rktaylor

Make sure it's sealed on the edge of the valve. I punched the hole in my bag a little small so it would be tight on the fitting. Good look. Randy

Dwight, Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I finished my bag today with 12 gauge (12 mil) plastic from JoAnns. I have the same pump from Harbor Freight that you linked above, though I bought it before I saw the link. I made the bag fitting with parts from Lowe's. After this photo was taken, I drilled a hole through the bushing on the inside to keep the bag from blocking the vacuum. Thanks again for sharing. Randy

Great job. I really like the handle on top. Randy

That's funny. I've had that experience, but thankfully I now have a more reliable farrier. Thanks Ron. I'll post pictures next month. Randy

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. Based on this discussion, I plan to use a burgundy latigo wrap with the rough side out. If he doesn't like it, switching to mule should be easy enough. I made a lot (seemed like it) of money hauling hay when I was younger. Now hay haulers in our area are on the endangered species list, thus chaps don't seem necessary. Take care, Randy

I am working on a saddle with a wood post horn. I want to wrap it with mule skin, but all I can find is gray. Does it come in other colors? Is there a suitable substitute in burgundy? Thanks, Randy

Thanks Ron, It was a lot of tooling, but an enjoyable project. Randy

Ron, Here's the finished saddle. Randy

Really nice work. Randy

@SamalanI am not questioning your experience, but just wanted more details regarding 3M77. I am getting ready to glue some foam on a boat seat and just happened to have a couple cans on the shelf. The 3M77 is labeled for foam. Is it the type of foam that causes an issue? I can buy 3M90, but wanted more information on your experiences. Thanks, Randy

They still aren't. I called yesterday. RT

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

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

Just found out they went out of business. Randy

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

Thanks all. The stirrups will be delivered later. Randy

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

Thanks for all the compliments. I under estimated the time required for tooling by quite a bit. As with most good friendships, the luckiest is a matter of perspective. Randy

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

Thanks

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

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

Thanks for all the compliments. Response to some specific questions are below. 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. It is not lined. Its just 13/15 HO saddle skirting. 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

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

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