keplerts

It looks nice the way it is. But, a light coat of Bag Kote would really bring out a warm shine and give it some light protection.

Hey, You did a great job! Really like the lining inlay. Stitching looks great and does the finish. What brand and wt of leather did you use? What is the finish. Hand or machine stitched? Keep up the good work!

I think you will really like the Weaver punch. Their tools are very nice! Tom

Wow, Very nice work! Your carvings and designs are great! What type and size of leather? What is the finish? Great work! Tom

I have bought a few of the Al Stohlman ebooks. I think they are very good. I can read them about anywhere. I like that I can print out just the page/pages I want and take to the shop. Most are in the large format of the oringinal books and are scaled down when printed. If you want full size, like for the holster making book with patterns, you can take the PDF to Staples and have them printed. Although it is probably cheaper to just by the book if you intend to have the printed there. But, yes, the quality is good. Tom

Again, thanks for the suggestions! I am making my "home made" version now. But, I think I'll save for the Pro concho turner as well. Just putting saddle soap on the threads of the one I'm working has really helped with re-installing the old conchos. Thanks everyone! Tom

This is exactly why I like this forum. You ask a question and you get good answers! Thanks for your replys. Great home made idea Dwight! I think I will make something this this. Unfortunitly I AM the hooligan that pretty much destroyed the conchos on the saddle I'm currently working on. Also, thanks for the pictures..... I need pictures. I'll have to save a little money for the Proleptic Concho Turners. I like when my life is easier! Thanks, Tom

Would anyone like to share their secrect for installing/removing screw in conchos? I have tried by hand (very difficult); Hammer and screw driver (not good for the concho). Do the Pro Concho tools from Proleptic work well? What do most of you use that would make this part of saddle building/repair work more pleasant? Thanks for any advice. Tom

I'd buy it. In fact I love the design. The deep throat would be awesome when sewing saddle skirts. Let me know when your plans are available. Thanks, Tom

Just an update on the auction. Just me and an Amish fella bid on the 1508. I ended up getting it for $400. I'll try to add some pictures. Now I just have to read the manual to figure out how to use it. Great, stupid phone uploaded them upside down!

Thanks, Wizcrafts! It is a local dairy farmer that has the machine and is having a retirement auction of his farm equipment. I talked to his wife and she said he bought it think he could fix his cow halters, leather stuff, etc. But he ended up never using it and just put it in a corner. It is an unlikley item to find at a farm sale so I'm hoping no machine dealers saw it listed in his tool section of the sale bill. I picked up 2 chase pattern leather splitters at a farm sale four weeks ago for next to nothing. Combined the parts to make a good useable splitter. So, we will see how this machine in and what it's going to go for. And, again, thanks for the info. Tom

Looks really nice! I like the two tone color. Your stitching looks great as well. Tom

Bob, I will for sure add Robin's book to my library and at $21 dollars isn't that expense. I'm looking for books that show how to do different saddle configurations than the Stolhman books do. Like, a twisted (rope?) cantle binding that you see on a lot of barrel saddles. I don't know if the Hopper and Yate's books cover this or not. Either way I have the Hopper book coming and will order the Yates book. Thanks for your thought Bob. Fivewayswelshcobs: You are welcome! I'm glad you were able to take advantage of the sale! I just happend to see the sale advertised in Shop Talk magazine that my boss gets or I would have missed it as well. Tom

Tomorrow I am going to an auction that is listing a Juki 1508 sewing machine for sale. I haven't seen it or know anything about it. Is this a decent machine and what would be the maxium price I should look to spend on it (depending on condition). Thanks, Tom

Bob, Thanks for the info. So now I guess I need to order the Robin Yates book as wells. I got the hopper book for $27 shipped which I thought was a good price. Tom

I ordered the book by John Hopper. Thanks for your input!

Thanks for the replies! Anyone know anything about the book "Advanced Western Saddle Making" by Robin Yates? The description doesn't really say much. Any information or options are appreciated. Thanks, Tom Edit: I did a search on Robin Yates in this forum so I think I got the info I needed to make a decsion. Thanks!

I see that www.proleptic.net (Shop Talk) is having a 50% off any one book for the month of March. So, I was wondering which sadddle making/repair book should I buy? I have the whole Al Stohlman saddle making series. Which book should I buy from Shop Talk that would be a good complement to the Stohlman books. One from John Hopper is there and another one but I can't remember who it was by. Any quick response to this would be greatly appreciated since the sale ends 3/31/14. Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions. Tom

Saddlebag, That is not something I feel is right and would never do. If I bought the pulling collar I would also KEEP it!

Well, Bruce, I've only done 3 relinings so far and I already appreciate that tip! Thanks again! It has really make my saddle work a whole lot simpler. Tom

Very nice! That's one awesome job you did there! Tom

Just wanted to give my experience using a tool I bought from Bruce Johnson. Bruce posted about using a Stitch Gouge or Patent Leather tool to cut the tops of the threads holding the sheep skin to the saddle skirt. By doing this you would be able to pull all the threads out with the sheep skin and not have to hand pick all the thread tops out of the skirt. To start I cleaned the stitch line so the dirt would not dull my tool. I then ran the gouge over the tops of the tread. Took a screw driver and inserted it between the sheep skin and skirt. Using the screw driver I pried the skin loose and then just put the sheep skin off the skirt with every thread coming with it! I had absolutely NO thread pieces to pick out! The whole process took no more than 15 minutes to complete. This is one of the best tips I've learned in a long time! From now on this is the way I will be doing fleece removal. No more hand picking thread and marking up the skirt in the process. Anyone who does re-fleecing would save a lot of time using this method/tool. I'm so excited about this that I just had to share it with you all. Also, ordering from Bruce was a great experience as well. He was very helpful and his fast service was excellent. I ordered on a Friday night and got the tool on Monday! Thanks Bruce for the great tip on stitch removal and on the great service. Tom K.

Great job, Bob! I really like the color. What is it? Your tooling looks nice as well. What leather did you use and is that real sheep skin? I think your customer will be delighted with the way it turned out. Great work! Tom

American Leather Direct sells some outstanding leather! www.aleatherd.com Their prices are very good and they are always running specials and sales. Just bought some 9/10 oz double backs with finished grain for $120. Tom

Jaystacy, I would simply add light coats of oil to the backside until you reach the desired tone. Put a coat on and let it sit overnight. This gives the oil a chance to soak through. If not dark enough then repeat. Don't make the mistake of putting lots of oil on all at once. Be patient! Tom