Echo4V

Nice website and beautiful leather. David

What is the one with the Marine Corps emblem? David

So that's what that hook is for. I got one of those metal halter tie hooks ( like you used here) included by accident in an order of rope and I have never figured out what it was for, I guess I know now. Just goes to prove you never know who you're going to learn from. Thanks for teaching me something. David BTW, great halter and nice first leather project.

After having seen the Modified Grimsley that Barra posted a link to and having seen several military saddles that were "refitted" for civilian use I would have to say that Barra has probably hit the nail on the head here. It could still be a South American saddle though (meaning it was refit for civilian use in South America) as the Army is still notorious for giving away used equipment as support to other countries. Here is a link to a picture of a new jennifer saddle. It was basically a Grimsley that was made specifically for American Civil War use by southern calvary. http://www.onesixthcavsaddles.com/id14.html David

Barra- I can definately see the resemblance to the Grimsley in the pommel but, wouldn't the skirts, rigging and cantle distinguish this from a Grimsley? I have never seen a Grimsley that was double rigged...they were all single rigged and used with a surcingle (at least the ones I have seen or seen pictures of) as well as the cantle had a sort of horn on it as well as coat strap holes for attaching the valise. I couldn't find any pictures of original Grimsleys right off but here's a link to some repros for you guys to look at and compare this to. http://www.americanmilitarysaddle.com/1805.html By the way...thanks for the info about the meaning of the UP name and the fact that not all had hinges on the bows. David

Denise- those saddles on your link are what is called a UP (universal pattern) saddle. Today they are generally called a trooper saddle. It's hard to tell in the photos ( because they have all the accoutrements on them) but they are actually very different than the one Pella posted. Those saddles are made with two bars connected to iron bows for the cantle and pommel. The Iron bows have cordage stretched between them and the seat is attached to that cordage (this saddle is the oldest example of a suspended seat I have seen) also the bows have hinges on each end which are attached to the bars so the bars will adjust to any angle of back (it's my theory that's why it's called a universal pattern) For more information on them you can google UP Saddles. David

It might also help to notice that the two log piles mentioned are pine trees and there are no pines in the woods pictured in the background. A better indicator that it is a hoax is snopes.com also, I got this same pic with a different story several months ago. I think it's just going around again. dAvid

Barra-I've never seen one placed on the side like the one in the picture although I can definately see the benefit of having it there. Also, I wanted to say that's a cool looking strap. I like the way it's attached without buckles but it still looks strong. David

Pella- I definately think this is a south american saddle. I don't know if it's specifically a Paso Fino saddle or not although it does look similar to the terique saddles they use on Pasos. It really looks a lot like the south american saddles that curbstrap posted a picture of on the other saddle ID thread you have going. david

Not sure about synthetic fleece but I've been told several times that saddles were made with felt linings (instead of fleece) during WWII due to material shortages. It seems that fleece was needed to make military equipment for the war. david

Went to ArtS page and noticed both of you ladies on there so I clicked and added you from his page. David

If it's for a customer I would say do it the way a suitcase handle is done (rolled and stitched so there is a round "handle" area in the middle)then put a buckle a couple of inches back from each end so that the ends go through the saddle rings and buckle back into buckles. If it's for personal use I have had good luck with a 1" wide leather dog collar (that's what my wife is using till I can get around to making one for her) david

I can't speak for nick but personally, I have the tools mentioned. I have recently purchased some barge glue but haven't had a chance to use it yet. My problem is I just get in a hurry and even if my holes are evenly spaced I still end up with crooked lines so I have to conciously make myself slow down and quit for the day before I get tired. Thanks for the advice David

I have one of those facebook pages too, until recently it was only for college classmates ( we were required to get an account as an experiment for one my classes) but in the last 4 months I've been finding people I went to high school with also. Here's a link to my page if anyone wants to add me. http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=232...amp;ref=profile Ok I added everybody above me except the top two. There are 324 caroline watsons on facebook and over 500 holly moores. David

Pella, I don't think the saddle that this post is about is the same as the one you found on ebay. They are rigged differently, the pommel is different, cantle and skirts are different and the seat and method of attaching the stirrups are different. The one on ebay is a South American saddle for sure ( I had one just like it but mine had a horn) Curbstrap- Plantation saddles were not originally designed as pleasure saddles. They were designed as a more suitable saddle, than the English saddle, for all day riding in the American landscape. They all had attachment points for breast collars, cruppers and bed rolls because they were working saddles ( they just weren't for roping cattle) One interesting note however is that they never had attachments for saddle bags, instead a whole new style of saddle bag was used with them. The saddle bags for a plantation saddle have hole in the strap that connects the two pockets, the cantle of the saddle went through that hole and the rider actually sat on part of the strap. The riders weight held the bags in place and they were very easy to remove when the rider dismounted. This new style bag also suited the way they were used in America better than the English saddle pockets that buckled to the saddle. David

