bruce johnson

I'd sure consider the #1 Saddle oil with Fungicide too. Pretty sure it is a Bee Natural product.

Janice, The only one I have seen like the American had a price of $200 on it. I see the little Singers in the antique stores a fair amount. Usually priced from $75-125.

A few other suggestions here and points of interest. When your leatherwork is a business you get to do more paperwork, which also takes time away from the shop. On the upside, you get to deduct a lot of the stuff that as a hobby or hidden business "for cash or beer" under the IRS radar can't. Your tools don't cost you anymore, they reduce your income on the business. Your trips to Sheridan - mostly free. My trip to the guild show this fall (seeing my folks who live by Indy) - mostly free. Mileage to the post office, hardware store, visit the relatives 150 miles away and stop by TLF and get some NF oil - deduction. When I seriously needed to pay bills I did almost my salary from the other job working nights and weekends for myself for two years. Other than a sewing machine, I didn't buy much in the way of tools or equipment in that time. Since things have changed, we were renting and I could afford to let the leather income slide relatively in favor of getting better tools and more productive equipment while that primary income is there to support us. Splurge on a drawdown stand, cool splitter, or draw gauge once in a while and it just reduced the tax I paid elsewhere. We bought the place a year ago, and so the income from the leather business is more important than upgrading it again. Other than a few stamps, I am satisfied that the equipment and setup I have will carry me for quite a while now. One of my small business advisors was retired from running a gas station that had 3 service bays. There are a lot of similarities between it and the leather business. Inventory management, equipment and tools, etc. His advice for growing a business was to "improve tools and equipment when you can, make money when you have to, and plan so you don't have to do both at the same time".

It depends on what you are looking for. I get most of mine from Hansen's Silver. They wholesale only and set up at most all the leather shows. They supply to many of the production shops as well as one man shops. (800) 971-7391. They are across town from me, so I can just pick up there and not have to keep much on hand. Another guy I have bought from that I like a lot is Dale Bass in Amarillo, TX. The phone number I have for him is (806) 373-1235. He has some patterns Hansen's don't and does what I think is a whale of a job. There are quite a few good companies and individual makers out there, but for my money vs. value, these two work.

If you are in that part of the state it sounds to me like you need to meet Wayne Christensen at Standing Bears Trading Post in Reseda. Great guy and a talented leatherworker. He has group classes and also individual classes. I know there are more than a few members here who have taken classes and can give you more information and testimonials. There is a guild or two down there also.

I got into this deal being taught to do my own repairs and a little tooling by a family friend who had a saddle shop. When I had slack time I'd sit and watch them build saddles. I went along for a few years not doing much. Broke my pelvis one fall and took some Tandy classes and got a little better. I made my wife a handstitched belt and then she asked for a headstall. Did one and pretty soon I was doing 5 a week, one a day. We'd sell them off my saddlehorn at events we'd go to and pay fees and gas. I made at least 150 of them for sure. I did some little award deals - checkbooks, planners, and clocks mostly along with headstalls and breast collars. At some point in there I got a Boss for the sewing, and a business license to be able to buy what I needed at decent prices. When my wife kind of unexpectedly died, I was left a month later with $55K in medical debt the insurance wouldn't pay and the hospital wouldn't write off, and other bills. More than my annual salary which wasn't going to change, and I had a 16 year old son and living with an in-law. The leather business took on a new importance. I got hooked up with a small business advisor and some free courses. Somewhere along in there I got Brenner's book and applied the principles to my pricing. Through a friend I got hooked up with a mobile tack business that went to the NFR, rodeos, and horseshows. She wanted someone to do custom orders, and make some wholesale products for them. I learned more in those years than anything. Pricing took on a new importance, planning ahead and streamlining, and having to "just do it" gaves a guy focus. I bought a sewing machine for $2200 with no clear idea how I was going to pay for it. Thank you, Arizona WPRA for the order that night! (Went to Cowboy Church that night, came home and got an awards order with $2500 profit as I walked in the door to home, it was a God thing). The custom orders expanded my range of things I could make, and the award and wholesale stuff taught me to be production minded. I told my girlfriend that we were not getting serious until my debt was paid off. December 8th, 2003 at the NFR I picked up a check for some consignments that paid it off. That night she flew in and met me that the 8th round at Thomas and Mack, we got engaged right there. The business has changed some since then. The major business I wholesaled to got sold, and I really haven't pursued the wholesale or award orders like I used to. We both have other incomes, but basically we are starting over with half your life gone. We need to pay this place off in about half the time it takes everyone else. I have bought some toys/splitters for the shop, as well as stuff that increases productivity. Also a few things that just plain make it more of pleasure to work in. I build a few saddles, along with a pretty wide range of things. The business varies, and I am not doing just one thing. I can slow down, charge more, and do some more intricate work (when I haven't got some lame injury to deal with). What I get orders for varies. If I was just doing limited things, I'd be slower. Last year after the shop remodel I did a lot of ropecans and ropebags late in the year. This year so far I did some little stuff, an awards deal, a really cool rope can, and the 4th saddle should be done this weekend. I am seeing an increase right now vs the last couple years in the total. I didn't have the website last year, but the local business and repeat distant customer business is up this year too. It didn't happen overnight and I know there are gonna be more ups and downs.

