-
Posts
466 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Everything posted by rktaylor
-
The John Hopper book has a lot of tack/accessory items and Big Sioux is correct regarding the bronc halter. I like the book, but it certainly isn't my "go to" book on very many things. A lot of the items lack detailed instructions and the bronc halter in the book is no exception. The vague description might be fine for someone with experience, but leave a lot to be desired for a novice. Big Sioux's advice on heavier, wider, and larger is consistent with Hopper's book. His dimensions were based on a large horse halter. Randy
-
Shotgun Case Pattern
rktaylor replied to rktaylor's topic in Gun Holsters, Rifle Slings and Knife Sheathes
The Tandy pattern also has a full length zipper, but I like the bottom plug at the barrel end. Thanks, Randy -
Shotgun Case Pattern
rktaylor replied to rktaylor's topic in Gun Holsters, Rifle Slings and Knife Sheathes
Thanks. I must have missed that in my search. Randy. -
I am planning to build a shotgun case (or 2). I have the pattern pack from Springfield leather, but don't want the full length zipper. I have seen a few cases online that I like better, but no patterns. Am I stuck making my own pattern? Also, I would like to make a case for a bolt action rifle with scope. I have seen plans for scabbards, but not cases. Can I leave the bolt in place inside the case or should it be removed? I am a gun novice. Thanks for any tips. Randy
-
Ryan, Thanks for sharing your work. While I am far from an expert, I will share what I see in your saddle. First, I think your tooling looks great. It is classic and shows a lot of style. I really like the dyed edges. The welts on your swells Look really great. If that's your first attempt, kudos. Also the ear cut on your seat looks great. It's really tight and the ear lays flat. The horn wrap looks tight and the stitching on the cantle binding looks really good. There's a lot to be proud of. Since you asked for a critique, here's my opinion. One of the first things that I noticed was the gap between the rear jockeys and skirts. It's hard to get that gap closed on a small saddle, but I would like to see the jockeys tight against the skirts. Since I mentioned the dyed edges, I noticed that the skirt edges were not dyed. Also on the skirts, I suggest you trim the wool skin a little more. If you trim at an inward angle, the edges will look cleaner. I looks like the horn hole in the swell cover is too big. If you have the Stohlman book, they cover this topic in detail. I'll bet a Coke that I missed some things that you noticed. Great job. You should be proud of your accomplishment. I look forward to seeing #2. Randy
-
I would agree that lightweight and strong are mostly contradictory. I just finished my second in-skirt rigging, because I wanted a different challenge (saddle #8). I mostly followed the directions in Stohlman's encyclopedia for saddle 3 and some other photos I have seen on this site. I think it's pretty solid, but the only weight saved versus a flat plate was about half a rigging plate back. That's pretty negligible. I was really hoping to see more replies as I am curious what others are doing. Randy
-
It's this what you're after? Randy
-
Thanks Ron, It's getting oiled and I hope to put it together Monday. Randy
-
Fender Tear Repair
rktaylor replied to steven1's topic in Saddle Identification, Restoration & Repair
I'll throw my two cents in, but recognize it's probably not worth that. Since the saddle has sentimental value, I would suggest preserving the fenders as they are and build new ones matching the best you can. I would put the original fenders in a shadow box with some old photos and a short story. Otherwise I think your plan to repair them is about as good as it gets. Good luck, Randy -
Josh and Ron, Thanks for the compliments. I guess everything is just practice. Sometimes I impress myself and sometimes I wonder what I was thinking. Randy
-
I finished these last night. I think tap offs are definitely the way to go, but I need more practice drawing floral patterns first. I used this pattern to draw the main features; flowers, leaves, outside lines, and anything else I thought I could fill in. Then I drew the remaining items by looking at the pattern. The two sides are close, but not quite the same. I think they would be more similar using tap offs. Thanks for the advice. I'm looking forward to getting back to a flat surface.
