bruce johnson

This is from an email I just got - It started off and finshed with some words we didn't learn in Sunday school, but this part I copied and pasted out of the middle pretty well sums it up. Do you want to buy my tools? Between Darcy’s saddle and Mason’s now, I am about to sell out and run goats. This is like looking at National Geographic or Playboy. I am staring at colored pictures of things I won’t see again. I can agree with that sentiment.

Tim, I have some from Barry and they are good. I had some from Hackbarth that were some sticky son of a guns. My favorites came from Bill Woodruff. Bob Douglas had a few sets of four at Wickenburg and thought he might be getting some more.

The bar is raised again. I don't know what else to say.

Brackney's is/was in Greencastle. I went to school at Purdue and lived in Logansport before that. I saw one snowflake too many, and spent one night too many in a snowdrift in 1983-84. I live in Oakdale CA - north central about 250 miles or so north of Camarillo on the east side of the central valley.

Tim, I dye lettering with black Sharpie markers. I dye before I oil, and haven't had a finish lift it yet. I'd try it on a scrap of your leather to make sure, but it works for me.

Greetings from California. With your interests in Sheridan style and horse gear, you will find a lot of stuff on the forum here. Where are you at in Indiana?

Ok Charlene. I hope I don't step on any toes here, and sure mean no disrespect. My candid experience from a few Sheridans and one IFoLg show (Indianapolis). They are two different shows. Sheridan is Sheridan and Indianapolis was 70 miles from my folks, chance to go home after 25 years, and a tax advantage trip for the leather business. 1) Sheridan has nearly every seller of consequence. The IFoLg has about 10 - Barry King, Bob Beard, Jeff Mosby, a few suppliers of materials, and a couple machine sellers. They told me it was one fof the best shows as far as number of venders. 2) Sheridan has a contest with one division and seems like fewer categories, but some world class leatherwork from the top end makers. IFoLG has a contest with three divisions and more categories. You are going to see some good to great work there, but Don Butler,the Seidels, and that level won't be at the IFoLg. On the other hand, there is an entry level, midlevel, and a masters level division that you qualify for after so many wins in thge lower ranks I was told. That levels the playing field some for contest entries in IFoLG and encourages more entries at the lower levels. Qualifications and rules are a bit subjective, as is the advice from entry secretaries and judges. Some of the Sheridan contest entries were IfoLG show entries from last fall too. Some at IFoLg is really good and some wins by default. 3) Both shows have classes, although one or two of mine at IFoLG were cancelled because of the instructor not being there. I have not regretted a class taken at a LCSJ show at Sheridan or the other shows they put on, although the lineup is getting stale. 4) Social aspects - Sheridan has Kings and the Sheridan Leather Outfitters social events. Bigger attendance overall too and more chance to bounce ideas, discuss, and socialize with more folks in the show hall, coffee shop, and the Mint or at Holiday Inn bar. IFoLG seems like most everyone attends the banquet - awards handed out and socializing around the table. Last year I met a few people at IFoLg who are not regular attendees at Sheridan and we hit it off and keep in touch. 5) Sheridan is just plain cool. The scenery every morning if you have a west facing window is righteous. Don King Museum is a must see for a lot of folks. This is a one-man museum and it is probably the best saddle display collection in the country of any museum. Other leather work, tools and a great Stohlmann display there too. It is Sheridan WY, not a metro/cosmo town, and dang I like to go there. The IFoLG show floats around so that mixes things up a little for local attractions.

I am not 100% sure what you are wanting to do. If you are looking to skive off 1/4" into the edges of a belt, either a crank skiver or bell knife skiver will do that all day. That will thin down the edges and leave the centers full. For handtools, that is kind of the baliwick of french edgers or skiving blades. If you are looking to cut a slit into the edge, that is a little different. A channeler with a real sharp blade might do a passable job on something like that. Otherwise some sort of jig like Twin Oaks suggested could work. I don't do enough hidden stitch work to matter. When I do I follow what I think Steve Mason wrote a few years ago. I hold the leather down on the edge of my stamping rock with a ruler and use a blade to go along the edge. I can see better and have more control with a razor blade, cut towards myself to see better, and make multiple passes to get the depth I need.

