oltoot

That's my bet: one of. You do not say how wide the cut is. Were I to go to the trouble of having it repo'd, I would be sure that it was at least 8 in and I would also look into modifying it slightly so that it could use Osborne # 86 blades which are now commercially available.

Not having read all the posts, I apologize if I am just repeating what someone has already offered. From what I have read I would say that it sounds like there are a wide range of opinions and experiences and so why not add one more. All, of course, is IMHO. When I was younger and packed quite a bit I made my packsaddle breast collars like the ones I used with my working saddle not the other way around. How was that you might ask. Sorry no pictures but I promise not to take a thousand words to make up for it. Well, before I go on, let me share a few observations from long years of using, making and repairing things. I only remember 1 or 2 BCs where the body broke, it was always the straps so I have turned to lighter collars with stronger straps though I do make some collar bodies bigger than they need to be just to have room for tooling to match a saddle or space to put letters; next generality, I've seen a few things sore horses and have eliminated them from my bag of tricks. Packer breast collars made straight with 4 inch webbing bodies dont stay flat very long. They get countoured in front by the horse's neck. Lesson: wide and flat doesn't cut it even if there are a dozen extras hanging in the barn. The breast straps used by polo players, 3 day eventers, etc are pretty lightly constructed, attach very high up on the saddle, have a ring in the middle and the strap from that ring that goes between the front legs to the girth is kept snug. So what's my conclusion. The preceeding observation that a well fitting rig with the right kind of pad stays pretty well put was very pertinent. If a breast collar can just help that all out a little in a balanced fashion it doesn't need to be very heavy. Hint: Stand your favorite pony up with a saddle on and take a magic marker and draw lines from the front conchos down in a V that converges just enough below his windpipe to let him put his head down then draw a straight line from the V point back between his front legs to the dee on your cinch. Now walk him around including up and down some steep little pitches and keep your eyes on those lines. You will notice that his legs move freely as does his neck. Voila, you have designed a well fitting, functional collar. A dee ring (without the so called chafe) goes in the middle and the collar body ends up on the large, relatively flat, pretty much non-moving part of his anatomy. You will probably have to have attachment dees put on your saddle up that high unless you have one of the newer rigs that already feature them there. NOTE: they dont need to be super stout either if they're canted down to match the angle that that line you drew meets your saddle at. AND besure to keep the cinch connector snug, not hanging down so the rig will maintain a balanced 3 point alignment. That's what I think about this.

For most things I still prefer Barges for the very reason that if need be I can take things apart without destroying them. When I was learning my teacher said to always think about the poor guy that would have to repair whatever it was that I was making. On the topic of adhesion, I have found that Barges works best when it is kept thinned. I use a quart of thinner for every two gallons. If it is almost runny it is at its best. If I really need adhesion then two or even three thin coats will increase that. All that said, I hope my wife doesn't read this thread and find out that there may be alternatives because she hates the smell, and most other smells that come from my shop. Aromas to some, stench to others, tomatoe-tomatoh. Life is really great.

This one would look good if it were #20 not #2. One thing: cantle binding alignment is not as balanced as it could be. This also would stem from the meeting of the seat and cantle filler. Cantle binding does not appear to be of uniform width. Cantle binding front edge not consistently on top of cantle. Fender back reveals clean work underneath so that's a wash.

I think that it is really a two part issue: 1) Glue 2) Construction I have observed over the years that there are more sheepskin issues associated with construction methods that don't block the skirts correctly during fitting and then don't work at fitting sheepskins to skirt blocking. I was taught in a large shop environment and we used dextrin to put in the linings (and ground seats and most everything else) and did not experience comebacks except where varmints or big wrecks were the root. When I went out as a single, it was just plain too hard to keep the dextrin 'just right' so I switched to Barges for skirts, linings to be sewed and Ol' Yeller low sag (after going through Elmer's and a lot of other similar products) and haven't looked back. BTW, I have found that Barges works best when kept well thinned. Just my story

I believe that the 97-10 was developed for the military in WWII, specifically for parachute risers and heavy equipment riggings. The 97 head is found in several configurations, many different flatbed and long arm set ups. It was probably the forerunner for all the current single needle machines. Simple and rugged but increasingly rare with parts hard to find. When I was looking for and trying machines that was always one that was on my list but I never found one. I finally got tired of trading and fixing and bought a new Union Lockstitch and Singer 211 and have been pretty happy. I still would consider a Cowboy, Techsew, Artisan, Weaver or Adler cylinder arm but then would have to hustle more work to justify it so I guess I'll die happy with what I Have and not leave one for the heirs to figure out what to do with. Just my story.

