oltoot

As the addage goes, since you asked. The list you made pretty well has it covered so I'll use it as my format and see if there is anything left over. #1 actually that has to come after #4 and then locate the bottom line of the Jockeys, my practice is to cover all rivits. #2 Yes and I encourage you to stop doming rivits. It looks nice but domed heads will wear quicker and uglier #3 Bruce's trick will help and even before that, using the biggest french edger you have, skive down and even on cantle back cantle filler and seat so that you will end up with a reduced thickness to sew through and if the 3 pieces (+2 for the 2 sides of the cantle binding that you have to sew through are no thicker than need be and are even in thickness throughout they will sew much easier and truer. Also, look at your awl blade. If it is a slim it probably deflects a bit, consider a thicker, stouter blade that won't deflect. #4 Remember all the issues and lessons learned when laying out Plate in 1st place. #5 if you have a tiny hiney OK but otherwise, why sacrifice a comfort feature? next #5 Lesson learned. #6 Best choice most of the time. AND NOW #7 Is the right side of the front cover left untooled for a reason? #8 I'm assuming that front cover at the top of the gullet is not too short on purpose. Here is a good place to illustrate that the angle at which we hold an awl, spike or pencil matters as to whether or not the mark we make is the actual fold line or a reference line from which we scribe a fold line to put it where we need it to be. #9 I'm NOT a fan of the Dale Harwood style of covering a horn and butting it up to the edge of the hole in the fork cover. If you remove the mulehide or burn it off, IMHO you should find a finished surface underneath that will hold up until you can get the wrap replaced or put back. #10 That little unsecured by sewing point on the front of the horn cover is vulnerable to quick and ugly damage. #11 Now on #NEXT you will have a lot to think about when you fit your skirts. But the bottom line is still ya dun good 1. Rear jockeys - Not tight enough - Didn't cut them deep enough so very hard to get them really tight. Next time will add 1/2" extra. 2. Rigging plates - Too round on front edge and too far up fork - not quite as clean as ideal @ front end. 3. Cheyenne roll - Stitching on back looks like hell. Need to really practice on that, 4. Rear rigging plate set too high. Caused issues with seat ear and saddle strings 5. 13" Wide cantle - Probably do a 12.5" or maybe even 12" next time. 5. Plug rigging plates next time to eliminate bump @ rigging plate. 6. Consider using 2.5" stirrup leathers.

F. O. Baird "Fixed thread title", thanks.

Amen to all Kudos. Recognizing the 'Role Model' role that our own pieces play, I would add a couple of features. 1) On the front, at the top I would take ~3/4-1" round end punch and put a little 'thumb tab relief' to give opportunity for a more secure grip for extraction, and 2) Even if you never use it, a small security strap that is sized to close over the device and down low, somewhere to snap snug on the forword side when not in use. Forward side will be more snag proof than back if any open, exposed 'loops' are part of design. The reason for #2 being mostly for pick pocket protection in crowd situations.

AND Montana Leather Company has free classifieds.

For ~25 years a piece of cultured marble was all I had. I have kept it for an additional 25 yrs and skive on it. My tooling surface is a reject grave marker that I got from a monument place. 12x 24x 3" thick. inlet into a space on a stand that has a truck wheel base with a piece of 6" pipe to a table base of 4x18 C steel (think 1/2 of an H) to a 1" angle iron table frame the top being plywood 2ft x 3ft. 1/2 rubber belting between slab and steel

Just realized that i have emailed rawcustom but have not posted so here goes. I ended up getting two. I have huge griz paws and the first was small so he made me another, larger one. I kept the small one for use with a smaller blade. The larger one is super. Everytime I pick it up I am aligned the same. I have seven awls on my bench instead of changing blades. If I had more money, I would replace the other five with the large size, too but as they are only picked up once in awhile and my two most oft used are now rawcustoms, I am content. Rawcustom was great to work with, even during the time that I would have been a total ?. The awaiting and enjoying the birth of a son. Pleased to meet you, Raw

The idea is to maintain a length, which determines the angle and yes small wedges along the way keep things going right. A 6" fringe does not require 6" onto the pattern but the starting angle adjusted to get a 6" result. The bottom where the fringe hangs staight down would be the exception and a wedge at the juncture of side and bottom makes the correction, then gather up the fringe on either side of the wedge for a few inches and taper the line to smoothly blend in to both the side and the bottom. If you make adjustments going down the side, blending in a few each side will do. The object of the blending being to prevent any sudden changes in fringe length. I have a 3" addition for side fringe from which I can cut any length up to ~12" and then measure down the desired length of fringe to get the starting angle and then eyeball from there. Bottom is adjusted based on desired fringe length and desired startin/ending points for fringe on length. It is harder to try to describe than to do. My advice, don't overthink it, it doesn't have to be rocket science.

While you are going through the effort to get a more friendly setup there is an adjustment you can make that will help. On the long arm that connects to the throttle pedal there is a screw with a wing nut on it. If you turn that screw in, it will stop the clutch arm sooner and prevent the runaway but be advised, you will be, in effect, slipping the clutch all the time so getting reducer or servo that will allow for reduced sewing speeds and increased torque at full clutch engagement will be better long term solutions for substantial amounts of use, but this may be adequate (and free) if you will only be making small amount of use and you do not run into torque issues. And this way, pushing down with cane will not cause runaways.

Last and bad idea.

Duplicate the weight that is on them and you can't go wrong. With these old Al Ray buckles, the temptation is to punch the holes too big so they will be easy to adjust. Resist and punch the holes, very carefully aligned, just barely big enough. Firmness is as important as actual weight. Layout so the hole end is in the butt and the rest follows toward the shoulders, neck.