First let me say I'm also a novice leather worker so take my opinion with that in mind... It looks to me like you suffer from the same afliction I do. Not knowing when to stop for the day. My projects start out great but if I don't tell myself "I'm only working on this for one hour" (or something like that) then I'll work on it till I lose my attention to details and I'll get poor results. If you notice on the right hand side (as you're looking at the first picture) your stitch line is very straight with a nice sharp corner to it. Then as you follow the bottom stitch line to the left the distance from the bottom of the backing to the stitch line increases ( the stitch line is not level across the bottom) which is causing your pocket to "twist" towards the right. The left corner is nowhere near as sharp as the right corner was. You'll also notice going up the left hand stitch line that the distance between the edge and the stitch line decreases making the mouth of the pocket wider than the bottom and increasing the look of "twist" in the pocket because it makes the gullet stick out on that side. Something that has worked for me for marking stitchlines out perfectly is to lay the leather down on a work surface ( peice of scrap board works for me) then I use a string tied to nails on the board as a guide to mark of the lines. This lets me look at where the lines will be before they are actually on the leather and I know they are straight and the corners are in the right place. I think that if you go back and mark a new stitch line on this one (start on the left side then do the bottom, you shouldn't have to redo the right side) you will be able to reuse a lot of the holes and fix the pocket. It's times like these that I get creative...I would have just set a small flap to match the angle of the pocket and said it was designed for carry on the left hip. lol David

Bruce, I agree that what you suggest is best but, not necessary. I have ridden with twisted stirrups where the buckle wasn't turned around and re attached with no side effects. In fact if you look closely at the photo she posted you'll notice that the blevins buckles on this saddle have not been turned around and re attached. David

Me too ray...I've got my pattern cut out for my three legged stool but I'm trying to figure out a braiding pattern to braid mine similar to the way this one is done. Of course I won't be doing all that tooling, I'd screw up too badly. What size lace did you use for your braid? Did you sew then braid around the sewing or will the braid be strong enough to hold a person? David

it could take weeks to explain all about bits, and I'm not the best explainer anyway so...here is a link to a thread on another forum where a young lady does a very good job of explaining the different bits and uses. Hope this link works http://forum.horsetopia.com/tack-apparel-e...ing-thread.html David

every time I've done them for people I've just went to the tack store and bought a set of saddle strings. I have found that they are just the right size and thickness to do the job. It helps to have the extra length when doing the whipping then cut off the excess after they are tied. Another tip is to moisten the stirrup leathers with a coat or two of neats foot oil before twisting them. Seems people neglect their stirrup leathers when maintaing their saddles and they tend to get dry and stiff, which makes them harder to get a good twist with. You also might want to leave a little length of string to grip so you can tighten the whipping in a couple of weeks. You wouldn't need to do that with brand new leathers but the older leathers will "break in" to the twist after a couple of weeks and leave your whipping loose. David

Well since it's been two days with no answer, I'll answer even though I'm not a saddle maker I do know how to do this. First you have to unhook the blevins buckle and turn the slide part ( the peice that locks it into place) around on stirrup leather. Now for the left stirrup you take the blevins buckle in hand and turn it counterclockwise ( so that if you are looking at it from the view we are seeing the saddle in the picture it will rotate from left to right). Once you get it turned all the way around re buckle it and then use a saddle string to whip it ( that's the term for the way that string is tied around the stirrup leather). Here is a good demo of one style of whipping. http://www.animatedknots.com/sailors/index...imatedknots.com For the right stirrup it's the same process but you turn the stirrup clockwise. Just remember that when you are turning the stirrups you want to turn them so that the part that was against the horse goes to the front of the saddle then to the out side (away from the horse). I hope that was an understandable explaination. David

Thank Don, He did all the work and documented it. I just shared the link that he shared with me. Seriously though, you're welcome and I hope it helps and inspires. david

AZ thunderpony-- This may not be exactly what you are looking for but you should take a look at this if you're wanting to build a half seat. It's from another forum where one of the members here posted a sort of blog on building his own dream saddle. http://shootists.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=2231386 Hope this helps David

I have actually been searching this topic since I joined the sight. I would love to see a tutorial from a bare tree to a complete ground seat. There have been several discussions on ground seats but if we could get a tutorial that shows how to cut the peices and where to cut them from on the hide it would be invaluable. That is the part that is generally skipped over in the other discussions, although they do a good job of explaining about casing and stretching the leather and about skiving it to make a seat pocket, they don't really mention beginning the ground seat at all. david

I was going to say almost the exact same thing...I know that you enjoy making certain types of items and you are really good at those items. The thing is those items only sell to certain types of people so maybe make a few items that will sell to a broader range of people. Just a suggestion, I would say do a few generic knife sheaths. Like a sheath for a buck 110, how many people do you know who have 110 that have lost the sheath for it. Maybe make a knife sheath and cell phone case to match and sell them as a set. Check forums that are sort of leather related to find ideas. I know on a knifemakers forum I saw a guy looking for some one to make him a sheath to hold a multi tool and a firesteel both. I don't know if you've seen the sheaths that Talfuchre has been posting but he is making those for guys who make custom knives and want to offer their knives with sheaths. Now sheaths may or may not be his favorite thing to make but they are selling and providing him money to make the things he does want to make. I guess I said all that to say sometimes you have to make the things that sell, so you can make the things you enjoy making. Hope this helps David