Ian

Not for a customer, just wanted to make something cowboy-looking

Troy, that seat is way beautiful - nice job. Lots of hours on the braiding, I'm guessing

DANG, I see that a polar bear skin rug is 5,000 bucks. I bought one at a yard sale a few years back in perfect condition - felt lined for 150.00. Thought I made out like a bandit when I sold it for 300.00

Thanks Jerry, I got to study that picture some more - looks difficult, but a lot neater start

second effort is a little better - still got to figure a better way to start and end

Randy, do your foam first, of course. High quality neoprene is the best. Then draw the seam lines onto the foam. Make sure your seams are logical. I agree, 3/8 to 1/2 is a good overlap. I use contact cement to glue the seams before lacing, that way you can punch your lacing holes in the top before you glue it together and punch the bottom holes through the top. I don't use a ton of spray adhesive, and just on the top to hold it from shifting when I rivet. I think on of the most important things is to draw a center line and follow that when you are gluing the top down. Also, make sure you line up the top with the seam line you've drawn on the foam. There's nothing more depressing than placing the cover wrong and then have to relift it, damaging the foam. You'll be surprised at how even 1/4 inch can throw the whole thing off. Good luck Ian

Look pretty good to me. I have never made them with that thick of leather. Do you have the bars to fit them to? I've found getting the seam to follow the bars to be the hgardest part, since they sometimes have a bend in the bars. One little trick is to wet the whole thing before you slide it on, then let it dry in place. I put a couple of snaps down the straight side to hold them closed so the wind won't take them off. You'll also need a strap at the top to hold them on. Ian

Tom, the best place (I think) is Wickett and Craig - American tanned leather. You can get info from their website. I'd go with the 9/11oz bridle leather, and the leather comes finished and ready to use - no need to level for uniform thickness. There are quite a few other places you can try as well - Zack White carries a nice quality bridle leather as well - from Mexico. Ian

You live in a beautiful country - I'd love to visit someday

Thanks for the advice folks, I am pretty much over the situation. I think that (partly) it came at a time when I had several other issues relating to bad service from other entities, and other financial issues. It was a last straw situation. Or, maybe I was just looking for one person to say "we apologise for the screw-up". I think you're right though. When you're dealing with many companies, the higher ups have no idea of ongoing issues, since they are dealt with by whoever is picking up the phone or monitoring emails. Anyway, the refund made it into my checking account this morning, so I'm going to consider the issue over, and move on. Of course, it still leaves me trying to locate a suppier of high quality naked garment leather at a realistic price, but I'm crossing my fingers for Waterhouse Leather.

Thanks folks. I did that with a 2 over 2 under, so that might be the start of my problem. I was looking at yours, Heather. It looks like whenyou started you had the thongs facing the oposite way, then flipped them over to start braiding. Correct? That was a scrap of 2/3oz upholstery leather I was experimenting with. Should I be using something thicker? Thinner?

Tina, those weren't the issues I was dealing with. I have ordered leather that was some of the nicest I've ever bought (although expensive) from HH. The shipping was very fast and they sent me all the samples I asked for, and the salespeople were polite and helpful. The issue was the fact that they substituted a leather they describe in the catalog as 'value priced' for the high end leather I ordered, even after I explained the need for a very high end look and feel for what I am doing. Now that I find myself taking orders for motorcycle apparel, I have to produce a product that will stand out from the much cheaper imported products I am competing with. Further, coming close to denying that they had recieved my return despite the Fed Ex tracking showing that they signed for it. After all, how do I prove what was in the box I shipped when they supposedly couldn't find the box? Also, since I am not a wealthy person, I needed the refund to re-order from another source and I had to explain this whole mess to the customer who was waiting. I recieved the refund 3 weeks after they received the returned merchandise. Then at my final call, they magically had the letter and invoice I had included with the return on the desk in front of them. If it was simply a matter of a warehouse person accidentaly shipping the wrong stuff, I can understand that. I think of all my suppliers, Ohio Travel Bag is the only one that has never made an error in my order, and when I had my store open, I placed various orders from different suppliers 3-4 times a week. I am no stranger to returning product that was unsatisfactory. No, that they have the most extensive catalog of any supplier is not the issue at all.

Beautiful work - about perfect I'd say

Art, I believe it was you who said you had ordered from Waterhouse. I have some samples coming from them. I think you said you had purchased some thinner hides (maybe the 2 1/2oz?) Were the hides you received clean? Was it a soft, garment feel? Smooth grained or milled finish? BTW, Hide House appears to be a big operation judging by the pictures of their 2 warehouses and group shots of the employees in their catalog. I had also wanted to order some buckles they had, but was told they were out, because they had just sold 5,000 to a single customer. So, i'm guessing they don't exactly cater to the small operator. Hopefully Waterhouse will work out and I'll be able to post a glowing review of the leather I order. Their prices are also considerably lower than HH, so we'll see. I liked your encouraging comments about starting new ventures in a down economy. It might be a glimmer of hope for us little guys.

