rktaylor

My recent builds have been with Timberline, Double L, and Swanke. I've been happy with all of them, but there are differences in cost and quality. Depends on what you want. Randy

Nice work. Randy

@bjr, Thanks for the stories. I sold that saddle about a year ago to a guy in Wyoming. I seem to recall that he knew Mr. Steiner, but I can't find any communication to confirm that. He was sure pleased to get it. Randy

The top is 3/8" and the bottom is 13/16" (seems odd but I measured it). Stimpson steered me to another company (I don't recall the name) that made dies for 104 rivets. I'll see if I can find the name. It would be nice if Weaver parts fit it. I haven't tried to find the specs on their dies. I'm just kicking tires now as I don't have a huge need. But, if I wouldn't mind using it without a big investment. Thanks for the tips. Randy

I looked at a lot of options several years ago. Found a few examples searching the web but never got started. I'll be interested to see what you do. Randy

Thanks for the comments. I have a local machinist who works for beer so the adapters should be easy (at least for me). I currently don't have dies, so I was wondering if anyone has made a similar adaptation. The Weaver dies seem affordable, but I haven't priced others. I want to make use of the tool, but I don't know much about it and want to invest wisely. Randy

I recently acquired a Stimpson 405. The driver and anvil are for grommets. Has anyone adapted one of these rivets or snaps? How about converting to another brand like Weaver? Thanks, Randy

Thanks for all the tips. I know 3 stitches are a lot and I don't have this problem all the time. I think some of the issue is thread. I have thread from different suppliers and its certainly different. Regardless, I have started back stitching 2 and then going forward. Randy

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