Mike, I expect I have DC servos on my two machines, but don't know for sure. My experience with servo motors. I had an Adler 205-64 with a clutch motor, smally motor pulley, and speed reducer. At that time about the only really controllable motors seemed to be the Efka motos = $$$$$$. When the servos got sort of more available about 5-6 years ago I swapped out the clutch for the servo. Way more control and at least for me seemd like more torque. With the clutch I had to feather the wheel to prevent the jump when I started. I got into the habit of having my hand on the wheel to control the starts and slowdowns. The first thing I noticed about the servo was it threw my hand off starting out. Same with slowing down for a corner. The control was enough I didn't need to have my hand up there ayway, just a habit to break. I got a 2000 and at that time still had a choice of clutch or servo - no decision. I went with the servo and speed reducer setup. I can dial it from a stitch every 3 seconds to pretty fast running down a rein. When I ordered the 1245, Ron said I could probably get by without a speed reducer. I wanted slow speed control more than fast speed and went with the reducer anyway. The speed reducer on the 1245 makes it easy to just pop the belt off by hand and tip the head back to get underneath for maintenance too. I don't need to get the wrench and slide the pulleys. Most of my sewing on the 2000 is from gussets in cases and bags where In need the cylinder arm and special plates up to 2-3 layers of skirting on the flat. The 1245 does all the strap work and most of the flat stuff that won't exceed the capacity. Neither of my machines lack any torque. My only complaint is this - WHY can't they make the speed control dial remote so that it can be mounted on the table by the motor switch instead of part of the motor? When you change top end speed, you have to crawl under or behind to change the dial. Just put it there where it's handy. That is my mini-rant.

Jim, Following the numbers here - 1. I usually split my leather dry. 2. If the leather is really heavy you can put a strain on the spring action splitters if they have one (86 does). The 86 worked for me better just relasing that thumb lever as I started the pull. The ones without a spring like the 84 or the 83, you have to taper the cut into the leather with the handle as you go. To just mash down the handle on the leather sitting there, setting it, and then pulling is straining the frame or the blade edge. The Chases or Krebs like it better if you start the pull as you lower the top roller too. 3. The width capacity depends on the blade. A really sharp blade with flatter taper can split almost full width. I've got a 12" Chase pattern and can pull 11" fork covers through when the blade is fresh, but those blades are thinner and have a lower angle than the 86. 4. I use lasting pliers to pull some through, just depends. 5. Sometimes I split in two passes, just depends on how much I am taking off and the blade to roller clearance. With my hand crank and the Chases. I usually take off about 3 oz at a time. That doesn't really over stress the spring actions much. 6. I use the diamond stones and buffing wheel too. When I am ready, I test them like a knife and cut some firm leather and test the full length of the blade. 7. They will split damp rawhide.