It's not that their people aren't as friendly as can be - it's the follow-through that was dismal. I'm still not convinced that they didn't send me the inferior substitute, thinking I wouldn't know the difference. Heck I was in the business of selling leather garments for quite some time, so I know quite a bit about garment leather tanning and finishes. Anyway, it's too bad, because they have an awesome selection of colors you can't find anywhere else. Just a few weeks ago I was singing their praises. Finding good sources is like discovering gold.

Well, the issue appears to be resolved (after my sixth call + email). Although according to my bank, the refund was made this morning and not on Monday as they claimed. I only use about 60-70 sides a year, which is small potatoes for The Hide House, so deciding not to order from them again will have little impact - but it makes me feel good to cross them off my list of suppliers. Anyway, I'm happy to have my money back.

Not to mention that this was for an order that, as I explained when I ordered the leather , was for a fairly rush order. How can I make promises to a customer when I can rely on the supplier?

Does anyone have any connections with the owners of The Hide House? I have been battling a problem with them for almost a month without resolution. I ordered 2 hides from their sales flyer. They told me the flyer was out of date (although they still advertise those prices on the web site) They offered to give me a reduction in the catalog price. When the order arrived they had substituted a low grade leather (Nassa - don't ever order it!)for my order. I called to say I was returning the hides - they said "no problem" Shipped the hides on Dec 12 - according to FedEx, they signed for it on Dec 18. I have called them 3 times to find out about my refund and was told alternately, that - they have no record of having received it - "it must by lying around the warehouse unopened", and that my refund would be issued that same day. I pay with a debit card, so I can see transactions instantly, and no refund yet (although when I place orders, the money is out of my account within minutes) I am out almost $400 plus almost $50 shipping (it cost me $28 to ship it back to them) I have no idea how to proceed with this since it's an out of state company. How does one go about pursuing a company that says they will resolve issues every time you call, and then does nothing? I am at my wits end with these people. PS In addition to their 'Nassa' product, don't order the 'Explore' - it has so many flaws, it's unusable.

Thought I'd give a shot at braiding clutch levers - my first attempt at any braiding beyond edge braid. What is the problem here? How do you avoid the gaps at the beginning of the braid? I haven't figured out how to finish the end yet either. I have the Bruce grant book to work from - any suggestions? Thanks for any help Ian

Just read that the Arctic ice is the thickest it's been since 1979, thanks to our new global freezing. Polar bear numbers have increased 500% since the 70's. Where's Al Gore's team of scientists now?

No kidding - I learned this the hard way when shapening my splitter blade - darn thing spun past my face so close I could feel the breeze as it flew by. Worse part is that it put a big ding in the edge of the blade. Reminds me of the first time I used a table saw when I was a kid.

Very interesting, Tom. I lived in South Africa for a few years as a kid and although it was required that we learn Afrikaans (kind of a Dutch dialect), I can remember nothing of it, though can read German and Dutch to a degree, as a result. Spanish was a different story. When I went to South America in 1979, I couldn't speak a word of Spanish, but after 6 months was fairly fluent. Though I haven't spoken it much in almost 30 years, It seems to have stuck, because I can still speak it when I have to. Swedish would be another story though. I doesn't sound like any other language that I know of. Isn't the Internet amazing, though. it seems like just a few years ago, you'd never speak to people from other countries unless you travelled, or happened to run into someone. In my little town, most people have never left the state, nevermind the country. Now, speaking to people across the world is an everyday thing. Great, isn't it?

Tom, I've been wondering for a while. Are you a native Swede? Your English is immaculate. Did you learn in Sweden, or did you live in an English speaking country? The reason I ask is that when I lived in Peru, every person I met from a Scandanavian country spoke perfect English. They must have great language programs in schools there.

Troy, I don't see any edge stitching. What cement did you use to adhere the skin? Is it adhered to the flesh side of the leather - leaving the underside smooth? Does cement alone hold up well, or is a saddle like that only used on rare occasions?

Exactly - I'm thinking Idaho looks pretty good. Anyone for buying up a small town and turning it into a leatherworker's colony? The more I think about it, the hippies had the right idea. Of course we could only call it a town until the government decides they don't like us, then we'll be called a 'compound'. And, once you're a 'compound', look out....!