bruce johnson

A while back I was complaining about some Fiebings Aussie Conditioner I had and the fact that it sometimes left a sticky residue on the surface. Even with a heat gun and melting in the paste and waxes the surface can stay sticky. Some kind soul mentioned that he uses a wipe of Lexol and it takes it right down or away. I have since used up the Fiebings and used a different paste yesterday on some replacment leathers. A quick wipe of the Lexol and they were slick. I am not sure that I got that tip from this forum but if not, I am passing it along here in case. TOTCR.

McJeep, Thanks for the heads up on what kind of tape it is. I will add that to the "never buy even on sale" list. Clear View and Premium is sort of telling me it may be a label or dual purpose tape which does have a stonger adhesive. I use the carton sealing tape and whatever is on sale. I like the "anything that fits in this bag" deal they have every so often at Office Max. You might be able to rub the adhesive off with a belt cleaning eraser thing. If not and it remains sticky, a little baby powder shook over it will take most of the tackiness away from it. Probably a bit of use and it will collect enough dust to not be tacky also.

Doug, Very cool design and great construction. I like it a lot.

I have used the packing tape for several years. A few things I have found. I haven't seen any significant difference between 3M, Office Depot, and Office Max carton tape. I buy them in the 12 pack. I put it on dry leather and then run the slicker over it lightly to get a decent bond. I did use some label tape by mistake one time on several pieces in a batch - that is industrial strength and I had to sand it off. Any type of tape with a duck on it is likewise too sticky to come off when it should for me. I haven't left the tabs, but good idea. I leave my tape on through oiling at least. The little bit of oil that invariably creeps over the edge will loosen the adhesive on the tape at the edge. If I don't have a loose section to begin with, I use the point of a stylus to lift a corner and start removing it. I leave the piece flat and pull the tape back pretty much parallel with the surface. If I lift it up, I end up stretching the piece sometimes if it is thin. If i get fuzzies after I pull the tape, it generally is from low belly or loose fibered leather. I use few light strokes with the black skiver, or sandpaper to peel it off. If it is that loose it probably needs to come off anyway. I still get the fuzzies off even if it is going to be backed or lined. My experience. If it is stuck hard and you can get a start at it, maybe hit it with a little heat on the adhesive side as you pull it. I use a paint stripping gun sometimes to loosen stuff that has been cemented down, it might work on the tape.

I use the wire steel welding brushes too. I had an old favorite I had used for years, Rundi used it to clean up the barbecue grill and it was ruined for leather use. I had to put out a couple bucks and get another.

Sounds like you are on your way. You do need to take it down pretty far. I'd clean it first, deglaze and then dye. It depends on your type of dye as far as what to do there. For black you really need to buff afterward to remove the excess pigment on the surface. Then recondition with your product of choice - NF oil, olive oil, saddle oil, pastes, etc. I wouldn't use leathersheen or any acrylic on a saddle for a finish. I'd probably go with something forgiving like TanKote. While you've got it apart that is a dandy time to check for weak riggings, stirrup leathers, and the kind of stuff that will put you on your head. I would also get some stirrup hobble straps on there before you end up turning a stirrup and taking 30 foot steps with one leg to keep up or worse.

I dye them and then slick with a wax I melt and mix up - about 3/4 paraffin and 1/4 bee's wax or so. Then either rub it hard or run it on my wooden slicker to melt the wax and hold down the fibers.

He plead guilty to misdemeaners and recevied fines and 3 years probation.

Pete, The chaps are neat. Keep 'em coming. Question on the riggings too. Did you mark John 3:16 on all of them? It is kind of cool to know it was on my buddy's rigging. I can't tell you what that was worth to pull his rigging out of his sack after he died and read that, knowing he had sighted down it too. Quite a few people coming through the museum have commented on that being there. It probably means more to me now than it did even then.

Steve, One of my favorites that you have posted. I like how that ring lays in there for a skirt rig. Nice old California looking floral pattern too.

To end up with a flat bevel I use a small french edger. For a rounded edge I use a round bottom edger with the open toe design. I don't make a lot of totally square inside corners. I punch the corners with a small drive punch first, and then cut out from there. It makes it easy to get in there with a small dowel to slick that corner. The round bottom or bent tip edgers will go right around a corner punched with a pretty small drive punch.

Woolfe, I wouldn't let them chew them. Tanned leather doesn't break down in the stomach to any great degree. It in fact can ball up and get even harder. If it remains in the stomach expect weight loss, vomiting, inappetance, etc. If it moves on down into the intestines and causes a blockage, expect acute pain, vomiting, and is an emergency situtation. Either way you get to pay a pretty hefty vet bill. I am pretty handy with an endoscope and have yet to fish out anything that big without surgery. I am not a big fan of rawhide chews either. Although rawhide can breakdown over time, a big piece can take a while and cause the same thing as above. In my other job I am - Bruce Johnson, DVM. Maybe Dr Nikkel will weigh in also.

I am with Brent's suggestion and would also recommend adding some Dawn to the water. I had a friend who bought an overoiled saddle a few years ago. The box it was shipped in looked like the bottom of pizza box. UPS had opened the box to see if a jug of something had broken and to make sure there was no HL products that someone was trying to sneak through. It squeezed out oil. They washed it with Dawn and warmish water and never really let it totally dry out for a few washings. It came out better than expected.