Casing is one of those things that can be as simple or complicated as a person wants to make it. We all have developed a procedure that works for us, out leather, out climate, and our time frame for being able to work it. Personally I use a mix of water, lexol, baby shampoo, and listerine. Some people like it, some don't. I tape the back of my pieces first to prevent stretch. I slather the casing mix on with a sheepskin scrap with the full length wool. I let it soak, depending on how fast it soaks in, I add more in a few minutes. Sometimes another slather, sometimes squeezed out some. By experience I know about what I want it to look like. Then I slick it while the surface still has moisture and it has penetrated some (explained below) and bag it. Depending on the size of the piece I use ziplocks from sandwich size up to those jumbo storage ones that are like 30x24 or something. I put enough air in the bag to keep the plastic off the grain of the leather. Thinner leather may be alright in an hour or two, thicker leather longer. I work nights and early mornings around a day job, so I account for that. If I need to add more moisture I mist it on with a hand sprayer. Usually I spray it over the piece and let it fall on rather than a direct shot. I sure try not to ever let it get dry enough I need to mop on more. If I need to stop, I rebag it after a light mist of casing mix. Slicking is rubbing the surface of the damp leather before carving or tooling. Slickers are a flat tool with a smooth surface to prevent marking. They can be wood, plexiglass, glass, stone, I used to make some out of LDPE cutting board scraps. I will agree with some of the comments that the glass ones have the heft and durability and seem to work better for me. The purpose of slicking is to apply an even pressure to the top layer of the leather to compress the fibers somewhat. It sort of evens up the softer and firmer areas and leather cuts and tools more consistantly. Some guys like the leather pretty damp and others slick when the color has returned just prior to cutting. I prefer mine to the damper side of the curve, but sure not sloppy. I hold the slicker and a low angle and push and then lightly pull it across the grain surface. I overlap the strokes, and then go at a 90 degree angle to the first pass. I use light strokes to start with and then a little more force. Just enough to "slick" the leather without a real hard glaze on it. To much force or raggy leather and you can push a wrinkle ahead of the slicker and separate the grain from the deeper fibers (this is a "bad thing"). They call that slipping the grain. If I am not tooling a piece, just oiling and finishing, I still will slick. It really makes a nicer feel to the finished product. Some people will slick the flesh side as well on things that won't be lined.

Somebody here has to know who made it. My sister-in-law sent it to me and it was attributed to someone in Texas. There are several references to it in the last few days on a Google search and they mostly call it the "Texas" seat. I guess kind of like the Pace picante sauce ad, if we find out it was made in New York City, we'll have to get a rope....

Ann, The three year update. It is still used pretty steady. I use it for splitting chrome elk and mule hide for horn wraps. I use it for skiving for turned edges on chrome tan. My favorite use is for thinning down edges on vegtan. I can take heavier leather and groove for folds, then skive edges down. I leave the middles pretty full and get deeper tooling effects and the edges are thin and even so they don't look clunky. The best part - I have not had the first bit of trouble with it, not a second's worth. I am so glad I took the time to go try a few out, that I got brushed off by another dealer, and ended up at Melanie Machine with a sack of my leather. Arnold compared a few he had, showed me how to set mine up, had the right feet and wheels, and honored his promise that he would make the trip worthwhile. I was dealing with a guy who had used them and knew them.

Bryan, Aye, good question and the exact reason I posted "that" corner on the first pic I did. You can see where I started in the corners and just went to stamping. That first pic some of the impressions got close together and are not all that pleasing. The second one is more to the same style throughout. Light spacing impressions of the heel to get the spacing right and then go back, set the whole stamp and have at it.

Here's a couple ways I do them.

Bill, Anyone that builds an 8 button loop seat for the first one has my respect. A couple things I see. Probably a preference, but I'd have dropped the back end of the rigging lower to not have the slot up into the rear jockey too. Depending on the bar pattern, you might have had to do that with the shallower skirts though. Seems like the holes I'd use the most on the back billets would be the second to the sixth up from the bottom. I am not sure a guy needs to have punched the top two for sure unless you have a pretty long back cinch and use it on all sizes of horses. Last thing would be to take a set of clippers and trim the wool sticking out around the edges. Otherwise, dang, for a first one this is great. Seat, finish, ear cuts, all look good.

Ken, I have a 31-20 just sitting. I bought it without a table and have just handwheeled it to sew up little things. I haven't touched it for a few months and wouldn't miss it is you need it for parts. PM me back if you are interested in it.

Good looking saddle, Andy. Sorry we are going to miss Sheridan but looks like we are probably going to be able to make Elko.

Some silver suppliers carry copper rivets with silver clad caps. Hansen's Silver have them engraved in plated and overlay, but only sell directly to wholesale. They are not all that pricey. You can dome them up with a rivet domer and it doesn't affect the engraving noticeably.

