bruce johnson

Lisa, Hansen's have several patterns of iron/silver with the cross. Here is a link ot their new website, which I just saw for the first time about 5 minutes ago. - Hansen's Western Gear. (My favorite is the San Martin cross).

Clair, I've got Dixon blades in mine, and I keep them sharp-sharp. Kind of like a round knife, when I start hearing the cut, it is time to strop. As far as the new knife matching up, Chris Williamson from Dixon joined here a short while back. Hopefully he can answer that.

The 511 and Barry's #3 lined center basket I have are pretty much the same size.

Tim, I'll respond here, and it it takes off, we'll make a new topic and move it. Both of the point knives are Watt's. One I bought outright and the other was in silent auction basket I bought to get some other tools. They are alright. I mainly use them to skive a little if I don't get enough undercut on my cantle ear cuts. Maybe a little trim here or there in a tighter spot. They don't get enough use to really test them, and I really can't even justify having two. I just ended up with them both.

Like Bob, I do most of my hand skiving with a round knife. I have a few different ones for different cuts, but I like a wide one for skiving. When it really comes down to the bee's knees, I like a paring type knife. I am attaching a picture of some different knives, but the one I am talking about is on the right in the picture. It is pretty popular with the European influenced guys. The picture is a little deceiving, the bevel is pretty long on this knife and it will do some really fine work. Some of these come without the leather cover on the heel of the blade.

I would try Dick Anderson at Thornapple River boots. I kind of recall he has them. Here's a link to his info page - Dick Anderson

Weavers will sell you from the supply catalog with what you have. A few years ago I tried to buy some things from the finished product side and that is where the storefront, posted hours, and minimum order deal came in then.

I have used a couple bottles of Johnson No More Tears and one generic in between with no differences I can tell. Joe, I slather it on with a woolskin scrap used like a sponge (another way to use up those scraps). It depends on the weight of the leather how much and how many applications. Usually I go over it pretty heavy once and let it sit for about 5 min. Apply another coat if needed and see how fast it soaks in. If it goes pretty fast I'll hit it again. My general rule of thumb is about one good application for every 4 oz of leather. One of those things that experience with your own leathers will dial it in for you. I put it in a ziplock with enough air to keep the plastic off the face of the leather. Those big blue storage ziplocks are great. Next day or that night, it is usually ready to go. If too wet I leave it out under a fan. Too dry and I mist on some of the mix with a spray bottle and just leave it sit out for a while checking for more needed or not. I don't refrigerate anymore.

Stacy, Much as these look like simple repairs, I would take it to a shop. It may not be worth the two hour trip to Clements for you, but as you said, your saddle has some more than average value for its age. I am not trying to sound condescending but this, but a messy repair could sure take some value off it. A nail missing the cantle and through the seat or a problem sewing back the wool could decrease the value. If you want to do this yourself, I would find someone experienced more locally to help you with it. If nothing else, at 10 years it might be time for a deeper inspection and deep cleaning and conditioning anyway.

I am subscribed to a few animal production forums and email lists. One that I usually follow fairly closely comes from Beef magazine. Amanda Nolz is a recent college grad from South Dakota who has a blog there, and is pretty good spokesperson for animal agriculture. Her blog entry this morning is based on a lecture given last night at Brookings. The speaker was Bernard Rollin, a philosophy prof from Colorado State. I have heard Prof Rollin speak a few times at meetings, and have found him interesting and thought provoking. At the end of Amanda's post is a link to a short audio interview she did. Here's a link - Bernard Rollin animal rights and beef interview

I sure don't want to start that whole nightlatch debate we went through a few years ago, but here's my thoughts. If you are going to use one, I think the rope doubled and tied tight to the gullet is safer (like cowgirlrae's second picture with the tie string). You are holding onto the tails. Anytime you run your hand into a strap you buck off the oppposite side and your hand can either twist in the handle if too loose or turn over if too tight. Either way you have a bind on your hand and could be hung there. I wouldn't trust a lace to hold me in, but then break when I wanted it to.

Brent, Page 13 in the catalog I am working out of. They are with the silver ear pieces and ferrules. Punchy, You are right, Hansens do have stuff worth the money on a few levels. I might be a little biased, but I'd agree they are just some really great folks also.

Thanks for the link. I enjoy listening to those old guys talk.

Doug, Here's how I mix it - 1-1/2 cups water, 1/2 cup lexol conditioner (brown jug), 1-2 tbs baby shampoo, 1 tbsp listerine (brown). Actually I mix it in a two liter bottle and measure by eye now.

I have been using the water/lexol/baby shampoo formula for almost two years when it was first resurrected by Ben. In the last year I started adding the listerine called for in the recipe. Not eveyone has had the same experience I have had, but here's mine. I case for 8-24 hours. These are all my impressions compared to previously using water or ProCarve only or either with saddle soap as a top coat prior to slicking. 1) smoother cutting with less stropping. 2) better burnish 3) longer tooling time without adding more moisture compared to the water or Procarve only - about the same as with the topdressed saddle soap. 4) A little less oil needed to get the same color as with water or Procarve. 5) Smells nice. 6) The stamped leather is more flexible afterwards than cased with plain water or Procarve.

Arbo, Where was the auction? Sounds like an interesting day.

Siegel's website has a reference section that is pretty complete. Her is a link to section on hot stuffing harness leather - Production of Harness Leather.