Knut, Herb Bork - Pendelton OR - (541) 276-5207 Walsall Hardware - Scottsdale, AZ (480) 948-1465

I had talked to a few guys who had the Weaver a few years ago and decided I didn't need any kind of hydraulic stand. Once we finally breed up horses with 180 degree withers and zero rock, then a flat plank will hold a tree. As it is, with angled bars and rock, well they don't. The swivel and pivot mechanism has let go on a few guys and slipped at really inopportune moments. With the drawdown attached to the base, you have raise it up to allow for the tension. You can't change height without changing tensions, and then you have those eyes and straps on the base to trip over. They used to make straps that went over the bars in front of the swells and behind the cantle to secure the tree while working on it tilted. I am not sure if they still do. That would probably be OK until you got your riggings on. My wife talked me into the stand from Ron at a show. Cash and carry show special, we have the truck we can just haul it home, honey you need something better, this could replace both of your stands, this is really nice, it's a present, etc. His design had addressed the concerns I had seen with the other one. I figured for the time I'd spend putzing around making one, personally I was better off to get this one. I have sure seen some homemade ones that look good. Keith Seidel has one that has a little truer horse's back shape.

I'd agree with the recommendations about the old round knives. My particular favorite old knives are made by Clyde Cutlery. They also made the Shapleigh Diamond Edge knives too. If you can hit a deal on an old Rose, they are really good too along with the ones mentioned already. For a new knife I couldn't be happier with one I bought from Bob Dozier. They are a little spendy, but I haven't begrudged that at all. Bob's number is 1-888-823-0023. He is trying to get some stock built up for the trade shows, otherwise it is a wait.

I saw one on Ebay a few weeks ago with some Stohlmans, that was kind of cool. I will find one of the ones I have left and see if we can upload it as a PDF. It might be a day or two.

Allen, There should be no allowance or adjustment in the belt length for buckles. The leather has to go around your waist and past the buckle fold no matter what the buckle reach is. All the buckle heel-to-tongue length tells you is where to punch the holes. I have a strap like Harry's for measuring marked off in inches. I get two measurements from it. The first is the waist size which is the fold end to where it starts to overlap and the second is the amount of overlap they want. The waist measurement gives me a reference for punching holes. The overlap length gives me the rest of the story. Some customers want the tip to just clear the keeper and others want 6 inches past the fold. On some wholesale belts I made the seller didn't want any holes punched. They sized them by the amount of overlap the customer wanted, and then punched them according to the buckle reach. It works for stamped belts without conchos or inlays. One thing they found was that most people with a choice would only want one hole smaller than they wore. Kind of a vanity thing to not have two holes sticking out looking like they had gained weight right off the bat or put on a thicker shirt or tucked sweater and "GASP!" - 3 holes showing.

I've got one from Ron Edmonds that I have been well satisfied with. I would not get the overhead laser arm deal again probably. I definitely swear by the cantle sewing attachment that raises the back up (and you can "hang" the saddle to one side or the other) rather than tip the stand. Heres the link to his site - Ron's Tools . Iam not sure of anyone else selling them commercially.

Tony, Thanks for the input. I sold the Adler a couple years ago. It was an Adler 205-64, and I am not sure if they could use the shims. I am pretty sure the 205-370 uses them. I pretty much set it up to run 346 or 277 thread and never went smaller with that machine. Once we got the race shimmed out, it never gave me much trouble other than breaking a needle now and again.

If this link works, it should take to you to the intro page for the Elko gear show page. Elko Gear Show

Barra, Envious here, I wish I knew tree makers that sent me maple syrup. I had to have Log Cabin on the buckwheats because we are out of the the real stuff, but then again now I need more buckwheat mix anyway. I wonder if they send that out too.

Doug, I would call the Artisan guys for their input. I am not sure of the hook clearances and bottom feed dogs and whatever in the 4000. Actually thinking about this a little more, if you do get some needle deflection, then because the piece is raised up by the plate, it would magnify the amount of deflection at the hook and be more prone to missing. Also the thread may be binding in the groove and not looping like it should. I would try a new needle and make sure there is not more bevel on one side than the other that is causing it to deflect. Then check the looping with the same weight leather on a flat plate vs. the stirrup plate. On my Adler when I first got it, it would sew great on soft leather and up to about 13 oz combined weights of veg tan. If it got heavier it would start to skip. The hook was just far enough from the needle that if I got any deflection in the heavier leather, it would occassionally miss. We ended up and shimmed the bobbin race out and brought the hook closer to the needle and eliminated the problem. I don't know about other Adlers but if mine skipped, it fed a kink into the thread and made it harder to loop on the next stitch and things went south in a hurry. Skip two and you were done.

I do it like Greg. I like the tool for cutting borders alright. I stuck a cheap knife with a blade in it and have about a $12 setup in it. It works well enough for that. The big key is not to overtighten the screws. It can crack the frame.

Skip, My neighbor used Masters. Masters will bond to some oilier leather that maybe the Barge doesn't. I was used to Barge and knew how it behaved and when I made a run somewhere I'd pick up some of each and save the HL fees. I bought 8 or 10 gallons when it went out. Now he is using Renia, and I am on the last of the Barge and liking the Renia too. I also have some SAR that is working alright. My experience with the Barge is that it will work on wet leather, but you have to put it on dry leather and then wet from the other side. If I put it on wet leather it never binds and eventually will roll off like rubber cement. For my groundseats I go this tip from a boot repair guy. Put the Barge on dry leather - two thin coats best. Let the Barge dry, and then you can drop the soles or groundseat pieces, whatever in water. They can soak and sink, doesn't matter. Then take them out, let them sweat and hit the Barge with heat. It tacks right back up and you can stick them down and mold or press and they will hold. You can have some Barged pieces that dry out and hit them the next day and they will tack up. You can also use a little heat to separate Barged pieces cleaner too. I haven't played around with the other cements enough to know if they will behave like this, but in my hands the Weldwood took longer to tack and wasn't very heat responsive.