Kevin

Sellari's is some stickey, gooey stuff. If you go wait on a customer for five minutes, it has already started to set up. I guess it has a lot of rosin in it or something. I haven't had any trouble with it sticking to anything as long as you keep sewing and it stays liquid, but once it solidifies, it is there. You don't have to worry about your stitches coming apart. The first nylon thread I got from Weaver's was like yarn, so I ran it through the wax pot on my Adler, ten years later there are still traces of it on the machine. O n the Campbell or Landis3, when I was ready to start stitching, I just sprayed some WD40 on the take-up rollers, bobbin and anywhere else in the threadpath, pulled fresh thread through and stitched on. The girl that used the Campbell before me used kerosene for cleaning, they also make a thinner for the wax, but it is pretty strong stuff. If I were to go back to linen thread, I would definitely use the Sellari's again. Kevin

I loves me some Sellari's and linen. Kevin

Hey Andrew, yes I've tried Ken, the bridle is a little greasy, but cleans up ok, I use his chrome middles for billets. I don't see the e-mails unless they are specifically for me. Kevin

If you don't want to grind on the foot, I have used masking tape on the teeth and also wrapped around the foot. It surprised me how long it lasted. I have also used heat shrink tubing. Kevin

The Union is a persnickety machine, I've had one for 25 years and have yet to run a whole spool of thread through it. It is old enough to have a zone number on the makers plate, but looks brand new. Maybe a used one that has loosened up a little over the years is easier to handle. For my use, I prefer the Campbell or Landis 3, If I were doing some kind of production, then I would use the Union. Kevin

Tooling doesn't have to be noisy, when I started, I was using a stack of phone books with a marble slab on top in the middle of my bunk bed. If you don't want to tool, look at Kevin King's posts or look at any custom cowboy boot book, there are tons of ideas. There is a couple on here that make pictures with hundreds of pieces of leather. Some people can do a lot with just some "scraps" and a post sewing machine. Purses, wallets, money clips, notebooks, photo albums, even some shoes can be made without too much noise. That's just off the top of my head, I think we're all looking for "that product" that's going to do it for us. Maybe you can think of some kind of a service that people need. For example, I install brass plates on saddles, bridles, girths, halters and dog collars. The only thing we sell are dog collars, a store across the street sells everything else. We generally sell $300 worth of plates a month, and charge $3 to install other plates, it usually takes about 5 min. If leatherwork is what you want to do, don't give up, even if you don't get to do exactly what you want. After I decided I wanted to be a Saddlemaker, I went to a school to learn, came home to the DC area, drove all around the beltway to any tack shop I thought I could possibly commute to, nobody needed anyone, or had just hired someone. I ended up shoveling manure for three years, and the day I decided I'd had enough a guy called me to say that a shop was looking for someone. I went the next day, no they weren't hiring, try in the spring, they still weren't hiring. One day my room mate comes home and says did you see the ad, they're looking. So I went in and he still didn't really want to hire me, so we did a trial period. Now that owner is gone and I work for his ex- wife. This year will be thirty years, I convey with the building. Kevin

I use a 205-370 and it has only had one spring break in the 10 or so years we've had it. When we bought that machine, I think the only choice was that or a Ferdco and I had the impression that the Adler was the way to go. Now there are so many choices and the clones sound to be pretty good, I would consider the Chinese machines. There seem to be so many more foot and throat plate options that are affordable. Good luck, Kevin

I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to be a smartass, just to say that real English bridle leather and US english bridle leather are so different, you can't get there from here. I wish you could, we just spent $1200 on four English rein backs and that's not a whole lot of footage, but there's not that much waste either. Kevin

I won't mention any names, but my teacher said "get the $^*&*#$*ing saddle off the stand and put it on your bench!". It works. Kevin

I didn't quite read all the answers you got, my guess is that on the thinner leather, you're not putting the awl in as deep as you are on the thicker leather and so the holes aren't as big. Kevin

