keplerts

Weaver Leather has their Master Tool line. They are all made in the USA and are very good quality.

I agree. I have their #2 master tools edger and like it as well. I like all their master tool tools. Good and always sharp out of the box and at a fair price.

The Master Tools Head knife from Weaver Leather is very nice. Costs around $58 wholesale. Came sharp and ready to use. Has a nice feel to it as well. Much nicer than the CSO I also have.

Chahin leather from Weaver or American Leather Direct has always been good for me.

Thanks for all the replies. After reading them and reading other posts on swell cover installations I have decided to take the first cover I did off and replace it with a welted cover. I think it will look nicer and hold up longer.

Thanks, Big Sioux. I just put a swell cover on my first saddle with latigo lacing and I don't think it came out very good. I used the number 5 oval punch (3/16") and 3/8" lace. It was SOOOO hard to get the lace through the hole actually turned the lace over on it self that make it look like round lace. I had to really pound in down to get it flat. The swell cover was a very thick piece of middle belly skirting leather. Now I am thinking of tearing it off and doing a welt but using 7/8 oz strap leather for the cover piece (if i can match it with dye to the brown skirting leather that I am using. But, if I was to try the lace again would you buy a side of Roo leather and make you own 3/8" lace? Or buy a spool of the thin Roo lace and do the Mexican round braid to lace the swells shut. Thanks for your help! Tom

Is it acceptable to use Bridle leather for lacing the swells on a saddle like in the Al Stohlman saddle book? Could I use it for saddle strings as well? Or is latigo really the best option for these applications? Thanks, Tom

Any one have some insight to this question? I am wonder the same thing.

Boriqua, I made the same mistake on the double shoulders. I think you will like ALD leather and their prices. I'm working with some saddle skirting now and it cuts beautifully.

Boriqua, Maybe I got a bad batch! Mine looks NOTHING like how yours came out. I will give it another try and see what happens. Thanks for the update. The color looks good, IMHO. Tom

+1 for the Weaver Master Punches!

Talk to Matt. Ask him to send you a PDF file with what they offer and the prices. I just got two sides of the brown 13/15 oz #1 saddle skirting for $195 a side delivered to PA.

Boriqua, I have some turquoise waterstain that I have tried but it looks like crap. Let me know (or show a picture) of have a piece of leather turns out when you use the turquoise waterstain. All of the other waterstains I have used were great. I really like them. Tom

Finally got my tree last Monday. Now for the fun! Details: Modified Association Cable rigging 15 1/2 " seat 12 swells 3" high by 3" diameter horn 13" cantle 22" bars 7 3/4 " gullet height 6 3/4" gullet width Quarter Horse bars

I believe the patterns are from Dusty Johnson. But I could be wrong.

oldnslow, I have been a customer for three years. Glad you got an "extension". I think I'm going to give them a call. If I'm reading their letter correctly I think if I don't buy $1200 worth of product this year then I will need a $500 opening order to qualify for wholesale pricing next year. Or if my order is under $500, say $300, than I can pay a $200 "FEE" to then qualify for wholesale pricing. Not sure if this is what they mean or not. BILLYBOPP, I think what they are doing is really pushing their "Retail" web site and trying to appeal to the person doing it as a hobby. I figure if I am making and repairing leather goods AND collecting state sales tax AND reporting it on my tax returns as a business I should qualify for wholesale pricing no matter what my yearly purchase dollars amount to. JMO I like doing business with Weaver, so I am going to give them a call.

I have attached a PDF file of a letter I received from Weaver Leather yesterday. Did anyone else get one? No sure how I feel about it. No, I take that back, I do know..... I'm upset about it! If they offered everything I needed at a fair price I would buy more from them. But they don't. They say their retail prices are competitive, but I find them rather over priced compared to SLC, Tandy, and OTB. Just wondered what others thoughts were and if everyone who didn't make the cut got a letter as well. Tom Weaver Letter.pdf

Boriqua, If I understand you right, you said the leather you bought from Weaver was shoulders from Chahin Tannery. I have used Chahin leather before and it is usually pretty good. Here is the catch: the shoulders Weaver sells is NOT Chahin leather. It is imported from south America I believe. The only Chahin leather they sell is by the side. I made the mistake of thinking the shoulders I bought were from Chahin but they were not. Very tough to cut and while tooling I had to strop my swivel knife (and I'm not kidding) every 5 inches! The double shoulders I got from Tandy (Oak leaf) cut much nicer and tooled great. But took dye and finish very unevenly. You can get double shoulders of Chahin leather from American Leather Direct at pretty decent prices. Tom

I talked with Shawn of Laporte Saddle trees on Wednesday. Told me my tree was just cast and is curing. He said it will ship on Friday (Yesterday). We will see!

No worry here. I value your opinion. By the looks of your saddle you must know what your talking about. I'll update here when I hear or receive something!

Here are some before and after pictures of a suede seat I restored after being worn smooth and chewed by a mouse. Sand paper and soft brass brush and kiwi suede cleaner cleaned it up nicely.

JHayek, Thanks for your insight and comments about the tree. It was informative. I can be patient when I'm told a certain time frame and the product or service is delivered or performed. But It is hard to be patient when you are told something will ship in three weeks and it doesn't. Then told it will be done on a certain day and it obviously is not. Just tell me when it will ship and ship it. I know.... I guess I will just have to be patient! PS: Beautiful saddle by the way!

Is it a suede seat? If so, try taking some lite sandpaper to it. Tom

Ron, NOOOOO! I ordered it from Shawn and told me it would ship in three weeks. My customer wanted an update at three weeks so I talked to shawn and he said it would be done on the following Friday which would have been 3 1/2 weeks. As of today I haven't heard or received anything yet. So it has now been six weeks. If I don't hear anything by this Wednesday I will give him a call. I'm getting kind of nervous. Thanks for asking. I will keep you posted. Tom

I have used Mr Clean Magic Erasers on raw hide swells with great results. You could give that a try.