RyanCope

Thanks. JW that cantle is 5 x 10 1/2". Rod Nikkel built the tree.

Been gone for a while. Here is a saddle I finished this summer. Ryan

That's an immpressive backgrounding job Troy. Well done! Beautiful saddle. Ryan

It is interesting to see different finishing methods. I actually work at keeping my stuff away from the sun. Ryan

Andy, It's just a red roll of paper. I do crop the very small stand I use. Ryan

Here is the saddle I entered. Again, great job Andy. It was good to visit with you, and everyone else who was there. Ryan

Nice pics Andy. I meant to ask, what is the diamond N? Your iron? Ryan

Congrats Andy on two beautiful entries. Great show. Also, thank you to Chuck Stormes. One on one critique with Mr. Stormes is priceless, in my opinion. I hope to see some of you here next year. Second weekend of March. Kamloops is a fun place. I'll post some pics when I get back to the states. Ryan

Steve, Good looking saddle. Ryan

Nice job JW. Ryan

That's a good looking rig Andy. Ryan

Thanks guys. Ryan

It's been a while since I've posted a new saddle, but here is one I'm shipping this week. All comments welcome. Ryan

Again, congrats to Darcy and Elton. Great job guys! It was great to meet everyone in Kamloops. Here are a few pics of my entry. Ryan

I wanted to answer a question on another thread by starting a new one. What do some of you use to trim your shearlings? I use an old Sunbeam Shearmaster model EW311A, with a PC-10 blade. I don't know if those model numbers are even relevant today. The rotary blade has 3 teeth, and the fixed blade has 10. These shears were given to me by the man I learned from and were a far cry better than the shearling/blade combo I was using which had 17/30 tooth count. Ryan Cope

JW, Your saddle looks great as usual. I do have a couple critiques/ opinions....Only because you asked. I'm being nittpicky, so please take it with a grain of salt. I don't know what you are using to trim your shearling, but I would taper it a bit more so that there is less showing. It just cleans things up a bit, in my opinion. This is tough to do with hand shears, but it is easily done with electric shears, and the right blade. Secondly, make sure that cantle binding doesn't curl in too much, particularly on the sides. And finally, when it's all done, make sure those billets curl inwards. It's a little thing, but I feel it contributes to the overall appearance of the saddle. Like most things in life, you can only make one first impression. Every saddle you make has one chance at a first impression. Again, great job! Ryan Cope

My son and I are planning on attending. Ryan Cope

Ditto what Greg said. Neat-lac is a is terrible thing to put on a saddle, unless you want your saddle to end up a yellow/orange color with dark spots where it has been worn off. It does, in my opinion, look a lot better than Tan-Kote when it is first applied. Ryan

Looks good Ashley. I will say, for whatever it's worth, the first thing that caught my eye was the lack of tooling on the stirrups. Ryan Cope

I cover post horns one way, and metal dally horns another. Post horns are sewn all the way around, and dally horns are not. Both types of horn covers are under the fork cover. At least that is the way I do it. I don't see that as a cop out. It seems to me that is quite a traditional method. However there are always exceptions to the rule. Ryan

That's a good looking rig Jon. Ryan Cope

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This pic is low rez, so it doesn't do justice to the beautiful work that Richard Tennisch does. I would really encourage any of you that can go to do so. Kamloops is a beautiful area, and is home to some of the nicest people I've ever been around. If any of you that are not from that area have questions (lodging, flights, etc.), I would be happy to help. Ryan Cope

Steve, Nice work, as usual. Ryan Cope

Very nice work Jon. Ryan Cope