Big Sioux Saddlery

If she's looking for something with a little more pronounced or pointed swell than the BWBR, an Ellensburg might be a good choice. Nice amount of swell without being extreme. I love an Arizona Roper, and if my customer wants a lot of swell, that's usually what I build them. I've had two different Az Ropers for my personal saddles, and they are absolutely great for riding in the mountains. There's the Little Wonder, Low Moose. Tipton has a lot of swell, I think it's a little wider and has more undercut than the Az Roper. Depending on how big your daughter is, and which swell you choose, you might want to have it scaled down.

And that is yet another reason why I don't have and don't want a dog.

That actually does sound like fun, Wiz. May I ask who you were working for? I very rarely use an edge guide. About the only time I ever use one is if I'm machine sewing rounds or sewing harness tugs (which I'm assuming is what the sulky straps were) and sinking the back side.

I like those. Nice detail on the yoke. Did you roll that on? Did you use a commercially available pattern, and what type of leather for the legs? Looks like W & C chestnut skirting for the yokes. Sorry for the questions, but these are unique and really nicely done. Chaps are not my favorite project. I still tweak my patterns nearly every time I make a pair, and have never been happy with any commercially available patterns I've tried, and have never gotten a pair in that has fit the wearer well enough that I adopt the pattern. Thanks and nice work.

The reason bridle leather doesn't mold as well as "veg-tan", (which as stated above, EB IS veg-tan, as is harness, skirting and some latigo,) is because the leather has been "stuffed" with oils and waxes to make it sweat and moisture resistant, and has been compressed to increase density, reduce thickness and strengthen the leather. It is not made to mold or retain stamping detail to the extent that strap leather is (or tooling leather, or whatever you wish to call it, in your case "veg-tan"). Not to say that there aren't some gorgeous holsters made from EB, because I think there are. It is just a different type of leather, as you have discovered. As EB goes, W & C has some of the drier stuff in the industry, and I have found it to take water and case up quite well, and retain detail quite well also. As far as finishing edges, I don't do a single thing differently when using EB than if I was using any other type of veg-tan leather, i.e. skirting, harness, or strap.

"They are all custom, so you are not limited to the styles shown."

You will likely receive responses from many very fine leatherworkers on this great site. Here are some pictures of a few styles that I've made. They are all custom, so you are not limited to the styles shown. If you are interested, PM me, knowing that I am coming into my busiest season so it won't be done fast, and it won't be cheap. To give a cost estimate, I will need more information about the specifics. Thank you and good luck! Sharon Darn it, pictures show sideways. I can PM them to you right side up, hopefully, if you are interested. I am next to illiterate when it comes to computers.

I'm one of those 80mph drivers! Not really, but I do live in SD:-) For starters, I don't like the Organ needles I've tried. Is that number a diamond point needle? You might have better look with an s-point or twist point. Neater hole on the back side. Also, some veg-tan leathers sew neater than others. Cheaper leathers tend to get that messy, "torn-asunder" look on the back side. Sometimes I'll case the leather up a little before I sew it, and then slick it down good after sewing. Hope this helps. Edit: Ha I just re-read your comment on the SD drivers driving 80 miles to their neighborhood bar. I thought at first it said 80 mph to their neighborhood bar. Lmao. We DO have an 80 mph speed limit on our interstates now.

Does he want just a blinker or the whole hood? The blinkers are usually plastic on these, not sure where you'd get just one. Obviously someone has to make them, somewhere. The hoods would be available from a racehorse equipment place, or somewhere like National Bridle Shop.

While I don't make holsters, I do use a lot of contact cement. I started out using Barges years ago and still swear by it for something you don't ever want to come apart. There were a couple times I was out of Barges and bought some Weldwood. IMO it doesn't hold a candle to the Barges. I know there are some folks who will disagree with me, and that's fine. I've used Master's cement, and while it was just ok, I still went back to Barges. With proper surface prep and correct application and use, you better get your pieces set right the first time, because they aren't coming apart to re-set. I buy it in gallon cans, and honestly I can't even tell you what it costs me. The cost is not important if the alternative is a failure in my work. It's the best by far IMO.

I have a steel one and folks, I wouldn't waste my time. A wood tool handle works better and faster than that thing on a motor. Paid $60 for it over twenty years ago, so as far as $40 or $50 being "affordable" in this day and age, well another reason I wouldn't waste my time. JMHO

Hello Randy, I get a lot of these, which is one reason I HATE this method of putting in BC dees. I normally cut the stitches on the sheepskin and peel the corner back far enough to get the job done. It means handsewing the corner back up, and I have pondered doing what you asked about, but haven't ever been able to bring myself to do it. It's one of those jobs where the client says "Just a little job and shouldn't take much time". Ha Ha. If it's not a show saddle, I often try to talk the client into letting me put new dees in with a leather chape screwed into the bar, like I would if building new, pointing out that if I just fix the side that's broken, it still leaves the other side to tear out at a later date. There is usually little to no cost difference in putting the new dees in up higher over replacing just the one in the skirt. Note: Not all breast collars fit well with the dees placed higher. DO check with your client on that!

