oltoot

Looks like it (stain) follows the position of somebody who had an extremely hairy, sweaty bum and perhaps even rode in shorts. If so, it will be hard to remove and all methods I know of, successful and un- will involve harsh chemicals that will strip any remaining waxes-oils from the leather. On the other hand you might be right about an oil stain and that most of it came from the bottom. Anyway, the 'damaged' part is no more mold vulnerable than the rest, maybe even a little less if it is already had the desired mold foods replaced by either petroleum substances or salt from sweat. Just some thoughts from WYO

As would be expected for the time (has an early 50's look) , it's pretty narrow and steep angled in front. It is in great shape though and a good cleaning with a glycerine based cleaner would have been time well spent. It's a little too new to be a "restoration" so for someone looking for a well made kid's saddle for use on smaller horses with angular conformation it should bring somewhere +/- $300. I'm not at all familiar with your market but I would be a little picky about who I sold it to. A heavy user on big horses could end up with a bad experience and tell all their friends about it. As for the other one it may be a little older but not much. Good brass hardware like the EZ rig front dees was just about impossible to find until after WWII and high priced until after the Korean conflict, too high priced for use in a low end shop made saddle like that one. If its narrow like the other one you would probably be in the same pricing boat as with the other one maybe worse because of the bigger seat.

I use a glue pot and brushes last as long as they stay covered in glue. I use ~ 1 quart of thinner to one gallon of barge and I use cardboard or leather scraps on large areas so as someone said to each his own.

The jig would be overkill. Make build up to lap over handhole instead of trying to match it exactly, then when it is shaped and dry, just trim to match both hhole ans sslots

http://www.bulkapothecary.com/product/raw-ingredients/waxes-and-butters/beeswax-white-and-yellow/#reviews source for white beads

In the 70's I built some kids/youth saddles on ralide trees. The ground seats were awful torture for little bums so I shaped them up with a top piece and then skiving to finish. If i were (which I wouldn't) using them in a mass production setting I wouldn't do that because then some major pieces would have to be fit instead of just be stuck on. The Kevlars w/ built in ground seat look a little better but you would still ask yourself the same questions as to comfort and respond accordingly.

I think that = part lard is too much. Though the mixture as is does hold the temper for a long time it builds up on everything and has to be cleaned off. Next time I think I will try everything else in = parts but use only 1/4 pound of lard. I think that will blend smoother and provide just as much benefit with much less mess. But I will continue to use the white beeswax beads as they blend so well and smoothly and, of course being white, add no color. From past experience with yellow and white saddle soap, it is easier to see distribution of white compounds than yellow. And just a note, adding ingredients one at a time to hot blend is much preferred to mixing them cold and the heating the whole thing.

This may sound a bit counterintuitive at first but in my experience the WMTs have been a little TOO sharp for careless use brought on by years of using tools that weren't sharp enough to punch cleanly and easily but have to be really whacked. Do this to the WMTs and eventually you will nick the edges. The real answer, of course, is to expect tools to be sharp and use them accordingly. If they aren't sharp, sharpen them. Some call that the learning curve.

It's pretty narrow by today's KRS standards so it's probably quite mature (polite pretty old). With the big turned back swell fork that further dates it to the late 40's early 50's era. I've seen a picture of a King Ranch cutting horse being ridden in such a rig and it's B&W and 50's. Your other questions I don't know. Have you tried just calling the shop, they still put out a catalog but it mainly features high end furnishings and luggage. PS I think I really like your hobbles.

PS Yeah that river is pretty well managed as is the upper Platte from the Col border down to Seminoe but I have never fished it. When I lived in Meeker and the next 3 places I lived I had kids at home and we fished a lot but once they left home (they're 40 somethings now) I haven't wet a line since. Go figger

Back to the splitter, if Harrington doesn't work out could you post pic of the blade. Makes quite a difference how they were maintained. A blade that size is a pretty challenging piece of steel

I lived in Meeker 45 years ago and the only honey hole I remember was a winter whitefishing hole with no public access but I have been looking for something like this for about that long. I live in Rawlins, Wy now if harrington doesn't work out.

Well, being one myself I can authoritatively say that oldtimers aren't always right, they're just always old and having been around a few saddles in my life time, this is the first time I have ever heard of such a thing. In my experience what makes a plate rig strong is its position and the resultant line of pull, that and keeping it properly set and cinched. And looking at the nylon strap, I'm pretty sure that an engineer would tell you that it wouldn't add a thing to the strength of the rigging in use.

WOW! Did you get it right the first time or are there a few 'trials' in the scrap box. Myself, I'm not sure that I would even expect to get it right the first time. 1st, 2nd, 14th it is still impressive.