Closest thing currently available would be a feather vane tool and grind it down lengthwise for size match. You probably don't want to go to this much trouble but Barry King or Clay Miller could make you a custom stamp to match exactly if you sent them a pencil rubbing.

Weaver leather Company

Short answer: YES Longer answer, Tack (including saddles) lasts longest when it is flexible enough to 'go with the flow' of stresses it encounters but not 'raggy' soft. All that said, there is quite a difference between maintainance schedules starting new to restoration of neglected or even abused stuff. On schedule, I opt for Lexol nf or Weaver Neatselene light (Olive Oil if that's all that is readily available, NOTE, grocery stores for small amounts) , to feed leather but not feed my clothes or horses' coats. On schedule, I avoid anything that contains things like mink oil, tallow, etc. Restoration is different as has more variables than you can shake a stick at or than I have the energy to 2 finger type. NOTE#2 Riggings, keepers, back cinch loops and gullet, cantle back covers should not be oiled as much as the rest as you don't want to soften them and thus comprimise their structural or strain roles.

Type of rigging? Ring riggings usually go on the first or second thing in construction and stay there throughout (easier to get them even, balanced, and keep them that way). Plate rig can go either way but works better for me if it goes on after swell cover. It has been "fit" before and is returned to reference holes. Reason for me is that then rigging is not in the way for seat/cantle binding work. Skirt rigs. Strength is achieved by attachment of skirt to tree and first row of attachment screws at lower part of bars so there is really no need to wrestle with getting skirts in place then swell cover. Now, that is just part of the puzzle as there are different ideas and practices re rigging/ground seat order. So, the answer becomes: whatever works best for you, then, in years to come you will collect personal experiences to support your way if not 'the only way' at least the 'best way' all things considered. Oh yeah, I left out the differences over the back rigging with ring riggings: first, which can be the smoothest/strongest and thus in the way for seat/cantle binding work or last as saddle is being assembled?

I'll bet that's it: SHARP, and some poorly designed awl blades have too steep of a taper

I'm not sure but I think that before this style took the route described by Jimbob it came from the moors, originating as embroidery work on blankets and covers

If I remember to put hand lotion on my hands before dying, the dye comes off much easier. Truth be told, it doesn't bother me too much to have dye stains on my hands-War paint!

looks like they are backed up with a leather washer.

If you can't get multiple awls for various tasks which is what I would reccommend then I would reccommend larger rather than smaller and start right off learning depth control, using only the slender point for lighter work but having the tool in reserve for the heavier that will surely come. This becomes a very personal question. I, myself, have seven different awls on the bench and never have to change blades.

Yes, plugs can serve that function, however, with a first quality tree with well shaped bars with fine rather than thick, blunt bar edges, blocking does not need to be so extreme, only a definite change of direction and firm point of contact for lug strings, bar pockets, etc. Different strokes for different folks, I guess. As to thickness, IMHO, 1/4-3/8 is plenty if it is firm. If flanky, 1/2 is not enough. Backing up a little, though. Since I make mostly skirt rigs, some plates and only rarely ring and others, I aim for a different finished skirt for each, laying out and cutting differently in each case. AND, the shape of the skirt is considered, as well. AND, my advice would be to order three sides and relax, especially for a plate with plugs. If you should get exceptionally large, spready, firm sides; smile and save one for next time or for the rifle scabbard or some other something that somebody wants.

Fillers or 'plugs' have a long history. In the early days, they were a sign of extra attention and installing them so that close examination was required to verify their presence became almost like a competition among early makers (1880's-1930's). They gained a bad rap when the cheaper, mass produced stuff began to flood the markets and poorly executed plugs resulted in curling skirts, splitting edges, etc. BTW, properly done is, cut to shape and do all skiving on initial thorough wetting leaving the skirt edge part a little oversize then hang the wet plugs up to dry (and shrink, if they must) then rewet, install, trimming outside edge to fit and go on. If there is to be any stamping on the skirt, even just a border, installing plugs, then stamping helps set them. Now, all that said, while this was going on in the craft, cattle management and tanning practices were changing, too. Fewer mature, grass fat cattle being slaughtered led to thicker hides with more extensive softer areas than before. When layout and cutting continue to emphasize minimizing 'waste' and close fitting, skirts with thin edges that need plugs can be one of the resuts. But if layout and cutting emphasize cutting each piece from its 'best' place in the hides the need for plugs can be eliminated and IMHO if you don't need them why use them. A story: My teacher, C.H. Werner, was in Miles City before and during WWI. With large, grass fed hides, they routinely cut a saddle from 2 sides and had some belly and neck left over for other uses. Today, while I still use some tools that he brought with him from Miles City (to Alpine, TX) and later gave me, it takes me 3 hides to cut a saddle 'right' and I haven't plugged more than a dozen skirts since I gave up trying to get a saddle out of 2 sides in the 70's. But yes, eliminating plugs under the leg portion would give closer contact and help in putting a 'seat groove' in the finished product

I use 2 prongs successfully for about everything but the key is to skive and taper the lace to fit and then when using, pull the needle through and when the end breaks through pinch it and finish pulling on the lace rather than the needle.

22 oz if only one but try to fit more than one into your plans. I have 1 lb, 2lb, 3 lb, 8 lb and that is about right.

22 ga and I cut and shape my own. Every so often i go to a local sheet metal shop and get a 4X8 sheet cut up into 'blanks' . They aren't smooth and pretty but get covered up anyway.