3arrows

I have to replace the billets on an english saddle that I have. Is there a company that sells pre-cut and punched billets? I have searched on EBAY and in several tack stores that I use and cant find them. Any suggestions other than cutting my own? If I do have to cut my own, seems like the billets are very hard leather, probably chrome tanned?? I do have some harness leather that I can cut them out of. What do you guys do for this type of repair?? thanks ron

Barra, thanks so much for the help on this one.. Im in the process of following your instructions now and will let you know how it turns out..thanks again..ron

Hello again everyone. Hope all is well in your part of the country. Georgia is having an early summer this year, with temps in the mid 90's already. Im working on an English Saddle, actually my first to disassemble, and am ready to restitch the bottom pads back onto the main part of the saddle. When I took the saddle apart, the bottom pads were attached with a very heavy thread. Im trying to understand the process to restitch these pads back on to the saddle. It seems like i should restitch everything loosely, so that I can reach all of the stitch points and then pull the threads tight pulling the bottom pads and saddle tree together. I have a couple of questions: 1) Is this the correct assumption, stitch everything first and then pull everything tight after all stitches are made? 2) Should I use a waxed thread to do this? or should I use a slick thread that will slide easily through the holes? 3) What type of thread should I use, the previous/original thread was very, very large. Thanks for any advice that you may offer,,ron.

Thanks everybody (Jennifer and Troy) for doing the history on this saddle. I think I know what the term refers to. If you look at the cost to compete in the Cutting Horse industry, you have to be "Rolling" in money to do it. Man the Cutting Horse sport costs more than my airplanes do...thanks again. ron..

Thanks guys for the info, really good history lesson here. I guess the best thing to do when buying these saddles is to look for the quality and not necessarily the name. The more I learn about this business the more interesting it gets. Thanks again ...........Ron

Hi guys, hope you are all having a great Memorial Day Holiday. I need some help on the history of the Billy Cook Saddles. Does anybody know the story around Billy Cook going out of business and selling the design to Simco/Longhorn? I have a Greenville Tx Billy Cook saddle and think it is a great saddle, only to be told by another person that this is actually a Simco saddle not a BC saddle afterall?? Any help on the history of these saddles and the history of Billy Cook? thanks ron

Hey wildernesshorses, go to my web site and look at the histroy of the Bona Allen Leather industry in Buford Ga.. Thanks ron.. web site: http://www.3arrowstack.com

Hey Jenifer, like your saddle, Im a fan of 50-60's saddles. Im riding an old Herford right now that has very much the same look as the one you bought. It is heavy, comfortable, and like Tim said, probably indestructable. Compared to the junk that is sold today for $200-$300, you have a saddle that will last a long time if you take care of it. My wife has a used saddle business and that is basically all we sell. We dont buy any new saddles, we only buy good used ones, refurbish them, and then resell them. We have bought and sold about 45 saddles now and have only gotten one broken tree so far and I used the saddle parts (skirts/fenders,etc) to refurbish another similar saddle. I repaired the tree and hung it on the wall in the den and made planter out it. Clean up that saddle with glycerin saddle soap and refurbish it with a good leather balm and it will be a great saddle for years to come.. thanks ron.. Visit our WEB page at : http://www.3arrowstack.com

Lots of interesting posts here on this subject. My son owns a customer auto-body shop that builds these new import "Tuners" and "Drift Cars" as they call them. They build a lot of kevlar and carbon fiber parts and let me tell you they are beyond belief as to how strong they are and can still be flexible. Id love to experiment with building a tree out of Carbon fiber and Kevlar or at least laminate the carbon fiber onto a wooden tree as an inner core. The carbon fiber would allow some flex, without the possibility of breaking. It is stronger than steel and with the right resins, will "Not" break. Ive got access to the shop ( I loaned him the money to start it up, so I guess technically i own it). Any suggestions as to how carbon fiber would work? I have an old wooden tree out of a Bona Allen saddle that I tore apart, I might so some experimenting. What do you think?? thanks ron

Im still not sure what "Made Special for Rolling" infers or implies??? Any suggestions? thanks ron PS: I rode the Billy Cook on a rugged 3 hr trail ride in the Cohutta Mountains on Sunday, great saddle, rode wonderful and horse liked it also. Fit my Tenn Walker Trail horse like a glove..

Jim, I just did my first set of unpunched stirrup leathers. I used the vertically aligned two hole Blevins Buckles. For the first set of holes I used an old ink stamp pad and the old Blevins buckle ( I also installed two new ones). I inked the first two set of buckle studs and punched them, and then only inked the top hole of the buckle, inserted the bottom stud into the last hole I punched, lined them up and pressed the inked stud against the stirrup leather. Was an easy process to do, and since I am a self-taught rank amateur at saddle repair (other than what I learn from the experts on this forum) it was the only way I could ensure that the holes would align after I finished the job. Thanks ron.. visit our WEB site if you get a chance and send me comments, it is a work in progress and my first Webpage: http://www.3arrowstack.com

Cutting/Reining saddles have a tall horn for the rider to grasp while making sudden changes. thanks ron.

I bought 2 great used saddles tonight at a local horse and tack auction. Has anyone ever heard of a Teddy Wicks Custom Saddlery? I searched google and cant find anything on the internet regarding this maker. The saddle is very well made, seems to be a cutting saddle, 17" tall horn, rough-out seat,etc. Also have an old Billy Cook Cutting/Reining saddle. It is marked " Made Special for Rolling" on the latigo keeper???? What does that refer to?? Is this referring to roll-backs that reining horses do? or something else?? Please help with these two,,thanks so much for your help,,ron.