I may have just given some misinformation. I looked up Cambell Bosworth website and it kept throwing errors. I went to Campell-Randall website and it shows the thread holder I mentioned above, but it appears to hold the spool in an upright vertical position. Apparently the spool spins in this position, rather than like the old originals. It is not wildly expensive, at $115. Unfortunately it is out of stock.

Thanks Wiz, that makes sense now. To be honest, I'm not sure which way I wind it, nor if it's even the same from one time to the next. Dikman, there is available from Campbell Bosworth, or at least was in the past, a spool holder that holds the thread spool horizontally and the spool spins freely so that the thread unrolls off the spool. This in theory should eliminate the kinking problem caused by the thread feeding off the top off the spool. I have heard of guys that have made their own. Not only is that beyond my skill set as I am not a metal worker or welder, I would rather spend my time doing leatherwork than making tools with which to do leatherwork:-) I had a Randall machine that was extremely finicky about kinked thread. I loved that machine, but after sewing for a time with the same spool, the thread would become so kinked in front of the thread lock that it would quit sewing. I eventually traded it off, as it had another major problem that was present when I got it. One of my Landis Ones came with an original thread rack which was made in exactly that manner. However, It is made for the old linen spools and the modern plastic ones won't work in it.

Cat, I will either do that or use it in another machine. A 2 lb spool of thread is way to expensive to scrap! I typically keep at least 2 spools of each color in each weight of thread that I normally stock to save time winding bobbins. I did have some spools of 138 one time that I finally put in a box and took to an auction. I could NOT get it to work in my light machine, and 138 is too light to use in the heavy stitchers I had at time. I have a Landis One (well three of them actually) and I'll probably put the limp thread in one of them. Those machines sew with almost ANY thread. They are very forgiving. Wiz, I'm not following you on how to wrap the thread in the opposite direction. I know WHY you'd do it, but not how. Maybe I sniffed too much Barge's for too many hours today, but is there any way you could take a picture to show what you mean. With almost every spool, if I use it long enough without switching to a different spool, I have to at some point pull the thread completely out of the machine and get the kinks out. Very annoying. I need to get one of those things that holds the spool horizontally and rolls it off instead of pulling it off the top. But there are always more toys to buy than money to buy them:-)

What size needle do you use? Just this morning I sewed some chaps using 207 thread and a #160 needle and it went fine. It could be your thread. Some thread is just plain no good. I have two spools right now, both almost full, that don't want to work in that machine. They are both a soft, limp thread and want to bunch up on the needle and cause it to drop a stitch. I got them both from a regular, reputable supplier. I prefer a thread that is pretty stiff and doesn't unravel easily. That type seems to work best in that machine, for me.

