Axe cover 2nd attempt

[Axe cover 2nd attempt]

That looks really clean. Personally, I would have put the rivet burr on the other side, but it's visible either way.

Randy

[Quality Trees]

I heard Sunny recently moved into a rest home. I don't know if they'll reopen with a new owner, but that certainly leaves a hole in tree makers. 

Randy

[Quality Trees]

Just found out they went out of business.

Randy

[Quality Trees]

I just called Quality Mfg. (435-587-5070) and got a "number no longer in service" message. Are they still in business? Do they have a new number? Thanks, 

Randy

[Olin Young Roper]

Thanks all. The stirrups will be delivered later.

Randy

[Olin Young Roper]

Thanks for all the compliments. 

Regan, I hope your staying warm up north. I need to make the trip to Sheridan, but it won't be this year. 

Ron, I'm getting there, just a little slow sometimes. Still a lot of room for improvement. 

Take care,

Randy

[Olin Young Roper]

Thanks for all the compliments. I under estimated the time required for tooling by quite a bit. 

1 hour ago, chuck123wapati said:

you have one lucky friend indeed. 

As with most good friendships, the luckiest is a matter of perspective. 

Randy

[Olin Young Roper]

Finished this just in time. It'll be under the Christmas tree on Saturday. Timberline tree and chestnut HO leather. This is the most tooling I've ever done in a saddle, but it was for a good friend.  I have so much left to learn, but I'm thankful for everyone willing to share their knowledge. Merry Christmas to all. 

Randy

[First Scabbard]

On 12/1/2021 at 10:37 AM, Samalan said:

Beautiful job !

Thanks

[Rifle Scabbard Question]

Here's the straps I made. It's pretty straightforward. There's probably other methods. 

Randy

[First Scabbard]

Thanks Ron,

The BW is a Barry King and the border is a Hackbarth Gomph. I need to quit pampering myself with items and get to work on this saddle.

Randy

[First Scabbard]

Thanks for all the compliments. Response to some specific questions are below.

On 11/22/2021 at 9:23 AM, Dwight said:

I got lost in the description

Sorry Dwight, I know the description is short. It is really a combination of methods Bruce Johnson describes here. https://leatherworker.net/forum/forum/17-stamping/. I have some photos, but need to write some steps to go with them. I haven't made that effort, because I am not sure if it would add anything to the previous posts. Maybe I'll get to that someday. As was pointed out, it just takes some patience and attention to detail. Plus, I have basket stamps a lot of projects.

On 11/22/2021 at 10:13 AM, alpha2 said:

What did you line it with?

It is not lined. Its just 13/15 HO saddle skirting.

5 hours ago, PastorBob said:

How did you dye that large a piece?

I dyed the bar grounded areas with Cordovan brown and then used Sheridan tan antique on the entire piece. A couple coats of neatsfoot oil and some time in the sun. Dyeing and finishing is not a strength I possess.

All is well here @Rbarleatherworks. I hope you are staying safe up north.

Thanks to all for the discussion.

Randy

[First Scabbard]

38 minutes ago, MikeRock said:

How many guide lines did you use for the basket weave? 

The short answer is 2.  

The centerline down the bend is a straight line. I used that to set my angle (I wanted the stamp to be even along that line). I drew a reference line across the area to be tooled at the predetermined angle. Then I work both directions from that line. I try to stay focused on keeping the stamp relative to the centerline. Let me know if that helps. Otherwise, I can probably take some pictures to illustrate the process. It's nothing earth shattering and is used by a lot of people.

Randy

[Big Project]

Sometimes I just cover the project with a plastic bag with weights and leave it on my tooling rock. Other times I just wrap the entire project in a plastic bag like tsunkasapa. 

Randy

[First Scabbard]

12 hours ago, AzShooter said:

WOW!!!

What beautiful work all around.  Someone is going to be very happy with that and so will your grandchildren in the future.  

As others have said, the basket weave is dead on.  The carving is outstanding as well.

How long did it take you?

Thanks. I think I have about 3-4 hours in tooling. I finished the oak leaves and deer one evening, covered it up and did the basket weave the next day. I took a couple break during the basket weave, but it took about an hour and a half of tooling.

12 hours ago, TonyV said:

Really, really nice!   It will improve the looks of any jeep or saddle you care to strap it to.  It would have to be a mule deer and maple leaves in my neck o'the woods, though.

It's oak leaves and white tail down here. It might be a little fancy for my Jeep.  

Randy

[First Scabbard]

Thanks for the compliments. 

Randy

[First Scabbard]

Thanks for the compliments. I obviously like basket weave too.  I knew it was a lot of area so I used my largest stamp to save some time. 

Randy

[First Scabbard]

I bought a new Henry 30-30 and thought it deserved a scabbard. I don't need it for a horse, but it'll come in handy for my Jeep. I used the Springfield Leather pattern. I'll make my own pattern for the next one. Comments and suggestions are welcome. 

Randy

[Swell Cover Tips]

Thanks for the comments. I've had the seat in the back of my mind as well. I'll try to post a picture when it's fit. 

Randy

[Swell Cover Tips]

I thought it would be nice to finish this thread. It's not perfect, but it'll do. 

Randy

[Swell Cover Tips]

Thanks for all the tips. I have been distracted from this task for a while, but hope to tackle it sometime this week.

Randy

[Swell Cover Tips]

My plan was to sweat this cover on without a welt or lacing. It's a leg cut Olin Young, 12.5". The leather is from the belly near the shoulder and about 11/12 oz. I wrestled with it more than two hours and was making progress. However, I didn't think I could get all the wrinkles out. Any advice is appreciated. 

Randy

[Third Saddle - Will James]

On 6/8/2021 at 11:13 AM, OldRedMule said:

I wonder how many saddles Randy has done by now.

I am just starting #11. Thanks for reviving this thread. It reminds of some things that I've learned and others that should still receive focus.

Randy

[Latest saddle build.]

Ed,

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and now your work on this forum. There's a lot to like about that saddle.

Randy

[Building my first mule saddle]

I personally like a little more and consistent rise going toward the swells but that's a preference. Are you following Watt's method on the ground seat? I suppose Stohlman's method isn't a lot different if those are the two resources you are using. While the strainer is the foundation, you can still do a lot of shaping with leather (with a lot of skiving). I fit the liner under the front tabs, but make sure you have enough to stretch over the finished ground seat. 

Randy