rktaylor

Thanks for the added comments. I really admire Julia McCormack's saddles, so I was thinking about a 3B. My daughter wanted a swell fork and vetoed the buck rolls right off. Evidently, I am not a good salesman. Bob, I am sending her the picture of your C.S. Roper. Oltoot, I had planned to call and ask about trees. You have inspired me to do it sooner rather than later. Randy

Big Sioux and Denise, Thanks for the feedback. My daughter is a young woman of average build, so I am not sure I need the tree scaled down (unless I don't understand what you mean). While weight is certainly a factor, it's not as high on her list as it was for her mom. I personally like the AZ Roper, but she might think it looks too much like my Will James. I like the slope on the Packer and Louellen forks. Just a little more to think about. BTW Denise, I hope your web site stays intact or at least archived. If not, let me know so I can download a bunch of your material. Randy

I am getting ready to build a saddle for my daughter. It will be used for general trail riding. This will be my fourth saddle and I am looking for tree suggestions. The saddles I have built are: SF Bowman with a flat plate rigging BWBR with an in-skirt rigging Will James with a flat plate I would like to do something a little different (but probably not much) just to learn something new while also practicing some of my weak points. Per her request, it should have some swells and probably a 4" cantle. Suggestions are appreciated, Randy

Keith, Did anything ever come of the video? It would be a nice addition to my collection. Randy

Thanks for the tips. I figure that I'm replacing both of them either way. I'm going to call him tomorrow with these options. It's not a show saddle, but he probably paid a month's wages for it when he was younger. Randy

I need to replace the left side d-ring on this saddle. It is attached with a rawhide loop and a copper rivet. I don't have to use rawhide for the replacement, but it would be nice since the saddle has a rawhide cantle binding and horn wrap. Whether I reattach it with leather or rawhide, I need to replace the copper rivet. I was thinking about cutting a tiny hole in the fleece lining to get to the back of the rivet and then stitching it up when I am done. Am I way off base here? How is the best way to make this repair? Thanks for any advice. Randy

Art, Thanks for the quick reply. I think I would prefer the visor, but the watchmaker loupes look pretty reasonable. Maybe I should just get one for a good price and learn from there. Randy

All the talk about sharpening and loupes has motivated me to buy some. I know I can do a better job sharpening with loupes and was also thinking about using them when tooling. Can I get one magnification that would work for both? I currently wear some 2x reading glasses to do these tasks (and read). I ma thinking about a 5x pair for starters. Any tips on the best place to buy them? Thanks to Art for starting and moderating this forum. Randy

Nice work Bob.

Sharon, No worries on missing the post and I welcome the comment on the rolls. I would say they are adequate, but certainly not impressive. However, the customer was pleased. I did make a practice bucking roll and agree that after a few more, I could improve. However, I may never make another set. If I do, they will probably have a welt. There are so many things I need to practice making, that if I did I would never get anything else made. I have read your comments on 'rounds' before and have read some of Stohlman's instructions. That's something I should practice. Thanks for the input and advice. Randy

I opted not to get the JW pattern and filler. Instead I modified the Tandy pattern. This is how they turned out. Comments are appreciated. Randy

Those are fantastic. I thought about showing them to my wife, then thought better of it. I have enough on my plate right now. I have Bob's book as well and give it high marks. Thanks for sharing your work. Randy

Thanks for the tips. I bought some at Lowe's that will get me through this project, but I think they are a little flimsy. A box of 100 should last me for a long time. Randy

That looks great and I agree this section needed a new post. Thanks for sharing. I am looking forward to seeing the finished product. Randy

Does anyone know a good supplier for brass finish washers? I can find them online, but was looking for some verification of quality. Thanks, Randy

Very nice Wrangler. It makes me want to start another one. Randy

Thanks

Here's the finished product. A lot of hand sewing, but it was a welcome distraction from my day job. Fold to fold is 9 inches. Randy

I've been requested to make a set of bucking rolls for a Hope saddle. It will be my first project for hire. Based on this picture, I think I want to attach them where the red star is located. I could pull the nail behind that location, but I am not sure that is a good idea. I doubt it would go back in as tight as it is now. The saddle owner is fine with adding a screw to secure the rolls. I also want to make sure the rolls are mounted in front of the stirrup leather slot. That could mean making my own pattern. I have the patterns from the Tandy tack and accessory packet, but am seriously considering Jeremiah Watt's pattern and filler. Comments and advice are welcome. Randy

Thanks for the tip. I'm going to practice a little more this weekend. Maybe I should start a project to use it. Randy

I picked up a couple sizes of hourglass stamps at the Wichita Boot and Saddle Show. I marked the two horizontal lines, but just eyeballed the spacing. It's not too bad, but it could certainly be more even. I'm curious if anyone goes to the effort to mark the spacing. I appreciate any suggestions for creatively using this stamp. Thanks, Randy

Don, Those look great. I like the simplicity. Right or wrong, I always punch a small hole (#2 usually) at the other end of the slot for stress relief. Are they lined or just stitched for appearance? Randy

All, Thanks for all the advice and additional links. I thought I did a thorough search, but I missed that post. It will be a western headstall and Big Sioux was on the mark with my desired style. The photo was a practice piece, though I'll probably go with a smaller concho and add a rosette. That concho was just what I had on hand and I wanted to see what it looked liked. This ended up a little short of 9 inches, but not much. It is 1 inch wide at the bit end, which might be a little wide. I am going to charge ahead with this design. It's an easy piece to remake if I don't like it. Thanks again, Randy

Billy, That's really nice. I have been meaning to make a strap for me, but haven't got to it. Now a neighbor wants a custom guitar strap, so I am doing some research. Thanks for sharing. Randy