Yes Skip, if you leave a little extra slack in the fenders it would certainly be better than nothing. What I often do is after riveting in the Blevins buckle but before riveting the tops, insert the stirrup leathers as you would for final assembly. Add a little curve to the assembly as it would be hanging on a horse, as there IS a slight difference over laying it flat on the bench and just folding it where it's supposed to fold. Then mark your holes on the stirrup leathers in this position, adding a bit of additional slack to allow for stretch. If you add too much the fender wants to buckle and not lay flat, but just enough so that with weight in the stirrup, the fender is not tight. As far as my stretching apparatus: very simple, a 2 x 4. I nail the poor end of the stirrup leather down on one end and punch 3 holes through the good end, the center hole one being larger than the outside 2. Through the center hole I put a spike, or awl, and using a series of holes drilled into the 2x4, stretch the leather tight. I'll rub the leather hard with a slicker (also having rubbed saddle soap on the wet leathers first) and pull it away from the 2 x4 to gain additional stretch. I will normally get 2-1/2 to 3" of stretch out of a leather. The process also reduces the thickness and compresses the fibers. Before I moved into my current shop, when I had larger quarters, I had a bench top with the series of holes drilled in the top and would stretch the leathers on the bench. That bench was pretty much dedicated to stretching leathers and remains my method of choice. My current 2x4 method allows me to put it out of the way when not in use, plus you are not limited to stretching what you can get on your benchtop, nor are you tying up bench space. In theory, I can stretch as many pairs of stirrup leathers as I have 2x4's. But I still like the benchtop better. I wish I could give credit where credit is due for using this method, because I did not come up with it on my own, but I don't remember where I first heard it. There is one type of stirrup leathers that I DON'T pre-stretch. . . half leathers that have the reinforcing strip of latigo sewn down the center. I buy those also from Weaver, pre-sewn and pre-punched, so stretching them is not an option. I stock a few in case someone wants them, but I flat refuse to make them because I feel it is such a waste of time. IMO, that strip of latigo is a gimmick, and when a saddle comes in with that type of leathers in it, I try to talk the customer out of replacing them with the same. Every one I've ever seen, after a little use the latigo strip is loose from the main leather because the stitches on the back side wear through from rubbing on the rigging, or the skirt, or wear leather or whatever happens to be underneath it, and you have two separate light pieces of leather for your stirrup leather instead of one good, solid, heavy piece. Then the Blevins posts start to not go all the way through both pieces of leather, and it all goes downhill from there. I guarantee my stirrup leather jobs for ten years, but that type, if the customer insists, gets no guarantee at all. Just a word of advice, your very next project should be to make yourself a drawdown stand if you don't want to buy one. I'm no carpenter, (and I'm female as well) but I built my own over 25 years ago, and even though I bought a Saddlemaster 360 from Weaver awhile back, I still prefer my old stand. Somewhere there are plans or instructions for building one, and even for making the ratchet yourself (which I did), but once again, I don't remember where I found them. My memory is good, it's just short:-) Best of luck to you!

The closer you can sew to a piece of hardware, the tighter it will be. Tight=less movement of the hardware=longer lasting product. More movement=faster wear. Loosely sewn-in hardware=sloppy work. If a horse pulls back in a leather halter, yes it's probably going to break and it won't matter how close you've sewn to the hardware. BUT, people don't typically tie up halter pullers or colts in leather halters. You have enough lift on a 4500 that you should be able to put the foot of your machine right on top of the ring or square and make the first stitch with the needle just missing the hardware. Or if you want to backstitch a couple stitches, mark with your needle two stitches away, start there and back up to the hardware, then commence sewing. On one end of your sew you should have the turnback of the strap butting up against the ring or square, making three layers, so it's easy for your machine to sew up close. On the other end, you only have two layers, so I will often put a wedge up close to the hardware to make a ramp of sorts for the machine to climb. While not imperative, this step does a couple things. First, as mentioned it makes it easier for your machine to get right up close to the hardware. Second, it allows you to really get that hardware in there tight, and allows it to wear against this wedge instead of against the thread. Same principle as a welt in a knife sheath. This does take some extra time to do, which is the reason high end stuff is high end stuff. Rings and squares are much easier to sew up close to than center bar buckles like the #5705 commonly used on leather halters. When I sew harness breechings, I sew up as close to the layer loop as I can, with the last stitch before I jump over actually moving the loop a bit with the needle. I put a ramp on both sides and a plug in the middle of the layer loop, and that loop is tight and will never pull out until the harness is completely worn out. Little things like that make the difference.

I second pretty much everything Josh says. Stirrup leather replacement is probably the single most common repair I do. In nearly 25 years in business, there has only been a couple times that I can remember where the sleeve wouldn't fit over the leather. In that case, I just ran the leather through my splitter and took off only enough to allow the sleeve to fit. I use to cut all my own replacement leathers; time and space constraints finally forced me to buy my replacement leathers from Weaver. Although the quality control has been at times lacking on what they've sent me (flesh cuts, cut too low in the side, marked difference in weights of a pair) there has never been a pair that I had to split down since I started buying them. Unlike Josh, I do pre-stretch every single set that goes in a saddle. I get between 2-1/2-3" of stretch out of each one, which if you think about it, adds up to the one holes difference between the side you mount on and the off side over time. Yes you can compensate by adjusting for the hole's worth of difference, MAYBE, but have I found it really annoys the clients. In fact, another common repair job is the client wanting me to get the stirrup leathers even and matched up, even on a set that doesn't need replacing yet. Another really good argument for pre-stretching the leathers, we've all seen fenders with that little tear (sometimes not so little) in the corner where the fender leg joins the body of the fender. That can be caused by a number of things, but I know one thing that can cause it is when the stirrup leather stretches and the fender doesn't. Same thing with the fender tearing out at the top. On a saddle with some age on it that fender is going to tear before it stretches to match the stretch of the stirrup leather. You obviously have to buy the unpunched blanks (as opposed to pre-punched) if you pre-stretch. This extra step does add at least a day, better if two, even longer in really humid weather. Extra steps and time adds to higher cost to the customer. It's no secret around here that I'm the highest priced shop in the area. A big part of my job is EDUCATING the customers. If they are shopping by price only, I don't want them as clients. If they are looking for a quality job done correctly the first time around, and cost is secondary, those are the people I want as clients. There is a usually a reason for a marked difference in pricing. I do what I can to educate, the rest of it they have to learn by experience, and sometimes, those folks end up the best and most loyal customers! It took me a lot of years to figure this stuff out on my own, and I sure wish I'd had someone to tell me instead of learning it the hard way. Something I will never do is re-use the Blevins buckles or slides. They will not last two sets of stirrup leathers, even if after the first set they are not completely shot. For the extra cost of the new set of buckles, it's not worth the trouble of having to replace just the buckle halfway through the life of the second set of leathers. Hope this helps!

