bruce johnson

Philip, If they are telling you that you have to have wholesale license, that makes me think it is a Horseshoe Brand (Jeremiah Watt) stamp from Weavers. If so - you can order directly from Jeremiah Watt without the wholesale number. Here is his website and link to his contact info - Jeremiah Watt/Horseshoe Brand tools .

If you're looking for diamonds in the rough, pretty much most of the desirable makers mark(ed) their stamps other than some McMillens. The Craftools are far and away the most common finds in estate and yard sales for the reason they sell/sold the most. Other ones are CraftJapan and some other Asian stamps. I have some that are sure good ones. Other ones to look for are McMillens (may or may not be marked), Hackbarth, Don King, Woodruff, Russell, Fay, and a few more oldies whose names escape me. Newer makers are Gore, Barry King, Wayne Jueschke, Bob Beard, Check Smith, and some other new makers. It is sure possible to find these in estate sales from someone. Every once in a while you will hear about someone finding a big set of good old tools someplace. About any of the good ones will bring $15 and the right ones up to $150. That just comes from seeing them and getting a feel for what is desirable and what someone else will pay.

Ann, I've done a few of these replacements. As far as the buckstitching. Once you fit up the binding you can mark your line and then take it off and punch the slits and lace it before the final assembly. Even if it originally went through the seat leather, your stitch line will catch it anyway. I start with my binding being about 8 oz or so. I leave it full back to the area where the rope will start to be formed and then skive it down to about 5 oz or so. I form it in tight to the depressions between the ropes. I start with my fingers and finish with a tool to really seat it. My favorite tool for the this is a deer antler spike. I punch my lacing slits when it is pretty dry and then pull it down tight.

What I was trying to say in that post was there is a sweat pattern with the cinch sweat pattern laying directly behind the elbow. The saddle is sitting about maybe 4" behind where that sweat pattern is. Where the saddle is sitting now (uncinched) is where I would probably place it and pull it to start with. JW pointed out what I thought I was seeing too. The swell fork rigging appears to be more forward of what I would call a full double. The swell fork saddle is cinched down in that same place right behind the elbow. Because the rigging on that one is more forward on the tree, the bar tips are back off the shoulders. If you place a 3/4 rigged saddle with the cinch in the same place as the full, there is going to be more bar in front of that, and that appears to be up over the shoulders or at least into them.

Huntet, From your earlier reply, Nope wasn't me who said you had mule bars. I didn't see that reply. I think the fact that you can feel something on one side and not the other, you have a nice picture of a single dry spot corresponding to that area, and you have already shared it with 9000 people might sort of get their attention. I would think Teskeys would at least want to see it. I understand them not wanting to carte blanche give a full refund, but I'd think they might want to at least fix it if there is a problem. Edit - Now that these pictures are up, I see some placement things I'd probably do differently too. I think that saddle appears to be sitting too far forward in some of the pictures. Where I expect the bar tips to be on that swell fork is a few inches behind where I expect they are with the Wade in some of those pictures. There is one picture (3rd one)that shows a sweat pattern where the saddle is sitting what appears to behind that about the width of the cinch. It looks like that is about where the saddle wants to settle, but again your hands are on it and we are looking at pictures. Sometimes the pictures when they are moving can make things look like they are sitting differently in different phases of a stride too. Again though, if one side of the saddle is different underneath than the other, that needs to be addressed.

Under that area from your description, it might be the gullet liner wasn't skived very well on that side or a skirt plug isn't fit in there right. That can leave a ridge, and I've seen better than a $1395 Teskey that had one side skived and one not. If it is something you can feel on one side and not the other, that would be reason enough to send it back I'd think. If it is yours now, somebody will need to drop the skirts and see what is causing whatever you are feeling. As the wool packs, it will be a bigger problem.

Another thing I am wondering is a 1-1/2 pad is pretty thick and with new woolskin over that, the saddle may not be pulling down as much either.