I use the stirrup plate. I stick the gussets in with glue and hold them in place with binder clips side by side. I let everything set up for a few hours before sewing if I can and then sew slowly. Take off the binder clips as you come to them.

To back up, I have never seen one that came apart on a nice stable type leather halter. I have repaired some bronc halters where they use a bolt and washer/nut to keep the ring in the slot. The repair to pull the solid bolt and replace the ring is not real bad. If the leather is decent and the holes line up - a snap with the machine. Hand sewing it should be less than a half hour job to sew up even a triple line stitched connector.

The only ones I have dealt with are a single cast piece. Weavers sell them and as I recall they call them halter bolts. I had to unstitch the leather to replace them on the ones I did.

Noah, You have a bigger version of the Landis than the one I used to have. The Landis I had was a 6" and I didn't know they made the 30 in anything else. I mostly use the Krebs (Randall version) to split. Mine has a scant 8-1/2" wide cutting edge on the blade. The Krebs can be used to skive if you move the lever as you pull the piece. I have tried it a few times, but I like an Osborne 83 for doing long skives. The push on the handles/pull on the piece action is more natural for me. For shorter laps I use a crank skiver or knife.

Noah, I have some of the same problems as Kevin with some latigo and what little bridle leather I have used. On the handcrank I think the roller pressure compression is the problem, along with softer leather wadding up being pushed into the blade. I have avoided this a little by starting some strips through with the crank and then pulling them to finish. I have had Americans and they feed from the back so you can start and then freewheel pull them. I'd think you could maybe try that on the Landis if you can get around to the back. These were designed for sole leather and shine with firmer stuff. If your splitter is working with the other stuff, I'd hate to mess it up backing off the pressure to split some softer leather. I have better luck with the softer stuff with a pull through splitter like a Chase style or Krebs. On the other hand, temper my enthusiasm for splitters, I really like them.

Randy, First off - my background to answer the email question. One great grandfather was a cattle feeder. One great grandfather was a livestock dealer and packer buyer. One grandfather was a dairy farmer. My other grandfather fed cattle and had mother cows. Two uncles are/were packing house cattle buyers and my dad was a hog buyer. We worked our way through school in a union meat packing plant. My brother stuck with it and is a PhD meat scientist. I went to vet school. We have horses, and cattle most of the time. My son is an auctioneer and works 4 days a week or more at cattle auctions. We pretty much know where stuff comes from and what happens to it. Randy, I'd like to think that the target customer population just exists in California but unfortunately I don't think so anymore. This slaughter free leather as I see it would be for the small segment of the population that has a moral issue with slaughter, but not the products of them once dead. They don't have to share my views, just buy our leather products. That is a very tiny market segment overall, but one that is probably there. However the people who sympathize with this is not. (Congrats to Ohio voters for just passing a sane livestock handling initiative - good shootin'). There are a lot of people who are 3 generations from the farm. Grandad went to town to work after WWII and meat has come in a package, the only thing that died they have seen is a dog, and leather is in the store. They know where it comes from, and sort of think they know how it got there. A few well placed ads from animal groups - some legit and some not, and a few high profile people denouncing animal cruelty, anthropomorphism, and it is easy to see why these people have the thoughts they do - right or uninformed. These people are not the majority, but there is more of them than there used to be. A few may be talked to and have a reasonable discussion. It seems like reasonable discussions in the media turn into who can talk over who on the news channels, and to quote a higher profile spokesperson for the livestock business - "They are just as narrow minded as we are". If some of these people will buy slaughter free leather and pay a price knowing that it wasn't harvested or whatever the latest PC term is now, great. I don't think for a minute that this is an effort by Siegels to push an anti-animal cruelty agenda with this project. It is filling a small niche market with a niche product. Whether the customer base is enough to accept it and make it worthwhile is something time will tell. I'd like to think the rancher did get some economic benefit from the animal but the fact is, he probably paid to get rid of that animal and lost money. That is a reason some of us have a bonepile and coyotes for recycling purposes. Slaughter free is not a profit center for anyone I know in the livestock business. It is a way for processors to recoup costs and be profitable. Ag producers are one of the few businesses that buy their raw materials and equipment at retail and sell their finished product at wholesale. Another topic though. Off the soapbox.

Yep, good points for the average leather worker's customer. With my background I don't share a lot of the same views of some of these folks that have a PILE of disposable income. I can see where it would appeal to those who are about three generations from the farm, don't have the same background on animal utilization I do, and want something unique. If I had that clientele or thought I could get them, damn straight I'd be using it. I am mercenary enough to hope it sells well. Someone will take their money, might as well be a guy I know. It is just wrapping up a product and marketing it in a whole new way. More power to the guys who thought it up, and to the guys whose customers will seek it out, feel better about buying it, and pay makers the premium price.

Tucker, I wear about an 8-1/2 glove for what that is worth. It makes a difference for me to have more control with a bigger barrel than the quicker action of the smaller barrel. I have one of the thinner ol Smoothies, 3/8" I think. It was alright until I had some hand injuries that made it hard to grip something that small. I slid one of those rubber pen sleeves over it and my Barry King. They work for me now, and are my first grabs. I have one of the biggest ol Smoothies, I think it is 5/8 with a 1/2" blade. I like it for running long straight lines. When you can bury a lot of blade edge into the leather and have that big barrel, it just wants to track truer for me.