I just had to find and watch the Jeffries factory video after I wrote the above. They do indeed show someone stitching a bridle cheek in a regular stitching horse, (or clam, clamp, whatever). I do think the jaws are a little finer than most of what we have in the US. However, the video did not show the whole process, just a couple seconds worth, so I would really like to see, start to finish, someone sewing the hook stud and keepers in on a 3/8 wide cheek. There is just not a lot of material there, once you get enough of it in the jaws to hold it for stitching. I'll check back here the end of next week, as I'm heading out of state for a sale and the forecasted weather looks like I'm going to be stuck away from home for an extra day or two on the return trip.

If there is a way to stitch these and do good job in a regular stitching horse jaw, I would like to know how to do it. Any instructions I've ever seen show using a special clamp that clamps in the jaws of a stitching horse to allow hand stitching in the second side of the keepers. Of course, the jaws of our stitching horses in the US may be different than the ones in the UK, as there is a lot more of that type of work done there than here. Do you have pics?

It's called a hook stud, and I think Weaver Leather has them in different sizes. Yes I've used them and they are a pain in the rear. Typically you have to hand sew them in, and need a special clamp to put in your stitching horse to hold the whole thing while you sew it. Maybe the wider widths can be sewn by machine, but when you get down to 3/8"width or even 1/2", that's a hand sew job and not a fun one.

Randy, I didn't see your original post back in November. If I had, I would have urged you to get the JW pattern. The filler is fine, but you can do without it and just stuff them the conventional way. I think the filler is plenty expensive for what it is. I think I've tried every buck roll pattern marketed commercially, and revised them, designed my own, bought some blanks from other guys. For 20+ years I HATED making buck rolls, and even refused to make them for a time. Last year I bought the JW pattern, a set of fillers, and yes, I sprung for his video as well. I had made quite a few pairs through the years by that time, but I did pick up a few handy hints in the video and feel it was worth the money just for that. One day I decided to do nothing but make buck rolls until I got them right. Actually, I do that from time to time with a specific item or process that gives me trouble; I do nothing but that process for a day or two or whatever it takes until I get it down. There are things I make or processes I do in the shop that aren't routine enough to get proficient doing it just when needed. Making "rounds" is one of those processes that comes to mind. Anyway, I probably ended up spending about 3 days making buck rolls, but by the end, I was satisfied with the results. I'd known for years that a good pattern was the key, but I just couldn't find one, nor make one. Even with a good pattern, they can be tricky buggers to make. Yours look exactly like mine did using the Tandy pattern. Not saying yours look bad, but I like a certain look, and the Tandy pattern rolls don't have it. I also like to use a welt. I feel it looks more professional and strengthens the seam. I would really like to learn how to make them out of one piece of skirting, with no seam down the center. There is certainly a trick to that! Sharon

Weaver has oval drive punches.

I have thought about the question you are asking, for myself, a lot. When that time comes for me, if I am still alive, what will I do? Personally, I think an auction would be my best bet. To sell as a complete, intact business and not feel as if you are giving much away, I think one would really have to have a "name" and well established reputation on a national level, and you would be selling that reputation as much as the machinery and inventory. Piece mealing it out will possibly net you more than selling as a whole, but the downside(s) to that is it's one whole heck of a lot of fooling around with every Tom Dick and Harry looky loo that "wants to do a little leatherwork". And, there will be things left over that nobody wants. The main items will sell fast and first, and you'll be left with the less desired stuff. Which of course you could at some point give away or trash if you can't sell it. It all depends on your individual situation, how much you want/need out of your investment, and how much work you're willing to put into it. Like I said, myself, I'd lean toward having an auction, but don't take that as advice since every situation is different, and you might not have enough to warrant having an auction. I am working hard at accumulating enough stuff to make sure I will:-)