My nails of choice for 50+ years and that copied from someone then almost as old as I am now have been cement coated. They have kind of a golden colored look to them and I use them exclusively. When attaching skirts for a skirt rigged saddle, I use phillips 1 1/2 x 14 with a nickel washer in the gullet and up underneath the cantle. BTW, when I was coming up a rule to be faithfully followed was to build things like you might someday have to take them apart to repair them and that should not damage tree or parts.

I install long and trim after sewing and remember that if the rawhide you use is a bit translucent, all the tracks you have left on the filler will show through. A trick that will help is to dye the top surface of the filler a solid dark color.

You will find many opinions on this question. Here is mine which will be among the better that you will receive IMHO. I have had a variety of scopes on a variety of rifles over the years and was starting to prefer Redfields before they went out of business the first time. I got started on Burris when they were still made in Greely, CO and have come to be a Burris user exclusively. For the money, they are still great. I have found the best deals on the 3X9X40 fullfield II but have other models, as well. On light recoiling calibers such as the 223 you can probably expect good service from some of the cheapos but generally speaking, optics is still pretty much a you get what you pay for. I used to prefer fixed powers for their simplicity and price but they have just about vanished from most lineups and the Burris variable have served me well up to a 3.5X10X50 on a 300 WSM. I dont think I would spend thousands though to get the very top of the line European Makes.

Buy Bruce Grants book from Tandy

Looks like the puppy chewed off more than just the knot which will be btw a pineapple raised a few times depending on the size string you pick. When you get ready to tackle the rawhide first use rawhide or duct tape to build up the area of the heel to the shape you want. One thing I have done with good results is to tie a ring knot of three or four passes around the area using strings much wider and coarser than I will make the finished heel knot with with the knot not coming to the extreme edges of the heel and that can be used to give it a gently rounded foundation to build on. One more thing, if it were me I would remove the ring knot from the top of the heel and replace it when I have finised the heel knot. It will most likely be in your way. If the cheeks aren't straight without it you can tie a string around them further up and out of the way while you are working on the heel. And you might want to practice a few times on a dowel with an area wrapped in tape to simulate the heel. And one last thing, I found that 1/4" plastic lace was the best thing to start with. It can be cut on a sharp point and eliminate the need for needles. Have fun!

I've been at it for a long time and through that I've tried most everything. As noted, a lot of it is personal preference which accounts for the tremendous variety available. Now IMHO. I have rawhide mallets from tiny to huge and use them all occasionally, poly mauls also, but my workhorses have turned out to be 2 lb rawhide maul for general tooling, 3 lb rawhide maul for geometric and small punching and 8 lb rawhide for most punching and name stamping.

I have been using backpackers closed cell sleeping pads for a long time. Closed cell is IMPORTANT because it doesn't absorb moisture when it rains. I have never had one come back in the 30+ yrs ive been using it. The seat in my own personal saddle (20+ yrs) is just like the day it was finished.

I see by the dates that I'm a bit of a johnny come lately so my 2 cents is only worth one cent but here it is anyway. I learned on a 16 and when I started looking for a machine I sorta became an unwilling mechanic and trader. After a few years and a lot of stress I bought a Union Lock and a Singer 211 class. It was several years before I got them all figured out, sorta, and have had a very happy relationship for a very long time. A rancher friend has one of the new single needle, long arm machines from Artisan and it serves him well. We come visiting one another with projects every so often and are both happy for the chance to do it. I can't add much or argue with anything already said here. If you want to dabble in machine mechanics and antique restoration, you can wear out your piddler. Don't pass up a Singer 97-10 if find one. I think that they were the great father of the single needle, cylinder arm family. Designed by Singer and used by the military in parachute repair during WWII.

Just speaking for myself and, of course, I'm always right, I set all my plate and inskirt riggings using the same 'visualization' approach. I imagine the horse's anatomy and strive for two things: 1. Using the bottom of the curve of the hardware that will be used, get that point of pressure down to the break of the barrel, and 2. end up with a definite layering of that point, skirt edge, bottom of seat jockey, top portion of fenders and the point where most of the rider's weight comes to bear so that all of those things are spread out thus minimizing and distributing pressure and friction. And to complete the effect, if necessary, I 'plug' the areas around the hardware so that there are no humps or bumps, just smooth, tapering surfaces moving against one another.

I have been using Sonny's trees since he was in Moab, Utah. He has done nothing but improve and he started out pretty good. For the last few years I have tried to keep one around because they are just plain pretty to look at. I have a rancher friend here who dabbles in saddles as well as about anything else and through him I have seen several other makes, none measuring up to QMFG. They are definitely worth waiting for?

Can anybody tell me where to get either one of these products?