Ian

Thanks Dave - that seat was quite a project - molded the pan on the bike, then each little thing like the leprachaun, doing the skirt etc. I was very happy to drop it off finally. thanks Tom, I just got the hang of basketweave. It's addicting - I want to put it on everything. Just went to Tandy and picked up some other background tools. Can't wait to try them

Could it be that you don't have the needle seated all the way in? - even a little bit and it will jam the hook.

Finished up this seat last night just in time for a show this afternoon. My first attempt at airbrushing, apart from just regular dyeing, so I'm not too thrilled with it, but the owner liked it, so I didn't point out the flaws.

I'm not saddle maker either, but that looks like a really clean piece of work - all you saddle guys amaze me.

Yup, that's HO burgundy Latigo Ian

Bruce, That's some of the best advice I've read in a long time. I found that I was ignoring my actual cost in time and materials just to get the order and compete with mass produced products. As a result there was often very little profit in what I sold. As long as the big picture wasn't looking too bad, I didn't really see how I was selling myself short. Looking back, I feel pretty stupid, but reading your advice, I can see how it's part of the learning process.

Hey to a fellow South African - except I've been here since '70, so It's almost like a foreign land to me.

Very nice idea putting the metal as an inlay

Another option would be to make the top bigger so it bends over the edge. I attached a picture of one I'm working on. It hasn't been rivetted on yet, so it's loose, and has a skirt (just because the customer wanted that). But mainly just to show you what I meant about the bigger top.

Thanks Clay and Marlon - I can only believe that the level of focus required for work like that has to be something you're born with. It goes way beyond practice and repetition - just incredible.

It's almost impossible to wrap my mind around that kind of perfection. Clay, when you say "plugs" , are you referring to the inlaid pieces on the belt? If so, how are they attached or inlaid?

LOL, that brought back some memories. I used to have some big Saanen goats that I trained to drive - got up to a 4 hitch. Actually, the first harness I made was for my goats. If I get a pic scanned, I'll post it. I had a picture of my team printed in 'Farm and Ranch' and that started a deluge of mail from people wanting to drive their goats. So much so, that I decided to go into the goat driving supply biz - it bombed, but I ended up with a lifetime supply of t-shirts and sweatshirts and mugs. I was having my carts made by a menonite guy in Illinois. PS, Kate, do you save your dog's undercoats to spin into yarn?

I was lucky to find a huge spool of leather cord on Ebay that I use to make piping. You just cut a strip of leather, lay your cord down the middle and fold in half. Then on the flange, you cut little slices every 1/4 inch to help it bend around corners. Very fast and easy to make.

Very nice - I wonder if anyone has ever tried gold leaf on leather. Maybe something more durable than regular size..hmmmm

I'm not sure what you're using for leather for the top side, but another possibility would be to cut your suede exactly the same size as your top before you glue it - then edge your top and glue a bead of piping to the back side of the top. Then glue in your lining and top stitch. You'll have a raised edge on the underside, but it makes for a sharp looking edge. Here's a picture of a piped edge on a tool bag I did, except the top leather is chrome tanned - but you get the idea. Alternately you could bind the edge.

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZarkmanufacturing

From the tight seams, it looks like chrome tanned chap to me. Probably 3/4 0z with a stiff liner. Latigo would be too stiff to make a pattern like that. I have an old mail bag. It's made of 4/5 oz chrome with welted seams, but they don't lie as flat as those.

If you're just looking for a few, I think I have some left. I have to warn you though - they are very nice looking and solidly cast and finished, but can leave a pretty deep gouge in the leather if you don't remove your belt very carefully. I've had quite a few people (including myself) ruin a belt the first time they wore it. Anyway, ley me know - I'll have to dig them out, but I'm sure I have both the chrome and brass in 1 1/2 inch size

Good to see you've been busy, Dave. I always think I'm going to build up some stock when things are slow, but usually end up wasting the time will useless stuff like doing laundry. PS Sona tubes

Hi Randy - seats is what I do - plenty of stock re-covers, gel inserts, etc. I think I can help. Drop me a line at iancraik1@verizon.net

Wow, that's amazing - and I thought Massachusetts was expensive. How does the average person buy a house in California? Are the salaries that much higher?

I am conviced that cheap imports are a huge reason for the decline in the leather industry. I remember when owning a leather jacket was quite an extravagance - now Pakistan and China have flooded the market, mostly with buffalo, pigskin and split leather. A leather auto interior was considered the realm of luxury cars - now it's common. Same with leather furniture. The cheap split leather sofas with vinyl backs and sides are in some cases cheaper than regular upholstery, yet proudly carry the 'Genuine Leather' label. And, by the way, someone told me (and I don't know if it's true) that the Japanese auto makers are now buying half the world's supply of cowhide. The real travesty is the free use of the word 'genuine'. A customer asked me why my plain bridle leather belts were $30, when they could buy a 'Genuine Leather' belt at the flea market for $3.00. I wondered the same thing, so I picked up a couple of the $3 jobs. Well, they turned out to be plastic with something that looked like shredded cardboard inside. I've seen bonded leather marked as 'genuine'. How can they legally do that? The average person can't possibly be as educated on the various products that go under the banner of 'leather'. I believe that the garbage leather coming in from Asia has seriously hurt the prestige that leather products used to have. The high end market, like the incredible saddles that have been posted here will probably never feel the pinch, but surely saddle shops making riding saddles must have been hurt by Mexican and Indian saddles. The same goes for harness. A friend just paid 6 grand for a used show harness for his Morgan - a beautiful piece of work, but how long before Indian factories are producing something similar enough to satisfy the average driver? When people hold up Amish made harness as the mark of quality (when I have found the opposite to be true in many cases) how do harness shops compete with folks who are happy to work for 4 bucks an hour? For myself, doing mostly items for motorcycles there is still a market for high end items, but I have stopped trying to compete with manufactured saddlebags - some of which are very well made, using quality leather and hardware, yet sell at a price that I can't hope to compete with. I keep holding my breath, waiting for the bubble that the Cable Channels created with the bike builder shows to pop. I know that motorcycle sales are down dramatically and some of the custom builders are going out of business, so it may be happening now. I know quite a few guys who took out second mortgages to buy custom built bikes. You know how that story ends. The much publicized prices for seats by Paul Cox and Duane Ballard created a thousand basement seat makers turning out seats of various degrees of quality. Though the exceptional makers like David and others are few and far between. Still, the lines start to get blurred. Never the less, even though I consider myself to be fairly average in the skill department, I don't intend to stop what I'm doing because of the dip in the market, though I might find myself reducing the variety of items I make and relying more on my 'day job' and less on the leather business. And, when the business drops at the end of the riding season, I'm going to spend more time developing finer skills and drifting back into the hobby position I used to occupy.

Very sharp indeed!

Or, how about this

Ok, Beave, I'll call your bluff - you're weird. I used to keep goats, though they were all whethers (neutered) so no smell. But, I once dumped a whole gallon of goat milk on the floor of the truck. Believe me when I say - living day in and day out with smell of goat milk matured and cured into the carpet will turn you against the smell of goat by-products forever.