I recently had the opportunity to buy an old stitching horse from the original owner’s grandson. I got it yesterday and put it back together. The original owner was Charles Collins. Mr. Collins was born in Texas in 1879 and moved 1895. He worked for several of the top saddle shops of the day – DE Walker (Of Visalia fame), PB Lady, Frazier, Frank Meanea, Victor Marden, Jepson, and Burkhard and Son. These were the real top tier shops and innovators of the times. He opened his own shop in Globe, AZ in 1914. He moved to Prescott in 1936, and back to Globe in 1941. He continued the shop there until at least 1956. He died in 1962 and according to his grandson was building right up to the end. . In a few places I have read he was described as an authority on cowboy history and lore – another of my interests. It is written that he was friends with Zane Grey. He bought the ranch that Zane Grey’s cabin was on, but did not personally know him. He did correspond with J Frank Dobie, Ross Santee, and Walt Coburn. I got the stitching horse yesterday and got it put back together. It is rock solid, and works well. My other horse is a left footer, so this one will take a little getting used to. It is a little higher and the contour and shape of the seat is a dead-on perfect fit. I am proud and honored to have it.

Paul Krause or one of the other bootmakers might have a better idea than me. I have seen similar tools in shops that boot makers used to cut and rasp pegs inside shoes and boots from pegged construction.

Ross, For intermediate priced tools, Barry King. Here's a link - Barry King Tools I would tend to go for one of the larger sizes of beads. I think they are easier to learn with and more distinctive. I had a set of smaller ones. To be honest, after I finished you almost had to use a lens to see if it was bargrounded. From any distance it just looked matted. Best instructions for using them is probably "Sheridan Style Carving". Several leather suplliers sell that book.

Luke, I have good feedback from customers with the chrome elk I have put on for them.

It probably depends on which type edger you prefer. I had a set of Ron's round bottom edgers and they were good. My regular users are the bisonettes from Bob Douglas. I have a bisonette from Barry King too. I'd think a 2, 3, and maybe a 4 from Bob or Barry would cover your bases, plus a bent edger for slots.

Ryan, Thanks for the info. Both of the ones I have now are Rex 27s and I haven't run across any with the 6 point anvils. Then again they have been with old groups of tools sold as a lot. I'll get a 6 point to fill out an order so I can have that setup next time I order. Another question on the mechanical side. I had never really done any checking into the Rex 27. Last night I ran across a Model T forum and a few other places that they talked about the Rex 27 being used for brakes. On one forum they were using them for the old Ford tractors too - 8N, 9N, and some others. Did Rex have a different riveter design for brakes back in the day, and now they are making do with the 27?

Mark, Good job with that rope stamp and the pattern of the headstall and straps. I like that untwisted look down low.

Ryan, The anvils on both of the riveters I have now just have the center post and the trough all the way around. When I try to set the self piercing tubular rivets, they pierce alright. The problem is that they will roll a little bit into the trough, kind of like a an eyelet but not that much of a rim. It doesn't split the clinch at all. Sound right? Or are there rivets that are scored or something to split and I had "rollers" instead of "splitters"? About the only time I use these are a repair on something that the other rivets are split into the six legs that roll and clinch. I stick the tubular rivet into the Rex and press just enough for it penetrate the leather. Then I take it out and split and finish it with the hand tool that splits the tube on an anvil. I can punch a hole and just use the handtool, but I don't have that little plug of leather in the pivet center and it looks odd.

I have never seen a manual for any of the old splitters, but I've had a few Krebs style. There are a several of us on here with them, so we can probably figure out most of the common things.

Kate, I have a couple of them sitting around here. An old guy told me that they originally were mostly used for auto repair. They were used to rivet the replacement bands into the brake systems of old Fords about 90 years ago. They had a tubular rivet setup and you dropped the rivet into the spring loaded tube on the bottom. Push the handle and it set the rivet against the splash on top. That would explain why they are so common, this was almost a DIY project back in the day apparently and about everybody had one. I have never pursued it, but a while back someone mentioned you might can get get a top anvil from Beilers that will split the rivet into the six part star. I have started the tubular rivets with the Rex, and then finished them off with the hand tool that makes the star. It worked OK for no more of those than I do.