Im on it,thanks for the tip. And hey, this is much easier. Other than the small amount of blood on the sheepskin, from poking a hole in my finger while trying to follow the awl blade through, its working great. This is a much easier method than the "Search and poke" method..thanks Andy, I owe you a cold one!!! ron

I tried my sewing machine and it seems to work ok, My machine is limited because of the bed and throat size. I am tryiny to learn the two needle "Saddle stitch" method. My problem is finding the hole from the fleece side of the saddle. Is there an easy way to do this? The fleece is so thick i cant easily find the thread or the hole to punch back through. Obviously the leather/saddle side is easy enough. Any good hints about how to do this, or is this just one of those things that takes a while to get the "feel" of?? thanks ron.. By the Way, Andy great web site,,,great layout and content, really good info. Check out my web site: http://www.3arrowstack.com

Thanks Randy, Im learning as fast as I can, and help is always appreciated. Do you use a sewing machine to sew yours? how do you keep the fur from jamming the feet on the machine?? thanks ron

I'm restoring a barrel saddle for one of my customers, an old Martha Josey 15 1/2" racer. I need to replace the sheepskin on it, it now has synthetic on it and it worn out. I dont know why it was repaired with cheap synthetic fleece, but anyway , thats another discussion we can have over beers one day. I have bought the sheepskin to replace it, have disassembled the saddle skirts,etc., cleaned the old junk fleece off of the skirts, glued the sheepskin on, and am now ready to finish up the sewing job. Since this is my first attempt to do this type of job, Im practicing on an old saddle that I have that is my practice saddle (screw up my own stuff before i screw up a customer's). My question is, when I use my awl and a lock stitch to sew on the sheepskin, I have to keep coming back and tighten up the loops since the skeepskin is keeping the loops from tightening up right away, I guess it take a while for the thread to compress the fleece. Is the lock stitch the right stitch to use or should I be using a two needle "saddle stitch" (aka from Al Stohlman's Art of Handsewing Leather book)?? I also have a sewing machine, but didnt think it would work sewing the thick sheepskin, seems like it would get hung in the walking foot. As usual, any help will be greatly appreciated as I learn the proper methods of doing these types of simple repairs., thanks ron..

I was approached this week by my insurance company to acquire liability insurance for my saddle business. WE sell used saddles and I do basic repairs like new stirrup leathers, reset rigging, new sheepskin, some restoration work ,etc. I intend to start building new saddles as soon as I can get my buddy from Bona Allen to teach me the basics. So, does any other saddle repair shops carry insurance to protect against defective products and repairs? Im adamant about my repairs being top quality, or I wont do them. I dont by nature and personality do anything haflway but am now worried about this potential issue. I just signed up for $1 mill. in liability, cost $620 per year and also am converting my business into a LLC to protect my personal assets. Any thoughts about this? Any suggestions as to how to protect myself, like waivers, etc. thanks ron..

As usual, you guys give great and sensible advice. I am contacting an equipment auction house here in Atlanta that may have several machines for sale. If I find a larger machine, Ill send you a post to get advice,,thanks again. ron.

Ok Art and Bill how about an old Singer Post machine Model 51W51. There is a local sewing machine place here that has one for $100 works fine. I tried it with some skirting leather and it sewed it fine..Is this a good starter machine for a beginner?? thanks again for all the help and comments, Im trying not to learn the hard way by buying a piece of junk that wont do what I need it to do.. ron

Im trying to find a good used sewing machine to sew leather with. I want to be able to replace fleece on saddles as well as resew any stiching that may have deteriorated or come loose. I found a good deal on a rebuilt Pfaff 130 sewing machine ($250 with 3 yr warranty). Any comments on this type of machine as far as quality and will it be able to do the heavy stiching that I need to repair saddles?? thanks for any help or opinions that you may offer.. ron.

Oops I found the section on sewwing machines,,thanks

Art, thanks for the reply back, I just bought a gallon of it at the local hardware store, so Im going to start using it also. I noticed that you are the Sewing MAchine moderator, is there a seperate section for questions on sewing machines?? Im in the process of looking for a used machine to do repair work on saddles, primary use will be new fleece and restiching seats, etc. Do you have any suggestions? I have found an old shoe making/sewing machine, in an antique store, but the guy wants a fortune for it(1000). It is a McKAy and works great, I tried it on some skirting leather and it sewed it like it was paper. any thoughts..thanks ron

I was recently at a horse event(team penning, roping, cutting) and there was an older gentleman doing saddle cleaning and restoration. He was cleaning roping and cutting saddles that were well used,dirty, grimey,, these were what I would call "Using" saddles, not your pretty show saddles. To make a long story short, he started out by cleaning them with Murphy's Oil soap and the lather that it initially would make on the saddle was a dark brown (dirt and grime), he would rinse the part with a clean sponge and water and do it again, and repeat the process 3 or 4 times. After a good cleaning, he went over the saddle with a Montana Pitch Blend leather treatment. The ending result was amazing to say the least, and he only charged $50 to do it. He would take about 2 hours to do one saddle, he was very thorough. My question is, it seemd to me like the Murphy's oil soap might be a little harsh to use? Are their any professional opinions on using this soap? I have used Murphy's on antiques (wood) with great success. Any comments will help me out a lot,,thanks ron..

Ok,ok i stand corrected with my comments.. I am a rank amateur at this and am trying to learn. I took a local saddle makers word that this was a Hereford saddle and that it was top of the line.. Ill temper my requests and comments in the future. But please remember that I will speak my mind and have no problem with others doign the same thing.Im not arguing, Im discussing the facts as I know them... thanks for helping me to learm more about this great industry.