Casey, The thing holding me back on it is no stamps anywhere else. The Herefords pretty much have a stamp on the fenders. The old Porter I have almost has more maker stamps than other stamping. I think it is maker stamped in about 5 places. This one sure could have a maker stamp under the seat. On that note, I have seen some of the Tennessee saddles that have the padded seat going over the tooling. Looks like they pressed out the design with the same dies whether it was going to a slick seat or padded. With just a number on the latigo catcher, hard to say. Could be a serial number, date stamp, or model number depending on the maker. Those leaves are huge for sure. On the front view of the swells, the pattern doesn't follow the front jockey or gullet lines much. I am thinking diestruck there too. And just what was the attraction with that yellow seat anyway?? Seems like they either all had them, ot they were just too gross to ever get used and have survived. Another name for the mix - Bona Allen?

Bob, Great job. I really like how you kept those central flowers above the others by bringing the continuing stem underneath. It really makes them pop. WOW. Bruce

That saddle is a bad memory for me. It reminds me of a Hereford I rode (sort of rode) as a kid. That slick seat, sloped back to the cantle seat, and low cantle made the perfect way for that old pig to take a mild jump and I'd slide right out the back. If you held the horn you'd lean forward enough she'd stop dead and you'd fall forward. I am not seeing any maker stamps where Textan/Hereford marked them though. What is the stamping on the latigo keeper? Any mark under the cantle back?

I haven't had this happen before. I have had three emails rejected today being sent to or replied to MSN.com and hotmail.com emaill addresses. Two of these came from LW.net readers, one asking for contact information for a supplier. If you two read this, I am not ignoring you, just can't get through your email system's filters. PM me through the board or phone me through the number on my website linked in my signature. Here is the message I am getting - ...."(reason: 550 SC-001 Mail rejected by Windows Live Hotmail for policy reasons. Reasons for rejection may be re...l/network admins, please visit http://postmaster.live.com for email delivery information and support) ----- Transcript of session follows ----- ... while talking to mx4.hotmail.com.: >>> MAIL From:<bjohnson@fire2wire.com> SIZE=4980 <<< 550 SC-001 Mail rejected by Windows Live Hotmail for policy reasons. Reasons for rejection may be related to content with spam-like characteristics or IP/domain reputation problems. If you are not an email/network admin please contact your E-mail/Internet Service Provider for help. Email/network admins, please visit http://postmaster.live.com for email delivery information and support 554 5.0.0 Service unavailable" Something new going on with hotmail and msn? What I can read and understand is that my ISP has to apply and jump through some hoops to prove to Hotmail that their customers are worthy of being able to send emails to hotmail and msn accounts. Am I reading it right?

Aluminum was used at different times when brass was going into things like war products, or for economic reasons by some of the production folk. I am suspecting a factory saddle based on some of the things I see, but couldn't venture a guess just based on that picture. I wouldn't automatically class it as a ladies or youth saddle based on size. At the time it was made, a 15" might have been to the larger side. The other guys can weigh in, but most all of the older saddles I have got to put a tape to were 14-1/2" and a few 15". My great grandfather was a tall man and I have his saddle sitting next to me here - seat length is 14-1/2" on an Ellensburg tree. My other living room display saddle is 14-1/2" on what looks to be a Lee Robinson tree.

Shelly, The saddle looks good and the edges are really nice. I leave my packing tape long as I apply it, turn the piece over, and then use one of the 45 mm rotary cutters to trim it flush. On the inside curves I use a little hook blade knife to trim. If you don't press it if it flips up, it will peel back pretty easily. I made the mistake of using some label tape once. That stuff has an adhesive to hold rockets together. It sticks to everything and won't let go. It peeled the leather off the back.

Ray, Here's a link I found to an example. Pretty sure it would be his mom shooting the video and offering advice like mothers do. -

Ray, Another rodeo event is goat tying. Usually the junior rodeos have it for younger boys and girls, and the high school/college rodeos have it for women. Basically you ride to a goat staked out, dismount, flank the goat (lay it on its side by hand) and then tie three legs. It is a timed event. Kind of a little kid practice for moving up to roping calves, and a hotly competitive event for the girls and ladies in the older age groups. The leather related part of all of this is that calf ropers carry their ropes in rope cans, and the goat tyers carry their tie strings in goat string cans. Many of these opt to have a tooled leather piece put on the cans to ID and customize them, and that's where we come in...... The reference to Gary Leffew is this. Gary was a bull rider who lives down on the central coast area of California. He was one of the first big proponents of applying psychocybernetic techniques to rodeo.

LR, Which knee is it? Bob is onto something there. Bob, Now there's a blast from the past!! I hadn't thought about stringing and wrapping my foot for quite a while. In the era before decent tying dummies it used to be pretty fair practice sitting in the living room. Head down, elbow up, hands close - all those good habits.

