Big Sioux Saddlery

I will try, although my phone does not like loading pictures to this site.

It's very easy to change for the width of the strap. It takes only seconds. Changing the blades and getting them set takes more time, and if I needed two different sizes of blades, I would just have two machines. But, as it were, I normally only pull approximately 9oz and up through mine, as I don't use too much lighter weight leather. Unrelated, but possibly of interest to tool and machine geeks like myself, I recently acquired a trace trimmer. To my knowledge, these have not been manufacturered for many decades. I've been looking for one (reasonably priced, not collector priced) for 20 years or more. Somewhat similar to a strap edger, the blades also true up the edges of a multi layer strap, such as a trace which is usually 2 to 3 layers thick. It is the coolest thing I've bought in a long while. I gave it a test run on a set of traces I just finished for a custom harness, and it is "the bomb". The same week I found this functioning trace trimmer, I found another one in a guy's iron pile, minus the blades. It's pretty badly rusted, but I'm going to try to clean it up and find or have blades made for it. It's kind of weird that I spend two plus decades looking for one, and I find two in the same week.

While I have never tried that Heritage dye box, the same is true of a lot of new manufacture equipment. It might look like a real labor saver, but in reality, it's too poorly designed and built to work. There are very few things for this trade that I have bought new that I really felt like I got my money's worth. The Bluegrass easy edger is one of the few, that thing is slick and I wouldn't be without it.

Fantastic pictures, for historical interest if nothing else! I can see a Campbell/Randall stitcher being used the first picture. It's rare to find such an old photograph of a leatherworker in action, with such clarity.

Lol, yeah, I've kind of gotten used to that!

I will pm you.

Keith's health has been declining rapidly, and has recently moved to an assisted living/memory care facility. Don't expect for him to be able to send parts /needles/awls , etc. His daughter is in the process of deciding what to do with his property and inventory, but she has no knowledge of the machinery. It truly marks the end of an era.

Worse than a dart? Lol.

It largely depends upon what I'm marking, and what is close at hand at the time. More often than not, if I'm marking where to cut a strap to length, I'll use my thumbnail. I've taken to using a pencil more also, for marking out patterns on leather. I still have scratch awls on every bench almost all the time, so if I have one of those close, I'll use it. Another thing that's super handy when I might have to re-mark in a different spot, is a silver marking pen. It wipes right off most leather if you want it gone.

You're welcome. I know measurements and specs for harness can be difficult to come by unless you have access to an existing "like" product. Published info can't be counted on as being 100% accurate, and there are always construction, design and regional variations to account for, not to mention that there is an as much difference between ponies measuring the same height as there is between horses of entirely different breeds. Two separate harnesses, both intended for let's say 44" ponies, can yield two entirely different sets of measurements. That's the reason that I measured nearly every harness that came through the shop in my early years in business, and still do today if i get one that's a little different or for a size/type I don't already have. Best of luck to you!

It seems I've gotten some from Walsalls in the past. Weaver has a 3½", then down to 1¾ and 1½.

Traces always depend on the length of the pole. Breeching measurement depends on the size of pony, but I know off the top of my head that a Shetland size breeching is normally 34". I can measure the length of the tugs when I go back out to the shop shortly. Ok, the tugs on a used farm style pony team harness measure 62" from hame bolt to fold at the heel chain. The heel chains on that harness only consist of 4 small links. That measurement is consistent with what I have in my files as a finished measurement for Shetland ponies. I have 5'3" (63") as a measurement for a large pony team harness, but with a clip on the front and a regular 6 link heel chain. Some other measurement charts that I have aquired from long gone makers list a pony tug as being 5½' long. Still, it depends on the measurement between evener pin and neck yoke stop, no matter the size of the team.

Traces always depend on the length of the pole. Breeching measurement depends on the size of pony, but I know off the top of my head that a Shetland size breeching is normally 34". I can measure the length of the tugs when I go back out to the shop shortly.

When I switched mine over, I had to make a new bar fornthe anvil to thread into. Mine is a Best Yet, and i ordered the replacement anvil that was for the Best Yet, but it didn't work in the old bar. Wasn't a big deal, and I'm not overly handy in a machine shop.

