oltoot

I have dealt with multiple frustrations over the years but have refused to knucle under in this area. I HATE $19.99 instead of $20 mentality. I have always kept my prices at full $ increments and on larger items, strive for $5, $10, $25, $50 increments. It is only with collecting sales tax that a sale comes up with pennies.

Depends on the thickness of ground seat and general contour of the handhole, etc. When in doubt, use the smaller and skive down around it. You can always cut out a little more but it's a whole lot harder to put some back

If you already have the 71 learn to sharpen it and to use it. Whichever will require a learning curve but if you stick with it it will be well worth it. For either one with strap ends use the side of the blade, approximately the 1/3 from the tip to the beginning of the steepest part of the curve. Steady the blade with your index and second fingers out of the handle grip and pointing in the direction of the strap. Above all learn to sharpen it and strop often when in use. I have both 70 and71 and prefer the 70 but that is partially because the steel in the 70 is better and the blade is thinner and easier to sharpen. Bit I have another 70 that has the same steel as the 71. I use them all and they all have their place so I guess the bottom line is that you can learn to use any of them.

http://www.handtools-uk.com/p116-round-knife-osborne-ref-70 This is the best knife for all skiving applications and is sharpened with equal bevels on both sides. The one you purchased would be limited to straps that are not as wide as the blade or edge beveling around a larger piece. In use RH the bevel is up like a plane would be and the point is to the left, just off the material being skived. It is designated RH LH because it can be used left handed but must be handled as for right handed use. In order to use for true LH the blade must be resharpened so the bevel will still be up. Not a very good tool IMHO. Very specialized for strap workers.

Nice outside though a little far out for my tastes. Inside doesn't look like it would be too kind to your horse. That pointed turnback should be longer, lap skived down to a whisker and sewed under the lining then it can be secured with a rivit where you have them.

Good start and hopefully finish. If that didn't do the trick, I would think about taking it to somebody who could put it in a lathe take just a whisker off uniformly. As you have observed, you dont want the surface to be wavy. As to the bottom roller be careful not to do anything that rounds the edges of the grooves. That pretty much limits you to liquids, steel wool and elbow grease.

You are verrrrry lucky to get one with a blade in that shape. A new blade alone would run you 2-400 bucks. Don't touch any tools to it, only a machinist who knows what they are doing should touch a blade like that. Before you decide what to do, I'd check and see if everything on it is metric or if you are doubly lucky and have found one made for the American market that has employed SAE threads, etc. This I say because cost of tools that you don't already have should be figured in for any DIY approach. Of particular importance will be getting that top (smooth) roller thoroughly and uniformally clean as it will be the one that will be in contact with leather surface and should be mirror bright.

I have seen an article that was unattributed that was preaching about an invention so vile and so destructive that it could have been written by somebody in the 20th century about nuclear weapons but it was written in the 19th about the pull type skiver. The undramatic rationale is this, pull skivers stress the leather and produce a product that is not "full grained" that is has had a few or several of one of the +/- 14 layers that make up the hide on the animal removed, thus it is weaker than a piece of naturally lighter leather that has not been split or leveled. In the old days if somebody in a harness shop needed to "level" a piece they would nail one end to the bench or secure it in a clamp and remove the undesired part with a spoke shave or 'level' the piece. Lap or tapered skives were accomplished by use of a round knife or other skiving knife and, in properly designed harness or strap goods, never extended back around the fold. These general 'standards' were set aside only for the purely cosmetic or other light duty uses on bridles, keepers, hold downs etc. To comply with these self imposed and self regulated standards required maintaining a large and diverse inventory of leather in order to meet the many different requirements without splitting. At some point tanneries began to employ large splitters in the pre-tanning selection and treatment of hides, primarily to 'level' hides to meet the need for the growing demand for lighter leathers. From there came an increasing acceptance of splitting and leveling in various manufactoring processes. And after awhile, we come to today. My conclusion, for heavy duty stressful applications, full grained leather is by far the best. If you are going to make lighter duty things with less or no stress from lighter leathers, leveling of the products you use will be a fact of life and in any application selective use of split pieces has a place. All that said, there are other quality tool makers besides JW and I would prefer the cast bodied knock offs of the old Osborne, Krebs or Landis originals but be prepared to spend the money and enjoy the difference. My lap skiver is an original Osborne that was probably made in the late 19th cent. It has been refurbished and has a new (1993) blade.

