ranchmom77

im working on my first saddle and I want to antique it. I usually use RTC for my resist and topcoat with other items I make. I will oil the saddle lightly once I'm done tooling, but I want to make sure I will be able to oil it down the road.

I appreciate you all taking the time to reply. I was going to order the series compilation but then decided I'd like the other articles and patterns also. They're on their way. Thanks again!

I've got the opportunity to get a great deal on some back issues of the Leather Crafter's Journal and was wondering if anyone knew which issues contained Pete Gorrell's saddle making articles. I think they started in May of 1999, but how many issues was the series in, and were they in order one right after another? Thanks so much! Jamie

Hey everyone.. quick question for you. Does anyone know how the quality of Springfield's Sheridan stamping tools compare to say, Barry King's? I love Barry's stamps but my budget doesn't allow me to collect them as fast as I want to! Lol What do you think?

Perfect! Thank you!

Mark's awesome video has taught me how to build a pair of chinks but it doesn't cover the type of back belt that is laced on. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Tandy's chap pattern pack has the patterns for that type of back belt but doesn't really tell me how to put it all together. Thank you!

I would sew a piece of angora in between the 2 layers of the breastcollar. I'm not sure where to buy it either.. Try Springfield leather or perhaps eBay? Post pics when you're done! I love the look of the angora collars.

These have been a long time in the making. We interrupted leather working time for calving season, then AI'ing.. Haha. I made them out of a 3-4 oz chrome leather with 3-4oz fringe, accented with spots set into pinking borders (thanks Bruce for the pinking punch!) Yolks and side plates are 8oz veg tan with basketweave tooling. I need to help the water edges on the back belt but other than that I'm pretty happy with them

Well hell.. thanks Dirtclod

Those are nice Colt The Arizona one is a lot like I'm talking about for a portfolio. The front cover around the cat head.. Is the border dyed darker or is it another dark piece added to the edges? That's sharp looking! What weight leather would you reccomend? What kind of leather for a liner do you reccomend? I'd imagine that making one from scratch could be done much the same way but adding some sort of stiff material to wrap the leather around on the front and back and adding a spine with the binder guts attached. Do you know what kind of board to use? Would cardboard be to light? I'm definitely going to start simple with a cover type one like you suggested and we'll see how it goes. Thanks so much for replying! Stephan, my daughter has a scrapbook.. I'm going to go have a look at it and see what I can make of it. I hadn't considered doing it like that... Thanks for th idea!

I have been browsing and searching through this site looking for some "how-to's" for constructing a tooled photo album but I'm not having much luck, although I've seen plenty of absolutely stunning inspiration pieces! Wow. Anyways, I've been tooling other items for a year now.. mostly chink yolks, sideplates, and bronc nose bands so I know how to do that but I'm having trouble understanding or figuring out the basic construction of an album. Is there someone willing to lay out a step by step "how to" for me? Or maybe direct me to a website or reading material that can help me out? Should I read up on bookbinding as a foundation for this sort of thing? lol Really clueless how to start. Something along the lines of this: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=47401 Stunning!! I'd like to make it from scratch as opposed to covering an already constructed album. I'd also like to make a leather pad folio type of thing once I finish the album.. or maybe alongside it. I usually have a few projects going at once. Any good resources for those? What are those actually called anyways? I've done searches for leather notebook covers, leather folios, leather portfolios, leather legal pad holder.. etc.. lol What I'm talking about is a tooled front and back then opened up to a big legal pad on the right side and a bunch of pockets, pen holders, etc on the left hand side.. maybe closed with a zipper, leather latch, or magnetic lock of some sort. I know everyone is busy but I'd sure appreciate a nudge in the right direction.. or even a shove if you're so inclined. Thanks! Jamie

I'm a little over an hour NW of Billings and I'd sure love to get down to that show. Can anyone tell me when it is? How about a good place to find out when all of the shows take place? Thanks!

Stunning

Those are cute!

I too purchased the Cobra class 4 just this past fall and it's truly a dream machine. So easy to use, beginner friendly, and worth its weight in gold. I saved for it because I knew I didn't want any headaches with the machine I did choose and it hasn't disappointed!

When I started I could never find any patterns for bronc halters either so I ended up drawing my own. Just use a regular halter noseband to get the length you need (don't forget a little extra length to loop around the halter square) and then draw your own. You'll be surprised how much fun it is.

Great guys.. Thanks so much!

Sorry.. Here's the pic

Hi everyone, I'm building a pair of chinks and am having trouble with stamping around my makers mark. I thought I should stamp the mark first since I want it to be very clean looking, but now I'm not sure how to go about getting the basketweave right up to the edges without overlapping. Attached is a pic of how far I've gotten Same thing with the border stamp. I probably should have stamped the mark up higher but it's too late now. How does one normally go about using a makers mark with a basket stamp? Thanks!

Hi everyone, I'm building a pair of chinks and am having trouble with stamping around my makers mark. I thought I should stamp the mark first since I want it to be very clean looking, but now I'm not sure how to go about getting the basketweave right up to the edges without overlapping. Attached is a pic of how far I've gotten Same thing with the border stamp. I probably should have stamped the mark up higher but it's too late now. How does one normally go about using a makers mark with a basket stamp? Thanks!

I've got the ones from Cow Camp Saddlery (fantastic BTW).. he has a scallop headstall in that pack. For my scallop breast collars I just took one of my old ones and traced it on a piece of poster board like mentioned above. Works great!

Thanks so much for your help Bruce. I will probably be getting ahold of you in the next few days to order a pinking punch from you.

Hi Bruce, I guess I don't know the difference between the two.. Could you explain it to me? I was under the impression that to get a smooth scallop you used a pinking punch

Hi everyone, For my next chink project I'm making an off white body with darker yokes and side plates.. I'd like to have the fringe the contrasting darker color also but am not sure what kind of leather to use. My initial thought is just a darker chrome tanned leather.. The same leather as the body, just darker. Is this correct? I've also acquired a large side of 3-4 oz upholstery leather and would like to make chinks out of it also.. It's a saddle tan color, so what kind of leather would you use for fringe for these? I'd like to have a small (1/2 inch or so) scallop pattern on the leg body where the fringe joins.. What kind of tool would I need to get for that effect? Thanks so much! Jamie

Why yes he does! Thanks Tom!