holes in the lid. When things are close I pull the wax paper a piece at time and lightly press that section in place. Once I have all of the paper out, I make sure things are definitely lined up and then press pretty well with my hand all around. I work it over a few times to get a good bond. I leave it about 24 hours for the bond to cure. I normally weight them overnight. I lay the lid face down on a clean thin towel like a Motel 6 towel, and then put a weight on the inside of the lid. 20-30 pounds is fine. The last thing is to attach the conchos with the machine screws. I put a few sizes in, so that should get it done.

At least in some cases it was true. Some of the old saddles didn't have the leathers turned or the skirts blocked to the bars. They wet it and rode it to set the stirrup leathers and try to sink the bars into the skirts and set them a little too. Not unlike the way some guys break in Whites boots. BTW, I like your quote at the end of your posts. I collect cowboy poetry among other old books and "Songs of Horses" is one of my favorite collective books. I haven't seen that particular poem in any other book. I wish someone could attribute an author to it because I think it is a great piece of writing. I have heard Randy Rieman recite it at a show, and it is on one of his CDs. He does a wonderful job on it.