Thor

I like that color combination and the overall appearance of that wallet. Very nice job!

Ron, thank you so much for clarifying that for me. I was aware of the "two latigo" thingy, but not of that terminology. Now if I'm going to make a two ply off billet what thickness would I use? Obviously if I'm going to use 2 layers of 7/8 oz. that would turn into a sturdy 14/16 oz. off billet. Would a 6/7 oz. leather be sufficient as this would meet the requirements outlined above for an acceptable single ply off billet? And if I wanted to add additional strength, but not a lot more thickness, could I add heavy duty webbing to that? Thor

I'm just reading through the ASMA website and stumbled upon some terms that left me guessing. I'm hoping someone can turn on the light for me here. They're writing here http://saddlemakers.org/id393.htm OFF BILLETS While single ply off billets are common in the industry, as a matter of policy and safety, ASMA recommends that single ply leather off billets not be used. It has been noted that the single ply leather off billets have a tendency to have a high failure rate. If single ply leather off billets are to be used it is recommended that they be made of heavy ( 13/14 oz+ ) skirting leather. I haven't seen any layered off billet yet or am I just not understanding this correct? To me this: is a single ply off billet. What's wrong about this type of off billet? None of them ever failed on me. Or are these considered to be layered cause they are "doubled" upon the fold? Further, what's the difference between a latigo and a half breed latigo? Somebody turn the light on for me please.

While in town pick up one of these as well http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Clean-Eraser-Cleaner-Cleaning/dp/B004D42H5K I'm using them for a lot of tasks and they aren't as harsh as the rubber stuff. Just thinking of your thread...

Mike, some riders believe they are needed to assist them in riding their horses as an aid. Jumpers use short ones of about 50 cm length and dressage riders of up to 1,10 to 1,30 m. Most of them are made from flexible fiberglass about the same quality of the older fiberglass arrows. In the older days the core was made from certain woods such as willow, hazelnut etc. Depending on the type of crop I'd expect that a carbonfiber core works just as well. Other than that... what materials are the fishing rods made from?

Honestly I don't know, but whenever there's a knife, blade... there's a chance that it's not sharp enough or becomes dull with use.

Looking really good Mike! Registered already.

Just a guess, but I would assume that it didn't just rip. Guess what happened is that the leather "kinked" and didn't stay on the roller at that time. I stopped skiving this kind of leather and instead fold it for that same reason. It may just be practice as with most things, but I just didn't feel a need to skive such thin material. May not be correct, but haven't had an issue with it yet. Maybe someone else chimes in.

A picture tells more than a thousand words...

No matter of dimension I'm thinking I would get tired of measuring or just adjusting a jig or whatever and would love to have a die for that job. Even if you'd just have an oval hole punch modified with a bar going across and two of them replaceable tubes inserted at the right distance it would speed up things and save lots of trouble. Just something like this http://www.shorthillstudio.com/store-detail.php?cat=5&ID=28

Now you are comparing apples and pears... Different types of leathers and so on. Saddleback uses webbing to reinforce its bags and straps. Saddleback's strap is a two layer strap at least if not 3, depending whether they have a webbing core or not. Price doesn't stand for craftsmanship. It only tells that he found someone who's willing to pay the price. I can understand that you're demanding higher craftsmanship if the price is higher. Nothing wrong with that and yes that strap is poor. I would expect at least an end cap on it, having it tapered or whatever, but I have to ask again didn't you see this before you bought it? And for all others reading this thread - here's the seller's page for this backpack http://en.dawanda.com/product/94250511-leather-backpack-vintage2-balck where it's sold for 104 EUR or here http://mobs.com.ua/kozhanyj-ryukzak-handmade-s-pryazhkami-5498-blue.html sold for 59 EUR. I don't know what you paid, but for that price I wouldn't expect anything. I'd be happy if it would hold together for a year. Especially knowing where it comes from now. On a personal note - next time if you're considering to buy something new that is called vintage, think again and go somewhere else. If something goes wrong, people in Europe are calling it vintage to make it look special. But crap just remains crap no matter how it's called.

Was this backpack made upon special order for you? If so, have there been any special or certain agreements etc.? As Martyn wrote already, if it's a single layer on those straps then no stitching is required. Hard to tell whether it would prevent or contribute to stretching with this leather. From my point of view, only if you had any special agreements with the maker that weren't kept you would have reasonable ground to complain. Other than that, I think that backpack looks nicely done. And to be honest, this is a fashion backpack and not built for rigidity.

