rawhide1

That's some damn fine work leatherpounder. I like your button selection and pattern of using them. Mike

TBone That looks real sharp!!! I'm in the process of making one for a fella I hope it turns out as nice, Thanks for sharing, Mike

TBone That looks real sharp!!! I'm in the process of making one for a fella I hope it turns out as nice, Thanks for sharing, Mike

I must admit I thought wow those are some big reins. But each to their own. It turns out I thought ya were talking the diameter(across) of the core when ya were talking about the circumference(around) of it. Now it makes sense!! Ya dont have monster hands!! Looking forward to seeing the finished product. Mike

Ya want it cased. Just like you when ya braid with it. If it's to dry it wont cut worth a damn. And if it's to wet it wont cut and will also stretch making it useless. Mike

LOL That's funny I don't care who ya are!! Mike

Knothead I don't know how I missed this earlier but nice work. I really like the look of that braid. I think a big silver cross would set it off. MIke

Welcome to a great site. I started useing Grants books I would stay up all night trying figure his directions out. They can be a pain but are a great resource to have and are priced reasonably. I have some of Houghts books and really like the easier to follow instruction. But they are pretty expensive. My advice right or wrong is to stay with the para cord until ya get comfortable with the braiding and some knots. I would then buy some pre cut lace from Tandy or some such place and get comfortable with it. Once ya feel good and comfortable with all of that and realize it's something ya want to continue doing. I would then invest in a good lace cutter and splitter and and start cutting your own strings. I know you read on here about how cutting your own strings really improves your work and is cheaper than buying pre cut lace. While this is true you can still make some damn nice tack with pre cut lace. And I think you have enough on your plate with learning to braid and build knots without worrying about cutting strings. As that's a whole learning experience in it's self. As mentioned before I have about thousand wrapped up in a Neubert cutter and a Osborne splitter. You can buy a lot of lace for that amount. I'm not trying to discourage ya just encourage ya to go slow. My .02cents Mike

shame on you Bevan play nice!! lol 8thsinner I would figure how much you have in lace and then double it. As far as time you'll just have to guess as to how long it will take you. And charge whatever ya want to make a hour. So you'll have a difficult time giving a true estimate. Keep track of your time so you'll know for next time. I'll almost bet the first couple of pieces will take way longer than ya think. As far as measurements go I make each piece to fit the horse or the riders preference such as rein length. Mike

That's pretty slick thanks for sharing it. MIke

I'll sometimes use saddle soap but it will darken your lace. Also if your using a piece longer than 5 to 6 foot it will start looking pretty ragged. In my experience the lace darkens just from the oil from your hands and then add in pulling it through holes and what not and it really starts looking rather used. So use short pieces I'd say 5 foot at the most and splice. Just my .02 cents Mike

Nice work Leatherpounder what did you use as a finish. The headstalls look nice as well. Mike

Grady I think Tandy sells whiskey colored roo precut. The last hide I got that was that color I think I got from Hardtke. How far off is the new from the old. You may have trouble matching the original lace with new lace. The old lace may have changed color due to age or sunlight and as with other leather no two hides are going to look the same. Although they should be somewhat similar. You may have to start over with new lace. I know that sucks but it may be faster than trying to find a match to the existing lace. Mike

r lenna I think most folks turn the handle themselves and go to the local hardware store to get the long carriage bolt , washers, and nuts. Mike

What a mess! If it was me I would rinse off the flesh side and make sure it's fleshed good. I would then knock of as much of the dirt and crap as I could from the hair. I wouldn't be worried about the hair side being all that clean as you'll be getting rid of the hair anyway. That's just my opinion and how I would do it. Good luck, Mike

Give Wickett and Craig a holler they've been good about picking hides for me. Just tell them what your after. Mike

Dang nice job!! While I currently wear a Paul Conway and I'm very happy I've been looking at a New Yorker. I plan on building a full size one for conference in two years. It will be our 125th year. It will be auctioned off and the monies go to a scholarship fund. Once again outstanding job and I may holler at ya for some advice when I start on mine. Mike

I'm not sure how wide 3mm but trying to use a strap cutter on stuff that thin is a pain in the rear. It can be done but it is a pain. You would be better served to rig up a lace cutter. Which could be as simple as a block of wood with a nailhead drove in it for a guide and a razor blade pushed into the wood at the desired width. I think someone posted some pictures and a how to somewhere on the forum. Mike

Bruce Dang nice bunch of tools!! Mike

Yea I know it's weird but I know the folks she sold it to and their good people. They said after they bought it they just left it in the trailer and there it sat for all them months. I think this gal actually asked them how they were liking it and they said they hadn't and weren't using it. She had sold it because she quite running barrels and then wished she hadn't because she liked how it sat. So she bought it back from them. There are some lighter spots on the cantle and swells as well but not near as bad. With all that being said I think the trailer leaked and the water just ran down the saddle in that weird way. I reckon no matter how it happened she has it in her mind to fix it or at least make it not so noticeable. Mike

JHayek First off thanks for the help. When she first showed it to me I told her to let it be and just dont look behind ya. But she wanted me to cut the stains out and inlay some cowhide with some conchos. I told her noway was I doing it as it would look like crap with all that carving on it. There would be no way to make it look nice. She finally agreed and says it just bothered the heck out of her and she had to do something with it. I says if it bothers ya that much I'll give ya a couple of hundred for it as it wouldn't bother my daughter none.lol She didn't like that either so were going to try and lighten it up some. To tell the truth I don't mess with dyes much other than black (oil based fiebing)which I dye fire gear with and I'm pretty sure she doesn't want a black saddle. I was gonna have her use olive oil or neatsfoot oil and the sun to try and achieve the darker color as she does like the darker color. But I'm open to suggestions on any way to mix the oil with dye to achieve the end result. Shes a good friend so I'm just trying to help her out. She was going to do the work but it looks like I my be doing it as it seems it's getting a little more complicated. Thanks again, Mike

Here's a picture of the saddle

JHayek Thanks for the reply. Where does one purchase this product and do I use it on the whole saddle to strip the old finish. I'm glad ya said not to use the oxalic acid on it as I sure dont want to ruin someones saddle or give them advice that would ruin one. Thanks again, Mike

Hello I have a friend who had sold a saddle awhile back. Well the folks she sold it to weren't using it so she bought it back. Come to find out they had left it in their trailer the whole time they had it 6 to 8 months. So the problem is the trailer leaked and now the saddle is stained on the back corner of the skirts in the same place on both sides. The stain consists of a 1/4" black line that runs diagonal across the corner of the skirt (vinagroon effect?) and then from the line to the edge of the skirt is a dark brown. The rest of the saddle is a natural color. She actually likes the dark brown but wants the black line lightened up or gone. So I told her about using oxalic acid to lighten up the stain and then deglazing the rest of saddle and then oiling the piss out of it and leaving it in the sun to achieve the darker brown color throughout. Shes heard that oxalic acid can turn the leather pink. I've never had this happen but suppose if it wasn't rinsed well or mixed to strong it could. Any thoughts about how to fix this or at least minimize the staining would be greatly appreciated. Or how would ya'll go about this. Sorry for being so long winded, Mike

Deadeye I like using the bissonnette edgers as you can edge going forward or pulling backwards. And the learning curve is way easier I like to use a #2 on most of the stuff I do but it's all personal preference. Good luck, Mike