Unlike a lot of us, you probably won't hide or quietly discard this your first major effort.

If it is as old as you guess, it is very lightly used. Lightly used for a 10-15 yr old saddle. Step 1; check the tree. Find out if it is a full rawhide covered tree in good condition. Step 2; check the gullet dimensions and bar configuration, if they are good for today's horse types then you can go on. If it doesn't pass step 1 & 2 it isn't worth much and not worth any further investment. If it has passed the first steps then either give it a thorough cleaning and oiling yourself or consider taking it to a shop and also getting the frog sewn back down in back. New strings would give it zing too. Then you will have $4-500 item for no hurry sale or $3-400 for quick sale. IMHO

Never heard of a postmaster's saddle in all my study of military history but separate procurement arms are possible, I guess. At any rate, now to pure old guessing: I vote for some early catalog offering to appeal to those with cavalry experience. Maybe produced for JCP, MW, S&R others. Interesting.

The long, smooth lines were done by first cutting with a swivel knife and then using a smooth push beveler, corners, curves etc with regular smooth stamping type bevelers. Both sides of the cut were treated the same to give that 'raised' look. The third picture of the first set was done by first running the push beveler on the lines, then the border stamp, then a checkered beveler to finish off.

Hides, as they get bought then sorted then tanned are separated by size as much as gender. Terminology can be tricky, being passed down from father or favorite uncle to son. I once lost a saddle order because I wouldn't make the whole thing out of 'green bullhide'. Another remedy that hasn't been mentioned would be to back 8-9 oz veg tan belt blank with 1-2 oz pigskin or calfskin. This would actually reduce the small likliehood of stretch to an even smaller one. And it wouldn't reduce the wearability. One thing we used to do when I was a kid making a lot of belts was cut the blanks that would become 1 3/4 belts 2" wide, get them sopping wet then stretch them by nailing one end to a rafter and tying an anvil to the other end. When it was dry, wet it again, flatten and straighten it and trim it to 1 3/4. Based on the timmings, this was more for show than actual effects but it made customers happy. Oh yeah, for another touch after this final trimming we would shape them to a u shaped curve in the middle and this would eliminate the wrinkle that most belts get in the middle of the back.

The awl blade will have a widest point. It will be much closer to the back than to the tip. As long as this widest point is in the chuck, things are good. The length is necessary for tasks like sewing cantle bindings. The advice about holding your finger close to the point was good. Osborne makes some really short blades and even though they need a lot of polishing to be anything like the Douglas, maybe they would suit you better. Myself, over the years I decided that I needed several awls and so I have 6 in sizes (exposed not total length) ranging from about 3/4" to a big old collar awl that is close to 4" and pretty wide and thick. Most of them I use once or twice a year but then I'm real glad to have them.

With most stamps its hard to stamp too deep with basket stamping being one of the possible exceptions due to the sharpness of the ends of the legs on some stamps. As long as the stamp doesn't cut through fibers the compression of fibers actually makes leather more durable. With most stamping done today, it is about a wash with enough fiber compression taking place to balance out any weakening from fiber cutting. In addition to hitting harder, paying closer attention to getting the casing just right and finally, when molding if you will develop the habit of wetting pieces from the inside. For sheaths like the one in the picture you could just fill the sheath with warm water and pour the water out when you first begin to get wet spots showing through. That will help a great deal with keeping impressions looking as crisp as they did when you finished stamping them.

Also Clay Miller, Gomph Hackbarth, Chuck Smith. Their are others. In most cases, they are worth the extra investment. I still use a few craftools and the new Pro Craftools are a good deal if they fit. Over the course of the years you will try many, keep some, others no. As your style develops you will find it is based on a few or many and they will come from many places. I even have a few unmarked geometric and border tools that were picked out of the trash in Miles City, Mt in 1915 that I use regularly. Patrol this forum for thoughts and experiences on tools. Barry's poly mauls are great. Weaver Master Tools, too. There are other things out there. Osborne has started marketing rawhide mauls again and many (including me) prefer them.