Right on, on The Foxfire Books, it can be done. Kevin

I'm a single span kind of a guy, with practice you can keep things clean and figure out how to not have to double sew and not have things come unraveled. You can sew with longer thread, just don't put your needles all the way out on the end of the thread and keep them moving out as you go along (don't pierce the thread with the needles). Good luck, Kevin

Probably 99% of the repair work we do on bridles, reins, breast plates and the like is hand sewn, even if it was originally machine sewn. If it's less than 6 or 7 inches and narrower than 3/4", It's going to get hand sewn. I can't reset-up my machine that fast and it's not going to do as nice a job anyway. Whatever is going to do the best job for my customer and me is the way I will go. If it's a cheap Indian halter, I don't care if they handstitched it, I will clean out all the old stitching and machine it. If someone wants me to make something and wants a good job and will pay for it, I'll handstitch it. Now, if someone brings in something nice and wants a crap job, I tell them they have to pay extra for that, I can't keep up a good reputation by doing crap work. Our saddler built stock saddles and bronc saddles for 30 years and he's a pretty good hand with a jerk awl and can keep the stitches looking even when he's got a lot of stitching to do, but that doesn't have the twist I want to see in a stitch. Sorry to blather on, Kevin

I mark it with a straight edge, hang it off the table and cut it with a round knife. THEN I use a strap cutter and cut a 1 1/4" strap, then turn the strap around and cut a 1" strap which leaves your 1/4" with the uneveness. I can always use a 1" strap and I use the 1/4" piece to tie up the side after I roll it up. Kevin

I have no problem with Popping Rock Saddlery. I know it's ignorant, but if you say Tennesee and saddles, I'm thinking of Trooper saddles and dog trials or plantation saddles, not that there's anything wrong with either one. Of course, I would never connect Ohio and Quarter horses either. Kevin

Real English bridle leather is much denser than W+C or Weaver's and therefore does not get marks as easily as those two. It will show scratches, but not deep gouges like I think you're talking about. I don't know of any way to make soft leather into harder leather. No silk purse from a sow's ear. Good luck, Kevin

Thread + wax + valve grinding compound from your favorite local auto parts store. Kevin

I found some floss pullers that are shaped the same, but look like fishing line. I think they will work the same. Good luck, Kevin

I have a 1974 catalog, Levi's 501 $7.85; custom full ostrich boots $275. Kevin

You'r welcome, I scanned the page with the explanation of leather hanging and sofa-ride, but the file was too large to upload. Kevin

M.L. Leddy patented so-fa-ride ; looks like the Silhouette ; $620.00 in 1974 The Silhouette is a new concept in styling that will appeal to those who desire the unusual. The saddle is quilted all over in lightweight glove leather. It can be made in one color or a combination of colors, with brand or initials inlaid. This will also appeal to those with a desire to design their own pattern. It is strictly a custom made saddle. I got to answer something from the old days at last, Kevin

I was just wondering if anyone has actually seen one of the new Osborne 84 splitters. I've seen pictures in ads for a little while now and I just tried some internet searching, but can't find anything. I don't need one, but I am curious. Kevin

I have the same no., his fax no. is 775-738-6344. Kevin

I assume you're talking about English points, so I will go from there. A lot of Osbornes are pretty crappy, they aren't shaped right or they aren't the right size. I have about 15 that I use regularly. The ones that are really bad I've been replacing with Weaver's cast punches as I can. I've only gotten 2 or 3, but so far they are right on the money. I have another set that were made by an Amish guy in New York I believe, but I don't know who it was since I didn't get them directly from him. They come as a set and are kind of pricey to buy all at once, but no more than others if you were buying a whole set. I've seen them on E-bay in the past. I've never seen it mentioned anywhere, but I discovered that if you want to cut an end with your round knife, just set your dividers to the width of your strap, put one point at the center of the end and the other point off the edge and scribe the one from the center out to the other edge. Perfect every time. (Oh yeah, do both sides) Hope this helps, Kevin

I hate to say it, but the strap in the picture looks counterfeit to me. Kevin