keplerts

Guess the name "OUTLAW" Saddlery really means something! Sorry for your loss.

Josh, Goldshot Ron, George, and Oltoot, Thanks for your recommendations. If I understand you right, If the seat feels good the way it is I could just put the finished leather seat over top of the preformed ground seat. If it doesn't feel good then I could build it up just like you would a wooded tree with nothing between the bars. It is entirely up to the builder? I have sat in the tree and it does feel kind of narrow and low in the front. So, I can fix this by layering in some leather to make it feel the way I want? Then just cut out where the preformed stirrup slots are? Would I still use a hand hole jig as Al Stolhman does in his book? I am not sure since there is already a hand hole formed. Sorry for all the questions. Maybe I should just buy a "real" tree and follow the Stolhman books as opposed to using this tree that was given to me. For some reason the ground seat scares me and I though using this tree might get me around that part of construction. Anyway, thanks again for your input. I now know what I need to do. Thanks, Tom

No one has any insight to this?

If you are building a saddle on a tree with a "built in" ground seat (like a Ralide tree) do you still put in all the leather layers to build up the seat? Or, do you just put your final seat covering over the built in part with no other leather seat pieces? Did I confuss anyone?? I have a tree like this to use for my first saddle making project and wasn't sure how to approach this. Thanks for your thoughts about this. Tom

Thanks, Josh. I'd say the weight didn't hurt a thing. Again, great job! Tom

Josh, Great work as always! I really love the Single Six holster. Your design is really nice. I think your tooling keeps getting better and better! Is that 10 oz HO for both the belt and the holster?

Camano, No offense taken! I have attached a few photos of the leather before and after tooling. I haven't tried to wet form anything yet. (Thought I ask before wasting my time). It seemed to tool very well without much trouble getting water to soak in. The leather is SUPPOSE to be Wicket and Craig bridle leather. I say suppose in caps because I got it at an auction and it came it what looked like the original wrapping from Wicket. I guess i'll just have to see about it wet forming. Tom

Thanks for the replies! It seems to tool very well so I thought maybe wet forming would work also. I love the flexability of this leather. Tom

Does anyone use bridle leather to wet mold their holsters? Can you use this type of leather for this? Or, is veg tanned leather the best? Is Bridle leather veg tanned? Thanks, Tom

I agree, the sheath was worth way more than $15. With time and materials I would think $50+. And, no, I would not be happy making $30 a day. I'm still learning the craft and find my self having to go slow and think about what I need to do next in the conctruction process. As I gain more experience I know I can cut my time down. Buying a sewing machine would help. How much should one charge for a knife sheath?? I really wish there was a definitive answer to these questions. Tom

Ok..... yesterday I made a hunting knife sheath for a customer. I had almost four hours of time in it. (yes I hand stitched it). Charged him $15 because I myself wouldn't want to spend much more on a sheath. To my suprise he gave me $25! Said it was way to nice to sell for $15 and wouldn't let me give him even $5 back. I guess I need to up my price. Tom K.

Ron, Thanks! To fix the horn, clean, oil, and a cote of Bag Kote I charged him $65.

I just bought an Osbourne 1/2" and 3/4" oblong punch from Beiler Mfg. for $24.65 each. They both were plenty sharp to cut thru whatever leather I was working with. Tom

Thanks for the replies! Is a "Sheridan" beveler a "brand" of beveler or a "style" of beveler? And, where can I get these "Sheridan" bevelers? I noticed SLC has some "Sheridan" bevelers that are black. Are these what you are talking about? Again, thanks for everyones replies. Tom

Dirtclod I'll give that a try. But, don't I have to have it sharp BEFORE using the buffing wheel? Tom

Can you use one of those ez-pull kitchen knife sharpener to sharpen a head knife? I just can't seem to get the hang of sharpening mine. I think I'm getting it sharp but it doesn't cut worth a darn. So I thought about using one of those EZ sharpeners. Has anyone tried one yet? Thanks, Tom

As a matter of fact I DO need glasses! The pic isn't very good. Maybe what I meant was the bevel looks very steep with an obvious stop at the bottom. What beveler would make this type of bevel? Would it have a very sharp toe? The is no way may beveler would duplicate this. (Granted, I'm using the Tandy beveler from one of their kits). So, if it is beveled, how do you make it such a steep angled bevel? Thanks, Tom

Does anyone have any ideas as to how these letters were done? Were they cut with a swivel knife and then beveled? It doesn't really look like a beveler to me. It almost looks like it was done with some sort of chisel. If a beveler was used, what kind/type? I like the clear and crisp look of it. Anyone have a clue? Thanks for your time. Tom

Hopper feed machine is around $1900.

Great job, Josh! But then I would expect no less. I think your dad will love it. Love the aging. What brand and wt of leather did you use? Love that rifle also! Tom

Thanks for the replies. I know in my gut that carving is probably the better way to go. I'm just not sure my swivel knife and beveling will ever be good enough. There are so many Barry King bevelers to choose from. Which ones would you recommend I start with to do lettering? Thanks.... Tom

Clintsdevco, What swivel blade and bevelers do you use? I just have the standard tandy kit beveler and it always seems too big. Thanks, Tom

I want to thank those who replied and give an update as to what I actually did. The customer didn't care if the cap was rawhide or not. So, I was able to mak a leather cap with a long tail on the end. After wetting the rawhide braid I was able to work the tail down between the horn post and the rawhide. Once that was done I was able to work enough rawhide (after wetting again) up around the horn cap so I could sew the new piece of leather to it. I think it came out pretty well and the customer was very happy with it. I attached some photos. Again, thanks for you helpful suggestions! Also, I could not find anything on how to braid the rawhide horn (even on youtube). Tom

Of course the title should read "Need" help with horn repair. Sorry!!!

Hello everyone! I have a saddle to clean and oil but they also would like the horn cap fixed if I can do it. The pictures show what I am up against. How would you experts go about fixing this without getting into a full blown major project. Any help you can offer would greatly be appreciated. Thanks for looking and any help you can give. Tom K.