Also check plug sewing in some of the holster making books and be advised that unless extremely thick leathers are used, it does not provide a great weight bearing capability. If that is required then some kind of two layered approach is indicated.

The patent office records will tell you for sure but it is some kind of holding/clamping device, probably wall mount for drying a fitted or glued piece.

Water and sewer are a must if you don't want to be running back and forth from shop to house,.

I can't be sure without up close examination but I think the wider width around the edges is vinyl. Could be that it is not original but that it has been partially redone as that is where it would wear the fastest. My guess would be that the bulk of the work is (if not also vinyl) with calfskin or perhaps even horsehide. The technique is a 'poor man's pitiado' pitiado being the practice of embroidery with wool or plant fiber thread on leather. If the holster is unlined, the inside would be a good place to examine to determine materials. If some of the detail on the body turns out to be vinyl also then that would date it much later than the 30's. Repros are common in Mexico as well as US. And where you live you are not far from a rich Charreada culture which would prize such items. Also prized would be items that were 'original' except for the restoration that had been done at some more recent time

I, too, have better luck when leather is slightly damp. I use larger pieces of sheepskin with wool clipped short to apply. In most cases I try to be sure that surface is clean as well.

I don't see the evidence of the private hand. Saddles (and everything else) were kept by the quartermaster and when a change in specs was approved by the responsible board, existing stock was modified either by army saddlers or by contract to meet new standards and thus some 'hybrid' looking things are out there. In addition, large numbers were shipped from surplus to South American armies and then found their way back to the US by various means so it can be quite hard to peg one exactly. All that said, this one, indeed does look like one of the 1900's vintage, probably 1917. It really looks to be in decent shape, considering. First, with cardboard or plywood or something rig a place where you can set it and have it return to shape, take it completely apart or as far as you can get it then with something like Lexol ph or something high in Glycerin start the attack on the ravages of time. Whatever you use the parts should end up clean and damp enough to be pliable. Then arrange them to dry on whatever you have prepared, reshaping things that have curled or twisted. You probably should plan on replacing stirrup leathers and the rigging straps unless you can bring them back to life and trust them to serve their purpose.

Unless you are prepared to and capable of complete disassemblywhich would include all trim, think again. Yes brown would be less likely to come out perfectly even but that would be acceptable as long as the variation wasn't too great. Thorough cleaning and deglazing for starters, then Feibings leather dye in circular motion with sheepskin patches. Then lexol Nf or Neteslene Light to restore oils, then Tankote. That's how I'd do it if someone was determined to have it done.

Other than Proleptic who advertises on this forum, I don't have a clue as to info and parts for German stuff? I have an American skiver that except for the gear shroud looks just like yours. Primary use was to make shoe/boot welts. I have a few uses for it in making fitted rifle scabbards and similar things. I have resigned myself that I would have to have a blade made if I ever needed one. The other thing looks, except for the deep throat like a pad cutter used by farriers (I was one in my younger days) to cut sole pads. As pad material and shoe sole material used to be the same, you could often find horseshoeing pads in shoe/boot shops. I would measure the size of the wheel, including the hole and take that to a full service shoe repair shop and see if I could match it in any of their parts supplies. If you don't have a use for the cutter, it is worth tinkering costs if that appeals to you. The other thing would not be worth much unless to a collector who was looking for just that. If such a person even exists.

There are two basically different approaches, the traditional all leather and the "modern" combination. First the last, the legs are closed and close fitting and generally made from Cordura or some other type of very tough nylon yet still flexible enough to be comfortable. Think chain saw or snake pants. Then the knee and other 'wear' areas are reinforced with leather, usually the pearl gray that Bob is speaking of and nail magnets, knife pockets, tool loops, etc can be added to make what may well be the hardest job in the world a little bit easier. Bob's pattern will probably be for traditional leather ones which can be customized, as well. Just my personal preference and being a saddlemaking horseshoer I could easily experiment and indulge myself, I used the modified chink approach, using a light oil tanned leather for the body and then used the pearl gray stuff for reinforcing patches. I had used a pair of cut off batwings to shoe in for years and shaped and placed my patches based on the rasp wear on the old veterans. Magnets, loops and pockets have been in numerous locations on their way to "home'. That produced a homely, mud fence ugly looking concoction that I wouldn't trade for anything, but!