Kangaroo is tough and easy to work with. Rawhide would be best but there is a learning curve associated with using it.

In addition there are several alternatives available. Lexol Nf is widely available and Weaver has its own product Neatslene Light. And Matt S was right on, FOB dye is not oil based it is just different, not necessarily better. if you were getting what you wanted some other way, go back to it. If you have neatsfoot to use up try having the dyed holster be quite damp when the oil is applied. That will allow light coats to be truly light. And not all neatsfoot is created equal even if it is labeled pure. Caveat Emporer!

PS: #s 2 & 3 are from my personal saddle that has been in use for ~ 15 years

I'll try: 1) is actually two pieces as you can see the gussets were light weight latigo. You can't see the grommet and string as they are tucked back under the flap. BTW, this pic is ~ 33 years old and these bags are still in regular use. 2) & 3) are of bags that will open up to 6" if necessary. They are of 5 oz chap leather with two seams for folding flat. Rather than grommet and string at top these have a 1/2" strap around the top that is kept in place by tunnel loops.

I thought, sounds intriguing I think I'll give it a try. I got ahold of some white beeswax beads used for candlemaking then decided what quantity to try. The size at which all my ingredients turned out to match in size was 16 oz of each. Newsflash, that times 4 is a lot. I 1st put water and lard into a little bucket on the stove. When the water was hot and the lard was liquid, i stirred in the thinly sliced soap. When these three were pretty well blended I stirred in the beeswax. Left on medium heat till it was bubbling lightly then stirred it well with a 3" plastic putty knife until the lumps were pretty much gone. Let it cool and then spoon it into three 8 oz coolwhip tubs. Should last a long time. Less would be plenty. I think 6 oz water and 4 oz of everything else would be a good build. That's what I'll try next time.

No and yes. The answer depends on whether good enough is good enough. If it is then the answer is no. If it isn't and things like stitch tightness and seam durability come into play then the answer is yes. And if you want to work in fabric as well as leather, then the 441 clones can actually be "better" meaning more versatile. The N&AMs can lock the stitch tighter in a smaller hole, thus having a greater holding power when the thread wears off on top of the piece as can happen with various types of skirt and plate riggings and other tack applications but again, the 441's can do good enough and are getting more affordable. I still wouldn't trade though. I would rather be in a position to afford one of each than to have to choose.

Briefly, N&AMs operate a little differently than single needle machines. The main drive is split into two equally robust drives, upper and lower. In operation a solid awl is driven straight down through the material, punching the hole. A needle with an open barb comes up from the bottom through the hole. The upper thread is fed into the barb with a system of loopers or fingers. The presser foot lifts up. The needle with the thread in the barb feeds the work to the rear, ready for the next cycle. The needle then is pulled down through the work and as it begins its travel upward it makes a loop in the top thread which the hook, rotating around catches and then carries the top thread around the bobbin where the lower thread is. Different machines handle the tightening and locking of the stitch in different ways but somewhere in between awl thrusts, rollers or some other device lock down on the top and pull the stitch tight. In the downward part of the needle cycle the needle travels back to its home position in perfect alignment with the awl. Their purpose was to sew the tightest possible stitch with whatever thread was being used and to have uniform stitch length in varying weights of material. I have one and wouldn't trade it for the world but if I were starting out on a limited budget, the 441 clones for ~ $3000 complete and delivered with great support and service would look quite attractive, especially if I were going to be working with fabric as well as leather. My 2 cents

Cable riggings seem to suit some folks. The position is adjustable but not quickly. Most I have seen get adjusted a few times when new and then after the new wears off set and left at ~7/8ths. My own experience has been that riggings just need to be well placed and well constructed for 90+% of use. Adjustable requires experienced rider to be used correctly. Successful adjustables (ex 1914 Mc Clellan) have one thing in common: rigging pull is always at the low point of the moving parts so that pull will be distributed to the whole saddle and not skewed to front or back as rigging is moved. And as somebody said earlier, if ARs were effective they would be widely popular which they aren't. The goal of most ARs seems to be to get something like 7/8 ths or 3/4s so why not just build a good 7/8ths or 3/4s or 15/16ths to start with that takes latigoes and cinches away from shoulder crease and with in skirt or plate rig to eliminate leg position interference?

9-10 is about right for headstalls other than heavy, 1" browband styles IMHO.

Edge and back don't look like the real deal. Might be a bonded product with a very thin real surface and other material as backing.

First remove all the mold, mildew surface growth, spores, etc with a damp rag or sheepskin which you should be sure to throw away after just one use then wet it down all over with plain water and when still a little moist on the surface go over it (the whole surface, not just the stained parts) with Oxalic Acid and let dry. Dont reuse any of the rags, sheepskin etc used for the job.