Doug, Good points and going back to your original post - the more commonly available used machines will sew leather on some scale. It is a different deal sewing veg tan vs. garment leather and I think that is the dividing line between readily available cheap machines. The average hobbyist may be doing some chaps or garment leather work and those Singers in several models will sure enough work. Once you get into carving on vegtan - belts, checkbooks, planners, sheaths, etc - the number of used lower cost machines drops. This seems to be the most common application that most of the people asking on this forum are doing. I'd expect that is why you got some of the repsonses you did. The Adler flatbeds come to mind as not being all that rare and doing the job, and sometimes can be bought pretty right. Condition is the key, and parts are a little pricey sometimes. Get into much heavier and the bigger Adlers, Singer 7s, needle and awl machines, and those oldies are the used machines that fit. The problem is finding one and finding parts and advice. I may be wrong here, but I think the closest industrial sewing machine repair guy with any reputation is 80 miles away from me. There may be other trading boards, but Ferdco seems like it is one of the more visited ones. That's how I got my Adler sold - lots of calls the first week and I took the offer from the guy who would pick it up. Still most of the stuff listed there is not cheap for the casual user. When I was trading up from the Boss to a powered machine I called Ferdco from the ad in the back of Western Horseman and got a 440 for no other reason than it was the cheapest powered machine sold. It was not the right machine for me - starting with the speed, and the feeding mechanism. I just called and ordered it - didn't know enough to ask the right questions. When it wasn't doing what I needed a machine for, you are right with the first post- I was ready to appreciate a better one. I called Ron at Ferdco and got my first lesson. That was long enough ago, that hobbyists just didn't buy leather machines from dealers to any extent. When someone called a dealer, they already had experience and knew what they wanted. Ron took a lot of time and went over machine types, feed, speed, thread size, and tables with me. He offered to trade the 440 head for a used Adler 205-64 head, sent along a smaller pulley for the motor (servos were pricey then, not $150 or whatever they are now), and made the deal work for both of us. I appreciated that and remain a loyal customer. I asked him why someone hadn't written an article on sewing machine basics for someone like me in LCSJ. It had been offered and declined. The journal is kind of funny about suppliers or dealers writing articles, or mention of some specifics by some authors. It is a business decision for them, they don't want to offend other advertisers. As far as a wiki-type deal on sewing machines - great. I'd sure like to see it. As it stands right now, this forum is probably as close as it gets - dealers and users, full time makers and hobbyists. Wiz, I don't know of anyone who has bought the Singer 550, but would be interested. The local sewing machine and vaccum shop had one set up a couple years ago. The owner had me sit down and run it. It did sew some pretty hard skirting leather, and seemed to be happy doing it. The limiting factor is probably thread size.

I'd recommend using it as a decorator piece. I saw a picture recently of an old high back saddle tree used a book rack. They set them in at a slant in the channel between the bars from fork to cantle. You can also run the fork through a bandsaw just above the bars. Screw it down to a board from the back with the horn up and make a coat/hat/bridle rack. I guess I am saying I wouldn't build on it.