Might be a dumb question but would this shoe sole repair stuff be an option to fill the hole? Just wondering cause it's a paste and dries out hard.

The Juki 441 is made as a clone for various retailers like cobra, cowboy, TechSew, sewmac, sieck, brunetti... They are made by 2 companies in China and Japan. The Japan made clone can be found by the name of japsew. I looked into that before I bought my 441 clone. The real difference is the service the retailers offer and some minor adjustments. Even if there are patents out there, it doesn't matter all that much as most companies like Pfaff, Adler and so on are owned by Shanggong in China. http://www.sgsbgroup.com/en/about.html So back to your strap cutter. Do you think it's any different with them?

Lifting a secret? Both are from the same Chinese manufacturer.

I attached a PDF with all the pics and what I've done. Please give me your honest opinion as I want to become a professional saddle maker sometime down the road. There's no need to hold back if you feel I screwed up here. I appreciate all comments and can take it. For all questions, just feel free to ask. Looking forward to your comments. Western Saddle Restoration.pdf

Did you take any pictures at all?

Even though it's metric it usually works out that we still use inches in one way or the other. Over here it's called "Zoll" instead of inches and people still wonder why shanks, plumbing etc goes by those measurements. 1/2" is about 13 mm. With burnishing etc you'll come down to 1/2" and so on. Nobody will be able to tell (without measuring it) whether a strap is 40 mm or 1.5". According to the cutting knives they are using for this individual machine I would agree with cjmt and have the spacers made locally if it has to be precisely in inches. Besides that, I would assume that any shop should be able to use the delivered spacers and re-size them for you, or you ask him if he would able to cut them for you to the metric conversion of the inch. Here's a chart that makes conversions easier

Just don't forget that for import the item's value plus the shipping charges will be added and the taxes will be calculated from this figure. If it's more than 150 EUR additional customs taxes may apply.

Life's too short to wear ugly leather... I love it!

Welcome to the forum. Very few things are leaving me speechless. Your engraving did. Looking at your work I was wondering if you wouldn't want to have a look at pyrography. What some people do there in combination with tooling is just unbelievable. A professional set will run you about $600. As far as I know Hide Crafter has gone out of production, but you can find them here http://proleathercarvers.com/tools/pro-crafters-series.html or here which is even cheaper https://www.stecksstore.com/brands/Hidecrafter.html. I'm having a few of them. They are good stamps, but still a step or two down from Barry King's.

I don't know enough about building western saddles just yet, but since one of my many hats is that of a riding instructor I know a bit about posture and riding in various disciplines. This is the whole explanation that's needed. Now matter of style, be it Western or English, the equitation part and rider's posture is a critical aspect for judging. But not only that, the key to proper rider balance is to have the legs placed where they belong, which is right below the body and not in front of the body. The far forward stirrups have come with reining as far as I know. Be it in English riding: or in Western riding: More comfortable having the stirrups up front and sitting in it like in a chair? Will look like this: The goal of dressage is to show a well balanced horse and a well balanced rider. Instead of reading a whole book, or books even you can read this http://jjmaxwell.com/ (click on "Proper positioning & balance") Now additionally to this - the older we get the harder it is to place the legs properly below the body without having to force them back all the time. I noticed this during riding lessons with kids and adults. While children up to around 16 usually pick it up quite fast it is noticeable that the older the student gets the harder it is for them to place their legs below their body. Another thing is that the older one gets the more they tend to lean forward and believe they're sitting upright and once they're corrected to the upright position they feel like leaning back. I could further this to head position etc., but that would really be too much. BTW. basic dressage is part of all official "ride to learn" programs in western riding.

I'm very interested of the outcome. Could you post pictures of this please?

Very nice as usual Monica

Ok then... if it's just spinning, there are two possible causes, one would be - and that's the most common one - that the thread is just spinning through in the bottom of that hole. Take a tool, able of going under the screw (just hoping you're meaning a wood screw and not an actual bolt) head and lifting it while you turn it. The second one isn't as simple. Something like this would sit in the tree and the bolt was glued in place. About the dumbest thing one can do, but have seen it already. Technically same procedure, but you would have to cut the bolt once you got it all removed and you will have to glue dowel into the hole and seal it with fiberglass.