-
Ron, Thanks for the tips. I'm going to give it a go today on a practice piece. Randy
-
Ron, Thanks for the comments. That is a practice pattern so I need to work on flow and fill in some voids. I probably covered up too much in the first photo with my hand for you to really assess the pattern. I didn't turn the pattern over, but it may have moved a bit. That seems to be my challenge; taking a flat pattern and matching it to a compound curved surface. I have also learned to have a practice plan. SaddleBags, The tap outs would eliminate the flat pattern/curved surface problem, but I don't think I am quite at that level yet. I am trying to get better at floral tooling while making a floral saddle. Probably not a great decision, but I have made worse. It's not a TCAA saddle, but I would like to enter it at Wichita Falls. It will be fun to get some 'live' critiques. Appreciate the feedback. I plan to tool this over the weekend or I'll be really stressed for time to get this done. Randy
-
This is my first floral effort on a saddle. Does anyone have tips for transferring the pattern to the swells? What mistakes will sneak up on me before I know it? Thanks, Randy
-
securing in-skirt rigging without rear jockeys
rktaylor replied to Squilchuck's topic in Saddle Construction
Ron, If memory serves me correct, I looked at one of your saddles posted on this site for inspiration. I couldn't find it with a quick search, but I have pictures of it in my shop. Squilchuck, This thread has some information that helped me, though it certainly isn't a detailed tutorial. Randy -
securing in-skirt rigging without rear jockeys
rktaylor replied to Squilchuck's topic in Saddle Construction
Squilchuck, I am far from an expert, but I can share what I have done. This is the second saddle I built and one goal for the saddle was being light weight. I copied a light weight barrel saddle that my wife and daughter liked, but it may be like Al Stohlman said about copying poor designs. That said, my wife loves the saddle, so good for me. The biggest challenge for me was getting the skirts tight against the cantle. I thought it fit really tight until final assembly. It certainly wasn't a 'deal killer' for my second saddle, but I still don't like looking at it. I honestly don't think I saved weight with this method. I think I could build a lighter saddle with rear jockeys. I weighed both saddles so I know the difference. IF I built another like this and weight was an issue, I would go with rear jockeys. Randy -
Thanks Regan, I've been thinking about this and will have another design soon. I hope things are going well up north. It's terribly wet here, but it'll probably be too dry soon. Randy
-
This is my attempt at a floral pattern for a saddle cantle back. This is the right half of the cantle. The left will be mirrored. The boundaries are yet to be determined since I haven't fit the piece, but I am guessing this will fill the entire cantle back. I hope to finish tolling this tonight to see how it looks. I had to (at least that's what I told the wife) order some new tools for this and they should be in soon. There are some elements I like and some that don't quite flow. I welcome critical assessments from everyone. While I have a lot of room for improvement, I will say that drawing patterns is coming easier after taking a class from @hidepounder at Prescott and buying Sheridan Style Carving by Bill Gardener & Clinton Fay. Thanks for the feedback, Randy
-
Rob, First off, I think it's a nice looking saddle and appreciate you sharing it. I am far from an expert and am just trying to learn. My initial observation was that the skirts looked shallow in the rear and the rigging dominates the view. I like the rear dees to be up on the skirt. I think the rigging is balanced, but the skirts are just too shallow for my taste. I will admit that the saddle I ride (#3 for me) has skirts a little too shallow for my liking, but it wasn't enough to cut new skirts (attached picture). I think the skirts (right or wrong) changed how the rest of the pieces were shaped (front and seat jockeys in particular). After I read Ron's comments, I looked at your jockeys a little closer. I would like to see a more defined front jockey. I am going to blame my skirt depth and lack of experience for my front and seat jockey shape. Regardless, its a great looking saddle and remember I am nowhere close to an expert. Randy
-
First Rifle Sling
rktaylor replied to rktaylor's topic in Gun Holsters, Rifle Slings and Knife Sheathes
Thanks for the compliments. While it's a little short, it isn't too short to be functional. I'll make the next one a little longer. Randy -
Awesome work. Thanks for sharing. Randy
- 2 replies
-
- customheadstall
- headstall
-
(and 1 more)
Tagged with:
-
I made my first rifle sling. I copied the pattern from a friends sling, but still ended up a little short. I It's made from chap leather on the outside and veg tan on the inside. I need to improve my shoulder padding, but I have a plan for that. I used woolskin since I have a lot of it left from saddles. All in all, I am pretty pleased. Thanks for any comments or suggestions, Randy
-
Ron, Another fine job. I have always appreciated your tooling and think it's far from amateurish. I notice elements that you use consistently, so I guess you are developing your style. The stitching looks awesome and thanks for the awl handle description. I have been wanting something different and I like what you described. Looking forward to seeing #5. Randy
- 26 replies
-
Thanks for sharing. I'll bet she is loving the new saddle. I am far from an expert so you can take my comments with a grain of salt. I would have placed the rear rigging a little higher so the rivets are covered by the rear jockey. This would also place the strap connecting the dees up on the skirt. It looks like your front rigging position is about 3/4 or maybe closer to centerfire. I think that will make the smaller saddle more stable. I built one about this size and the customer wanted a 7/8 flat plate (small ranch saddle). It looks great, but without the rear cinch the saddle bounced too much. Since the tree was so small, I don't think there was enough bar on the front to pull against. It's a really nice looking saddle. Congratulations on a great job and thanks for sharing. Randy