gringobill

I've got an old S D Meyers saddle that is in about as bad a shape as one could be in and I've seen some pretty delapidated saddles. I got it at my ranch and I don't know whose it was but it is what I would call "petrified!" I mainly picked it up because it's got the best example of S D Meyers tooling on it that I've seen and I am going to sketch the designs just to have them. Anyway, the leather is black and stiff as a board and I don't know if one that's this far gone can be brought back from the dead or how much can it be salvaged. I see pix of saddles that others are working on and they are "pristine," compared to this poor old thing. I have been temped to buy the Alain Eon (sp) book, apparently it is the bible for saddle restoration, but it's pretty expensive and I'm having a mental argument with myself about how much use I would get out of it if it turns out this saddle is a lost cause. So I'll be watching this thread trying to figure out what can be done to a saddle that's got way more problems than just being dirty. Bill

Another option is to use a couple of sets of snaps instead of buckles. If you can get a good measurement of the wrist that it's going on you might only need one set of snaps but if it gets too tight or loose that could be a problem. Bill

Dang good lookin" and it looks like it's hell for stout, doubt you'll ever wear it out! Bill

There are two books by Ron Smith who is an acknowledged master at drawing scrolls for gun engraving and other metal engraving. Scrolls are scrolls and IMHO can be used in many different applications. I have his Advanced Scroll Drawing and it's good. These are "how to," books and walk you through from the very basic concepts to some real elaborate scrolls. The bad news is these books are pretty expensive, but if you are serious about learning about scrolls his books are very good. That is one resource to check out. Bill

Heck of a job!!!!!! From the sounds of it you hand stitched it all and it looks amazing, as in machine sewn or better. The whole thing just looks great!

Thanks, for the kind words! Bill

With the Singer to sew thin stuff and the Boss for the heavy lifting you ought to be set up just right!!!! I think you'll really like the Boss!!! Bill

The Boss was the first machine I bought. IMHO, it was/is a great machine. I think it's pro's are first it's simplicity and the amount of control you have sewing with it. It is good for stitching holsters and belts (although it may not go down to as small needles and threads as some might like for stitching belts.) That's exactly what I used mine for. One small disadvantage (if your working by yourself,) is that you only have one hand to manipulate your work piece with, the other hand is busy working the handle. Another plus of the Boss is it's size and portability. It's very easy to move around and it doesn't take up a lot of space. Originally I would clamp mine to the front edge of my bench with a couple of Irwn hand clamps, which worked very well. When I wasn't using it I could put it somewhere out of the way.I ended up building a bench similar to what a stitching horse to mount it on and that was really handy. As I hinted at, the main thing I wanted was the ability to sew thinner material with smaller thread and the Boss works better on heavier leather with bigger thread. I did use it to sew some light weight lining leather but it is somewhat limited there. This is just one more example of what always seems to happen to me, I always need "one more tool," or something better and I ended up getting a Cobra Class 4 and I love it. Now my son has my Boss and uses it to make some holsters, sheaths and tack. Like I said it's pretty simple machine as sewing machines go and I feel is a perfect machine to start out on in every regard. There is a bit of a learning curve but it's not too steep. For what you are going to be using it for, I think you'll be really satisfied with the Boss, it's a great American made piece of equipment. Good luck and enjoy! Bill

Thanks, I appreciate that! Bill

Man, you are telling my story! Thanks for sharing thatf, I guess misery loves company! I just did some stuff that I didn't think through like I should. Initially I was going to make the gussets out of some thin veg tan. Got 'em all made, lined, ends finished and stitched, had the hardware on one of the for the shoulder strap. Then I got to feeling of them and think about how they were going to have to be shaped around the corners and I could see that was going to be a heck of a fight, if I could even get it done. Then I got to thinking how stiff they were and would continue to be and had to admit that was a bad idea. So back to the drawing board. I had some nice buffalo chrome tan that I had used in for a gusset in another project and made the gussets out of that and it feels great and looks great (IMHO,) and I think it will hold up well enough for the use this piece will get. Maybe I'll find a use for those original gussets down the road some where, they are 3'wide and 41'long. I had the main piece stamped, dyed, and ready to line it with 2/3 oz veg tan. got the lining cut out and gave it a light coat of olive oil and a coat of Tan Coat. Glued it to the main piece. Then low and behold I got some kind of a stain around the hole in the lining for the latch/flap fastener. So I tried to remove it with oxalic acid. Another wreck! There was some kind of chemical reaction between the oxalic acid and either the tan coat or the olive oil and it turned brown. Keep in mind that I initially used a Q-tip to dab the bleach on the stain. So it looked bad but I thought maybe I could salvage the mess some way. the clean the finish off with denatured alcohol. That didn't work. So as a last ditch effort I used quite a bit of oxalic acid on the area and succeeded in totally messing it up. Soooooo, I had to tear the lining out, make another one only this time, I didn't use any oil on it (since it had never been cased or wet.) I gave it a couple of coats a Neat Lac before I ever started gluing it to the main piece. I wanted to make sure it was protected as much as possible. That time it worked, and ended up looking good! Note to self, no more oxalic acid on a finished piece. So, those are a couple of the issues I ran into, there were some other! Live and learn! Bill Looking at the process as paying "tuition," is a good way to look at it, the cost of learning.

Dang good lookin work!

Hello somebody, I was editing my profile and inadvertantly did something and now the format of the forums is totally changed from how it has always looked. It is just a list of the various topics, no pictures, nothing. I pretty surprised because I was only trying to add some personal information to my profile. Thanks, Bill Name: bosslady UserName: gringobill IP Address: 75.111.100.78 Email Address: uofabill@yahoo.com