rktaylor

Thanks. I've never been able to 'eyeball' the second or third stitch very well. Using a stitch wheel is a great suggestion. Randy

My bottom stitches aren't clean when I start. I make one forward stitch, back stitch, then go forward to finish. I have a Cobra 4. The pictures are of the bottom and top. Any thoughts? Thanks, Randy

I love my Robert Beard pear shaders. Randy

At some point I'm going to start worrying about the bar. Once you drill and patch enough holes, there's not going to be much original wood. You could patch the holes with dowel as suggested, then drill new holes also as suggested. Pictures would help. Randy

Hansen Western Gear has some options. I've been pleased with their buckles and conchos, but haven't bought anything like this from them. https://hansenwesterngear.com/ Randy

I think that is a good starting point. Chuck is right about finding things visually appealing. Some things just look better and some just don't seem right. This is my 'medium' basket weave stamp and my 2 favorite border stamps. Randy

I couldn't find the picture I wanted, but this is from a similar saddle. These stirrup leathers wrap around the bars, but they have the roller buckles I described. You will need to be careful about creating too much bulk under the seat hockey, so think about how the stirrup leathers and fenders are going to fit. Randy

Yes. Your books are likely showing stirrup leathers wrapped around the tree. These smaller saddles typically aren't made like that. The stirrup leathers go through the dees and usually have a roller buckle for adjustment. I'll try to find a picture. Good job putting the tree back together. Brings back some not so fond memories. Randy

The Stohlman book would also be my first recommendation. While I find that I use Harry Adams' book more often, the Stohlman book covers more methods. I hope you continue to share your progress. Randy

While I believe you will learn by working on that saddle, a lot of what you do won't transfer to full size saddles. For example the riggings and stirrup leathers aren't going to scale up readily. If you don't have a use for it, I wouldn't invest a lot of time or money. I undertook a similar rebuild quite a few years ago, but a friend wanted it for his grandkids. Good luck on the journey. It will be rewarding. Randy

I have used dye on a few saddles. If you want to dye the entire saddle, I agree with @bland and @Goldshot Ron to use drum dyed leather from the tannery. I have used Pro dye for the background on tooled areas. I am not familiar with the acrylic dyes. I would not use anything to seal it as you will want to oil it in the future. I hope this helps. Randy

Jim, I called the buyer this morning and as expected it hasn't seen much use. This was a 'one off' project for me so I can't offer much advice. @Goldshot Ronshared his pack saddle instructions after I was done. They are now in my 'instructions folder' for future reference. He might share them with you. Let me know how it goes. Randy

It wasn't sweat. I don't think it was sealed. I applied neat lac with a piece of shearling and since dye came off. I'll add another coat and put it back to use. I also think I'll stick with plain liners in the future. Randy

I have been using Gum Tragacanth and Tokonole for the past few months. Both are working fine, but I prefer Tokonole. That might change with more use, but it is my go-to at this time. Thanks for all the tips. Randy

I thought I had it buffed. No dye was coming off at that time. I will give the neat-lac a try. Thanks, Randy