oldtimer

The Swedish M/00 and M/03 Military saddle is almost identical to your saddle. The most obvious difference is that the Swedish saddle has a 1" thick felt under the bars instead of stuffed panels like yours.

I have a Swedish Army saddle, similar to your german saddle. The wood parts on my saddle are made of beech, covered with a thin linen cloth and then painted grey. I think that making a reproduction of your saddle from scratch is quite a challenge, (and I would never even try. ) / Knut

I´d rather have my cellphone on my belt if something happened, instead of having it on a runaway horse! A matter of safety and Wisdom ?!

Can someone tell me how to bleach rawhide !? / Knut

I think these guys can help : http://www.proleptic.net/ /Knut

Thank´s Rod and Denise ! What a great introduction into the art of making saddle trees ! My compliments !!!! When you see a saddle tree you can´t imagine how much work there is behind, how much knowledge, machines and skill ! It was a very interesting journey into saddle tree making ! / Knut

I have a couple of old edgers which I suspect are Vergez-Blanchard brand. The metal parts are double ended with a different size edger on each end and are removable from the wooden handle, so you just pull out the edger of one size, turn it and insert it into the handle and you have a different size edger. I´d like to know it they are V-Blanchard tools. Can you identify them if I get o pic of them? The wooden handles are very plain and made of hardwood. They originate from a local saddlery which closed down 30 - 40 years ago and had been stored in a bag until the old saddler left this world. Got a call that the tools were for sale I managed to buy all his handtools ( 83 tools) in one batch, and at a discount price. His family, from whom I bought them, were very pleased with the thought that the tools would come to life again so they gave me a good deal. / Knut

I agree with Frank. A slick surface towards the horse creates less friction than the wool, which will collect a lot of dirt and sweat.

here is a link to a couple of movies about leather ( english language) http://www.youtube.com/user/tarnsjogarveri#p/f/4/yIi53qhEDcs / Knut

There is a spring under the bobbin in my JUKI LU- 563, which lifts the bobbin when I lift the locking device, so it makes it easy to remove the bobbin from the shuttle. The spring is constructed so the bobbin must rotate clockwise in the shuttle or it binds up..

Terve! If you are going to Norway you might try this : www.skinnlaaven.no/shop/ / Knut

I really don´t know if they will ship to Finland,but you can always ask them. Also you might try www.laederiet.dk / Knut

Wouldn´t life be easier if you bought a splitter that you know will function from the very start ? Just a thought. / Knut

Terve ! Have you tried here ? : www.tjaderlader.se/ / Knut

Hi Steve. I have sold my Singer 45K machines and the roller foot went with one of the machines. Sorry ! / Knut

The core spun poly-cotton ( Barbour) I have used looked great at first, but it wore fast and looked fuzzy and terrible after a while, so I´ve got rid of it and now I use bonded nylon only. I have been told that the core-spun polt/cotton isn´t meant for leather but for fabric and tarp . / Knut

I agree ! It is a waste on something that isn´t authentic. http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2189/did-vikings-really-wear-horns-on-their-helmets. MHO / Knut ( with viking ancestors )

Hi You can contact www.sprenger.de . They might be able to give you a hint of a store in your country, where you can order their products. Hopes this will help / Knut

I think the Pelican horn is an offspring of the old time mexican gourd horns that was the fashion of the early 1800:s. There are variations of the gourd horns with more or less flat tops. http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=antique+mexican+saddle+&_cqr=true&_nkwusc=anticue+mexican+saddle&_rdc=1 A pic of a reproduction of an old saddle tree from South west : I think this is the ancestor to the pelican horn, just cut off a slice of wood and you have the pelican. My believe is that the flat area of the horn is plain cosmetics. My two cents / Knut

That is the logo of Zwilling knife factory, J A Henkels, Germany. http://www.zwilling.com/ I once saw one of their roundknifes in a military museum collection of saddlers tools, sent an Email to the factory, asking if they still had roundknives for sale. They responded: NO, we don´t make them anymore since 1944, when the Americans bombed the factory. / Knut

Thank´s Wiz ! / Knut

I have a Juku LU-563, and after reading some of the topics here I´m not certain if I have inserted the bobbin the proper way, so my question is : It I pull the bottom thread (with the bobbin in the machine), which way should the bobbin wind ? Clockwise or counterclockwise ? / Knut

What an exciting experience, also an example of " Learning by doing " ! I sure hope you are well after your roping challenge. Must tell you a story : There were two men watching a bull moose swimming across the lake. They got a bright idea, ran for a boat and managed to catch up with the swimming moose. They roped the bull moose and tied the rope to the boat. When the moose reached the shore it ran into the woods, the men fell out of the boat and the moose and boat were gone, they never saw it again. Next year, after the moose hunting season the two men met. " I killed the moose that we roped on the lake last year" he said. " How can you tell it was the same moose" the other man asked. " I recogniced the boat" he replied. / Knut

You won´t be sorry for a 4" thick piece of granite !