It depends somewhat on the end use, and the leather itself. Some leather, even when you swear the stuff must be ready to drip oil, still does not have an oily feel. It seems to have an ability to hold the oil within the fibers better than other leathers. It is usually the higher priced stuff that performs better. At 4-5 oz, you do want to be careful to not saturate it. That just isn't a lot of material.

You can apply more than one coat. The more oil, the darker the leather. Proceed with caution, because you CAN get too much oil, and it will bleed onto anything that touches it. Heavier leather will handle more oil than lighter weight leather of course. Exposure to sunlight will also give natural veg tan a darker, "aged" look. You can oil it AND set it in the sunlight.

For what it's worth, I ordered 6 sides of chocolate skirting from Hermann last fall, supposed to be "A"s, had a heck of a time getting a saddle seat out of even one. I think it's an industry wide problem. The vast majority of the hides generated in this country go out of this country and are tanned for the upholstery industry. They get their pick of hides, the best hides, because they need large, clean blemish free hides for upholstery leather. Our only two veg tan tanneries left in this country more or less get the leftovers. Or so I'm told. I haven't bought from Wickett in quite awhile. I was getting too much leather that I couldn't use. I've gotten some really mushy garbage from them, and it just will not work for equine equipment. Also, something in their process has changed. Twenty-five years ago, I loved their harness leather. It had a soft hand, which some people don't care for, but it wasn't mush, and it had a nice somewhat waxy feel. The last few years, their harness leather has been different, but they claim nothing has changed. If I didn't still have a few random pieces of their old leather, I'd wonder if it was my imagination. Last fall I bought 3 brand new sides at an auction, still wrapped in paper, and in the original box. I had no idea what I was buying, except it was black harness. I got it home and opened it up and the original invoice from Wickett and Craig was in the box. It was dated 2004. And THAT leather was a lot closer to the leather I remember cutting years ago. The fact that they won't admit they changed something pisses me off as much as anything. Their skirting has become a nightmare to carve. Afrer about 10" with a swivel knife, it drags so bad it takes forever to get anything done because I'm constantly having to stop and strop my knife. Same knife, Hermann Oak, carves like butter. It really is a darn shame, because if Wickett quits tanning leather, then there's only ONE tannery left in this country, and that would be very bad for our trade indeed.

Just went through this with a customer. Could NOT get it through her head that simply giving me the jeans size is not a reliable measurement to make a belt that fits. . .a name belt no less. Sometimes I wonder what it's like in other people's heads??

The only thread I know of that Jeff (JLS) talks about some cutie sending him weight loss pictures, this one. I didn't see mention of any completely naked pictures.

How's it set up and what are you asking? Spose it would cost a sh**ton to ship to SD.

You guys are entertaining. I think Jeff's all giddy because he's got a hottie sending him almost naked pictures.

Absolutely no need to apologize to most of us for going on amd on about leather tools! I would very much like to see pictures of those tools. There could be some real treasures amongst them. How awesome to have some history on them also! You are very fortunate indeed.

I have done that also, mostly because it's easier to see a marking, but you are right, it is easier to cut! When I cut patent, I always hope I have a clicker die for the job so I don't have to hand cut.

That mine be fine for lightweight and chrome tanned leather, but there's no way anyone could cut saddle parts out of 13/15oz saddle skirting or harness parts out of 10/12oz harness leather. Round knives were designed to enable the user to cut the intricate pattern pieces used in saddle and harness making. A round knife is also used to skive material away when needing to reduce the thickness. There is no single other cutting tool that is as versatile and indispensable as a round knife to the saddle and harness maker.

Was actually asking the OP, but no matter, I like round knives no matter who owns them.. And that's why yours does hold a good edge, because it IS an old one! I have a newer CS Osborne that came in a lot of other stuff. It has the prettiest sound when I tap it with my finger, but the knife itself isn't worth a damn. Won't keep an edge. My main everyday user is a CS also, but it's old. It could hold an edge better, but the pattern is perfect for cutting parts. I have a couple W. Rose knives. . .now those knives hold an edge!! They are both bigger, wider knives than my CS, so I don't like them for pattern cutting, but they are awesome for skiving and straight cuts.