oltoot

For what its worth I worked for SD Myers in the late 50's-early 60's and it looks pretty much like then.

Having made and used saddlebags for many years I have arrived at the following: 1) For the back of the bag (next to the horse) skirting or other vegtan of ~ 10 oz or more for body and stability, 2) For top vegtan of ~ 8 3) For flap vegtan of 7-8 4) For gussets, usually chap leather, oil tan if appropriate, sometimes light latigo, and when made with a custom saddle to match the padded seat if one is included, of no more than 6 and something I have been doing to all my gussets for ~ 30 yrs is to fold them in half lengthwise, flesh to flesh, and sew a seam very close to the edge of the fold and then install them, this helps encourage them to lay flat when not expanded by contents. Another gusset trick i use frequently is to put a grommet at the top of each side so a string or lace can be used to cinch the gussets in so that rain or sticks wont get caught or invade the bags. And, of course, depending on size of bags and form of skirts a variety of hold down strategies. PS. the favorite size in my experience has been 9 X 9 X 4

It would require very carefully selected piece from a 4-6 oz, perhaps even heavier if you have a 14 or 20" splitter to run the piece through to get the perimeter of the piece down to an even ~ 3, hide that had not been leveled. Probably with center in an armpit (front more likely to fit) very soft and pliable in the middle, getting firmer toward the edges. Steam would also help with the molding process. Yes there is a form behind that stays in and is sandwiched in between outside and lining. The form is smaller and not as detailed as the finished.

Great job!! Two questions: What is the diameter and may I be so crass as to ask how much?

I second all the endorsement of needle and awl machines and the reality of the market and the 441 clones. I have had a UL, bought new, for 40 years now and did have a long learing curve but with that behind me I'm tickled as a hog in slop. NOTE I had another 'curve' a few years ago with thread. When new I had soon abandoned waxed linen thread for the convenience and even tighter stitch possibilities with synthetic thread and was pleased for 20+ years then mayhem and much difficulty. I started a light lubrication of upper with silicone thread lubricant and problem solved. Now I dont have a pile of spools with a few yards used to put on bobbins. Top and bottom useage is about equal and "birds nests" are just vague memories. But if I were just starting I'm sure that $2695 complete would sound better than much more just to get started.

The story I heard about 97 series history was that it was made for the military in WWII to use in parachute lofts and for cargo plane load riggings. There were several configurations for various uses in the lofts where the stuff was made and/or repaired. Don't know about this but its a good story.

Look at the many works of Al Stohlman and Peter Main does some unusual things (from Tandy libraries) and then you can find some of the old Southern Asian Steppes stuff on this forum. I think that all cultures who have had any connection with horses or other animals (and that is most) have used and decorated leather, but having said all this I think that you will be hard pressed to find anything more developed and appealing than today's stylized (not realistic) floral designs that are being carried to their greatest heights yet by this current collection of western craftsmen.

I have found in making/using bosals, bosalitos that it serves one well to have an assortment available for use, some smooth as fuzz on a bee's belly and some a little rough. Rough ones to start and get attention, smooth to reward responsiveness. Then occasionally when one gets to ignoring the slighter cues, switch back to rough for awhile. And in some cases you even find a place for a mix, eg smooth nose, rough cheeks. Another trick, though less glamorous than having a full range of bosals-vet wrap. Have a rough one when needed but smooth it out with the VW.

Leather Crafters and Saddlers or Shop Talk ads for Amish and Mennonite shops who have catalogs and the there's always Google

Last ? first: Rawlins Second ? yes Next point: Tunnel loops, look at pics of better work horse & buggy bridles. They will have tunnel loops on the cheeks and often the backbands and sometimes even the belly bands on the body of the harness. Their use and function is to prevent strap ends from interfering with lines, ropes, etc. The flank cinch loops on a western saddle are a type of tunnel loop. Then there is always pictures of old timey martingales. And the tooling and finish is quite good

If she's happy that's what matters but in the future these suggestions: 1) Make the withers strap narrower and adjustable, 2) Modify the pattern to eliminate the little bulge at the top of the center ring and make the bottom more 'C' shaped to make the collar space wider where the neck ties into chest and then the side will run straight up the top of the shoulder, 3) Also consider tunnel loops on withers strap to keep strap end from flopping downhill and ending up in the way of reins, ropes etc.

My advice, don't try making something unless you are an experienced machinist or something. If you can't yet get a maul or mallet, chances are you can get a hammer with repalceble poly head inserts at your local home improvement store and you will always have a use for it.

While the edge guide would be the best solution, if you have a clutch motor there may be another. On the left side of Singer setups there is an adjustment which is a throttle stop which can smooth out alternate bursts of speed and let you hold the foot pedal all the way against it and learn to sew in a smoother, more controlled fashion. Solved a lot of similar issues on my 211G566u

All well said especially oxalic acid. I get mine from pharmacy as crystals and mix as needed. I keep a jug on my bench. As to where the spots came from, in humid climates things must be absolutely dry. Cold retards mold growth. If you have to stop in the middle of a project, wrap in plastic and put in frig or even freezer and NO MOLD!! Spots can also come from iron in casing fluid, etc but mold is the greatest culprit.