I am not sure who made the saddles. I would sure suspect it was a factory who put his name on it. In the mid 70s Larry Mahan was a pretty savvy marketer with his name on a lot of things - hats, boots, clothes, etc. Kind of the "new fashion look" of the wild shirts, woven coarse jute straw hats, and fuzzy felt hats. The broken Ralide tree fits with that time frame too. Seems like the ones just sitting have about a 20-25 year lifespan before they just breakdown and crack. Ralide might be able to hook you up with a replacement tree.

Ray, I wouldn't be without two - benchtop and Dremel. I like the benchtop belt sander with a 4x36 belt. I have it mounted backwards so the free part of the belt extends over the front of my bench. I can get down into the inside curves that way. It is pretty forgiving on trueing up edges and mild shaping. Because it is a lower speed and the belt is moving more, it doesn't heat up and scorch like a Dremel will. The top is good for trueing up flat edges like a the edges of my frames. I use the Dremel some too for tighter areas. You just have to be careful to use a light touch and keep it moving to prevent scorching.

Mine is a ShopVac 1X1. Looks like the WalMart one may have replaced it.

Make that two votes from this house (I am voting a proxy for Rundi too) for the 1 gal Shop Vac. All the other Shop Vac attachments I have like extension wands and ends will go on them. One of my local sewing machine/vaccum repairman says - "Enough suction that if they had one in the OB, childbirth would be a pleasure, and a lot faster".

Tough deal about the injury. Hopefully the surgery went well and the rehab and PT go well. On the bright side, he'll have a really cool stool to rest that leg on while he heals. I like it.

Glad it helped. If you get down this way, give us a call first and we'll be sure to be around.

Looks like a cool one. I don't split anything that is finished size other than straps. Pullling them may distort the shape. Put one end in, lower the top roller and as you pull it should settle down into place. Turn the piece around, lower the roller and pull that end so it is two passes from the middle somewhere going each direction. You can leave a little excess to grab with pliers. With my hand issues in the past sometimes I used a pliers in each hand on wide pieces.

First off, post a picture so we can see it. I have a few varieties, but here's how mine are set. I set the bottom roller so there is a scant 1/16" between it and the leading edge of the blade. I set the top roller so it is dead center over the top of the bottom roller. The bottom roller adjusts with the 3-4 machine scews in the back of the frame. The top roller adjustment is done with the two stop screws on the front of the posts. If yours has the spring latch, adjust it so the latch catches when it is in position. There are two screws about half way back on either side of the frame. These will raise and lower the position of the bottom roller. It all depends on how much you want to take off. I don't have mine set real deep, but play with them to see what works for you.. (Aside - I bought one from a guy who sold it because he could never get it to split. Ends up those screws had been taken out, and the bottom roller was higher than the blade.) I get better results and longer blade life by taking thinner splits and maybe 2-3 passes than to take skirting to 4 oz in one pass. Some of the older styles don't have a bottom roller, they have a sheet of thin spring steel that sandwiches the leather between it and the top roller. Check to see that the top roller is level with the blade edge. If yours has the two knobs on top with a connecting rod, simple fix. You unscrew the set screw on one handle, slide it off, and twist the other to raise or lower that side until it is level. Slide the other knob back on and tighten it back down. That is about it. I like the fact that with both rollers, the leather has no place to go but into the blade. It won't ride up the bevel and chop off. The blade is protected with the two rollers. Important safety disclaimer. Becareful replacing the blade. A few months ago I was setting the blade back into one and watching the screw holes to line it up. I brushed my fingertip over the edge and the first idea I had that anything was wrong was the blood pooling on the blade. The dime sized piece of finger tip was sitting there on the bottom roller. I have a flat spot on that finger. I use the DMT diamond stones with the folding handles to sharpen mine. I lay the blade on the edge of the bench and and work from the back. I talked to a guy who took off part of a finger by holding a stone from the front and pushing up into the blade. I strop mine on a wheel.

Steve, I'd like to find one too. I buy it from Tips or Caps usually. Neither are very open about where they get it. A former employee thought they got it directly from Australia.

Excellent idea, and my 2 cents worth. Offer them for $10 and donate $5 for each one, and explain the other $5 goes for materials so you can afford to keep making them and raising money. If somebody can't swing the $10, give them one and bless them for raising awareness. I don't do bracelets, but have done other things. I am attaching a picture of one that is very popular at silent auctions and benefits. It is a plastic case similar to the goat string cans I order. Inside is a mirror and a couple of shelves and I'll get some pics of that. Some carry them as a hardside purse and others as a cosmetic case. You can get them in other colors, but I always keep pink on hand. I order them from Latta Mfg at (800) 232-3967. I order from them because they exhibit at the leather shows and so I try to support them rather than order from someone else. The color has washed out in the picture, but it is bright pink with the pink crystals. This particular design has always brought $150 or more. I have asked Smith Brothers about doing pink rope cans too. Not so far, but I see a demand there. Tough Enough to Wear Pink,