Good Picture Josh. Last night we drove down to Visalia and saw Dave. I'd have to say one of the best times we have seen him. A great mix of songs, he did "West of Laramie" for me (again), and trotted out several new songs. There are some good ones in the pipeline.

Biggest PIA orders I deal with. I don't put a makers stamp on mine anymore because I don't want anyone to know I occasionally cave in and do them. Basically get an idea of the bottle sizes they are carrying and use those for a pattern. Most of the time mine have the bottles and syringe carried on the left and a normal saddle pocket on the right. It never fails, they swear they only pack two 250 ml bottles of whatever. They carry a 30 cc syringe. You make them up and all is right with the world. For a week. Then they decide to pack a 100 ml Banamine, a 100 ml Baytril, and a 250 NuFlor. They expect you to just change out pockets and make them fit. Oh yeah, they are using some 12 cc syinges now too, add a pocket for that. I did a set for a guy who had 2 100s, a 250, and a 500, plus a 30 ml and 60ml syringe, and a balling gun on the left side. On the right was a pocket for boluses and tags, tagging pliers holder, fence plier holder, and a holder for two colors of chalk. When I was done it looked the garage pegboard with tool outlines like old guys do. He went to a different tag system a month later and the pliers pocket was too small. TDB. A few warnings. Make the bottle pockets so they can turn the bottles right side up when they are not doctoring. Once the rubber stoppers get hard and they shove a few 16 ga needles through them, a lot of expensive medicine can be lost a drip at a time hanging there. Those little needle pockets look nice, but don't last very long, they get hard and the needle covers get stuck inside. Elastic "bullet loops" for boluses hold the elasticity for about a month. Then the boluses all fall out on the ground. Make the pockets slightly oversized so they can tape the bottle with duct tape and newspaper before they stick it in. That makes it easier and safer to get the broken bottle out when the horse slams the bag against the door jumping in or out of the trailer or squeezing through a gate. Best piece of advice - sell them on the virtues of a cantle bag.

Hansen's sell direct if you have a resale number. Weaver also stocks a limited amount of their conchos, and several shops stock their silver. For me, they are just across town, so I can pick up whatever I need that way. They have a new website, and here's the link - Hansen Western Gear .

Another vote for Hansens.

I have a similar old one by a different maker I got in a set of tools last fall. It is not as versatile as a round knife. Where it shines is long sraight lines. All that belly of the knife in the leather will really make it track. Lay it over at an angle and all that blade on the glass makes it a good skiving knife. I ended up and did sharpen the top forward edge of mine to see how I liked it for curves. I didn't. I either like to push a round knife or pull with a hook blade knife with more hook than this one.

It depends on how much you plan to use it, what kind of leather, and how much you want to spend. If I could only have one or was buying new - it would the be the Keystone from Campbell Randall. It is a twist handle model like the Osborne 84. That style is the most versatile. I like splitters a lot, and here's a link to some of the oldies I have and some explanations of them - Old Splitters Each of these kind of have a special area they shine. If I could only have one it would be the Krebs style I guess. Second would be a Chase. Third would be a crank skiver for laps or a Spittler or twist handle for longer laps.

Paul Krause will know for sure. I am thinking it is a variation of a Star welt knife. That is what I have seen it called when I was going through a boot shop a while back.

Constructively, I like mine with two different types of grooves. My favorite is one that has a full 180 degree arc in the groove, not so much of a "V" as some of your grooves. It gives a round edge top to bottom. The other one I like has a 90 degree arc then a flat spot then another 90 coming out. The edges that result from that one are more of a just rounded over look. I don't use points much, but when I do, something like the Weaver design works well. I usually use an old chewed up one of those by hand. It has two diameters with a step down.