Probably a brown 4-5 oz oiltan exterior lined with 1 1/2-2 oz kidskin and a 4-5 oz veg tan stiffener down the back between out and liner ~ 3" wide skived or french edged to feather edges leaving middle of ~1" full thickness. My guess

Luis was indeed a master braider but he was first a master string maker, second a master material handler all of which made the finished product amazing.

I'm not sure that there was an "idea" behind it. I just always assumed that it represented a transitional phase in the development of the Texas saddle. Your example features others: the separate seat jockeys were added for rider comfort and protection, then closely followed the addition of a front jockey, these in conjunction with the open seat construction. Leather was different in the early days, too which made for certain construction preferences. Your example has a couple of features which are not "period" and they are the quick change buckles and the brass hardware and the modern fenders that go over the top of the stirrup leathers; more common would be leather covered steel rings and laced leathers with a smaller sweat leather under the stirrup leathers; the fender development went something like this: 1) just stirrup leathers, 2) the addition of a small, separate 'sweat leather' under the stirrup leathers to separate riders leg from sweaty horses' rib cages' 3) then the present configuration of a larger, more functionally shaped fender that goes over the top of the stirrup leathers and now often replacing part of them as a rivited and sewn assembly. One of the major forces of development was simply human experimentation and competitiveness, eg the seat/front jockeys. First they were added as separate pieces, then somebody tried to make a one piece seat, failing a few times before it became standard. Saddlemakers as a lot tend to be a little experimental and if they see that somebody is doing someting different they are prone to say to themselves "if he can do that then so can I." So it was as the half seat gave way to the whole seat and so on. There were also regional styles that were 'crossbred' as the cowboys wandered from place to place and traded gear and ideas. These factors tended to stabilize before WWII as the western ranges became populated and fenced and cowboys stayed closer to home. Then when the boys came home from WWII, we entered our present era of new travel and exchange of ideas.

Probably outside of your area of interest but sole bends (ex heavy) are used in the brush country of Texas to make bulldog tapaderos to protect riders' feet from spines and from running sticks through stirrups.

I would think that the best (and btw most authentic) solution would be a properly designed and fitted breast plate (collar) adjusted snug at all three points. Odds are that the riggings are set to period authenticity which would have suited the average cavalry mount; a big tall TB type with a straight up shoulder. If your horse has a sloping shoulder, the saddle is just slipping back to get the rigging/cinch line straight. Another solution would be to reset the rigging. I'm not familiar with the Hope but later model McClellans had adjustable rigging to solve this without putting a lot of reliance (stress) on the breast plate. IMHO goo is not good. There is more to fit than just bars/back.

There was a time back in the 60's and 70's when CS saddles were made by any one of a number of semi retired types who worked out of their homes. They would pick up orders including all the parts and take them home and assemble them, piece work. Some were allowed to put their own names somewhere on the saddle and some just did it and it would escape notice when shipped, could be that.

Something I have noticed over time dealing with pulleys and belts in general, after all the good leads above are checked, if the first time the pulley came loose you didn't get it back in exact alignment with its opposing pulley, the force on it is tremendously increased, exacerbating any other issues. It is especially true if you dealing with two pulleys of diff size and then the smaller pulley takes the beating. Solution Sometimes: If the pulley/shaft allows, put the pulley back on without tightening then run things for just a bit allowing them to "find home" then carefully tighten to avoid moving. Unfortunately doesn't usually help if shaft or pulley are already damaged. Another thing I have learned about sewing machines (and other machinery) that resists efforts to 'tweak' it. If time allows walk away and do something else that you are sure you will succeed at then come back to it.

Here's my 2 cnts. Years ago when I using and making and repairing saddles, I took note that the corners of a lot of square skirted rigs curled up or sorta just curled. I rode a square skirted rig at the time and had learned to repeat all the "increased weight bearing area rhetoric." Then one day when I was saddling up I stuck my hand up underneath that square corner and noticed that I didn't meet any real resistance til I got close to the bars and I started looking close and decided that I had just been repeating the conventional wisdom which was not too wise. Sooo, it was a process of years of observation and trial during which I moved from Texas to Wyoming (via Arizona, South Dakota, Montana) where folks were already where I was getting to. Now I sculpt skirts with about 2 1/2 - 3 inches behind the bars and then tapered around following the shape of the bars til I get to the back rigging. Then shaped to that then to the front rig then to the front of the bars, which as noted above are different than they used to be. I still believe in the basic function of the skirt just that it doesn't take as much leather to achieve it. And another thing. Years ago, I quit lacing my skirts together in back, except on mother Hubbard's.

iN ORDER TO COMPLETE THE TASK YOU WILL PROBABLY HAVE TO REPLACE THE RAWHIDE AS WELL AS IT NEEDS TO BE TIGHTLY PULLED DOWN AROUND THE EDGE OF THE CONCHO AFTER IT IS EPOXYED TO THE HORN, OOPS CAP LOCKS ON! If the rawhide is snug around the edge of the horn you might be able to use a slightly larger concho and epoxy down over rawhide. Owner would have to make the choice 1) as new ~ $200 + concho; 2) over top comprimise ~ $25 + concho

Tradition says bevel leather on flesh side, rawhide on grain side. That said grain side must be more carefully done as even the smallest cut will show.

those are rounds, not rolled edges. When all else fails, !!GOOGLE!!