Doug, I can agree with some of your premise - learn how the machine works and you can troubleshoot a lot of things yourself. My background is almost exactly what Art described. I started off with the romance of hand sewing everything. I started getting some orders, handsewed more to the point of tendonitis. Orders started coming and I needed a machine. At that time I had no experience with a sewing machine other than old metal well built home machines. They would not get the job done for what I needed - even a checkbook was pushing the limits. At that time a machine that could do most of what I needed was $5000. With no background in heavy machines, for me to go buy a used one was like someone who had never driven a car and only seen pictures to go to a car trader's lot. The Boss stitcher was out and at $1600 (then with no accessories) was the only thing in my budget. I figured out from that how a machine works - things like "OK that thread makes a loop there at the needle as it pulls up - neat, and that hook thing catches it". Then "by magic that thread goes all the way around the bobbin and pops up the other side". A few repairs and putting it together out of time taught me timing. I moved up through a shortlived ownership of a 440 and on to a used Adler 205. Motorized brought some new experience, it was a good solid machine but eventually I needed something with a different feed system and accesssory availability. Still the next machine up to do what I needed was a $5000 investment. At that point I was confident enough that I looked for a good used machine. They had some wear or wanted $4000 for them. I opted to drive on the top of the tread and bought new for another $1000. A couple years later Artisan brought out the 3000 - motorized machine that had capacity and under $2000. That machine probably more than anything I have seen in my relatively short time in the leather business revolutionized things. It made sewing available at half the cost or less and several people had something they could justify. In the meantime, the generation of old timers is passing. Several of the old machines have been orphaned and parts aren't available even if a guy is handy with them. The shoe and general repair shops closed 15-20 years ago, the manufacturing trade is all but gone on any scale. Several of the used machines I see have been sitting idle for 20 years in somebody's garage or shed. Some may not have even been working when the old guy even shut the doors the last time. They would take some serious work to get them back to reliable. The hobbiest/second income guy usually doesn't have that kind of time or inclination to deal with it when they can buy a machine ready to go for a little over $2000.

Chris, I don't like straight beeswax for edges. The advantage for me is that beewax seems to burnish up darker than paraffin. I suspect that is due to being stickier and making more friction and heat. The edges seem like they are more prone to "crack" on working gear or bends in things like checkobboks and albums. Paraffin edges don't darken as much, but get slicker/shinier and have more flexibility for me. If I am doing dyed edges I usually use straight paraffin. To get the best of both worlds I mix them for undyed edges and that seems to work. I take a pyrex measuring cup and put it directly on a burner over really low heat. We.ve got one of those smooth top stoves. I stick in about half beewax and half paraffin and let it melt slowly with a fire extinguisher close by. I do it really low and slow, takes maybe 15 minutes, and haven't had a problem other than boredom. once it is all melted I pour it off into cupcake papers in a muffin pan. I am not sure why we even have supcake papers. In six years I have never seen a cupcake in this house. After a few hours when it is hard and set, Peel the paper off. One warning. Last winter I got the idea to mix some dye into the wax mix while I was melting it. Kind of make some dyed wax like those boot and shoe guys buy. Upon cooling it separated and the dye flew over the kitchen when I peeled the paper off the first one. I put the rest of them back in the cup and slowly melted them and boiled off the dye solvent. In retrospect, a fire would have been hard to justify vs. just throwing it away and quitting while I was only a little bit behind. I did get all the solvent boiled off with slow heat, about an hour of wasted time, and constant watching. It made a nice looking dark wax. In side by side tests, nobody can tell any difference between the regular wax and the dyed wax. No difference at all, and I am adding this only to keep someone else from repeating my failed experiment.

I'd probably disagree with some of what was said in that blanket statement. It could be that 95% of the saddles sold are made in trees from 3 major saddle tree companies. They are sold to the production saddle shops, and some of them do call their higher end saddles "custom" saddles because the buyer can choose the seat color, tooling pattern, silver styles, whatever. They may very well be building on the same tree as their $1500 plain brown wrapper models. When you get to handmakers of saddles like most of who are here - fewer are using those trees to any extent. They are the ones using the handmade or higher end production trees.

Brad, My suspicions here. Cletus Hulling was a big time horse trader and I am pretty sure that is where he was at - not too far from St Louis. Many folks may find it hard to believe but at one time there were some great cutting horses and trainers in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. I was at his place once, and it was kind of overwhelming. You needed a calf horse, cutter, bulldogging horse, pleasure horse, whatever - the only limiting factor was your money and ability. When I was a kid too, Price McClaughlin saddles were pretty popular in that area. I had heard for years that Price McClaughlin was at Cletus Hullings for a while. A few years ago, ShopTalk had an article on Price McClaughlin and that confirmed it. There is a better than average chance the saddle might have been made when he was there in Illinois.