hidepounder

As I looked around my little space I couldn't find much in the way of old machinery to post pictures of...and then I saw these! They've served me pretty well over the years, however, I am not always able to control them the way I'd like to. Manufactured in the early 50's they have seen some wear, tear and abuse, but are still pretty serviceable. Bob

I can see it better with the close up photo...I think your right. And I agree about antiqueing without a resist...dangerous! If you talk to Rick I'd like to know what he did. I did some experimenting using copper leaf for highlights a while back. It looked real good, especially in flower centers! it was tedious though and not durable enough. Hadn't considered copper paint until this thread. Interesting idea! Bob

Steve, I'm jealous...website looks great! Can't wait to see it finished. Now how about some background on you, pics of the ranch and country. I think future clients should know that you are an experienced hand, applying your cowboying and horsemanship experience to build better saddles for other experienced hands! Bob

I use a breast collar and a back cinch also...it is gear used by everyone out here and I always assumed that everyone used both. As a roper, breast collars and back cinches are important gear for me. However, if a person was just doing casual trail riding, I can understand why a breast collar or back cinch could be eliminated. I've never seen a working cowboy out here without them...they wouldn't consider stepping in the saddle without them, and I wouldn't either, no matter what I was doing...but I can't say that I have always needed them...just hadn't considered not using them! In my humble opinion, however, I think that if you hang a rope on your saddle, you should be equipped with both...that's how I was taught. Through this forum, interestingly enough, I've discovered that quite a few people don't use either one...and in situations that I wouldn't consider being without them...but they're not wrong...they were just taught differently than I was. This leads me to believe that things are differrent in various regions for no other reason than tradition. And that's okay! There is always more than one way to skin a cat! If your saddle fits properly and you haven't found it necessary to add either piece of gear...don't worry about it! Personally, I would rather have have them and not need them, than need them and not have them! So, as was mentioned earlier, I guess the answer to the question is, it just depends! (I couldn't find that earlier thread either...it had a lot of good arguments worth considering!) Bob

Pat, I take alot of pictures of my pieces before I ship them out. I probably only use 10% of what I shoot, but I shoot everything I can, from as many angles as I can, in the largest format that I can. Ounce I have photgraphed a piece I use Adobe Photoshop Elements to create an album page which usually features a large photo of the piece, with smaller insets of the interior, backside, etc. I like this feature of Elements because I can create different backgrounds around the photo's, shadows and other effects which help to enhance the looks of the page. I also describe what the piece is, list any available options, include my contact info, etc. I have found this to be a very effective way to e-mail photos to prospective clients. I can send a number of pages at at one time and I can tailor what I send to each person. It's a little like sending a brochure, which will be my next project. I have also found it helpful to create pages with multiples examples of a paticular item. It allows the customer to consider a variety of styles or options. What usually happens is that the customer takes pieces from several different examples effectively designing their own piece for me to make. It's a win win for both of us. I also priint these pages out in 8x10 color glossys which I pack around with me in an organizer to show to anyone who expresses an interest. There is a learning curve with Photoshop Elements....there are probably easier programs to use out there...but I feel that the learning curve was well worth the effort. I use a simple Canon 5 magapixel camera, an inexpensive tri-pod and some inexpensive backdrops that I purchased from the local fabric store. The most important thing that I can express, however, is to REMEMBER TO BACK-UP YOUR FILES! I did not and am currently paying a heavy price for my procrastination! Otherwise I could have posted an example! Anyway...taking pictures is extremely important...even if you're not ready to do anything with them yet...you'll be glad you have them in the future. Best of luck! Bob

Jim, The dremel is a good idea! I always struggle with a set of little files...sometimes doing more damage than good. Great tip! Bob

Tom, You're not the first one to do that! It's like Kevin said, though, how particular are you? You could overlap a stitch or two and continue...the overlap will show if you look for it...especially with heavier thread. You could start in your last hole and keep on going...that will look better on top but will show on the bottom. It could also come undone on the bottom pretty easily. Or, pull the stitches, maybe back to the tip if you've already started down the other side, and re-sew through the same holes. That's what I do when I screw up....I'm getting pretty good at it! Good Luck! Bob

Tom, If I was using a bench stone I would sharpen it just like you would a knife...toward the cutting edge. It probably needs a little of the shoulder removed, just be careful not to take too much. I use a diamond hone to do mine or I put it a paper wheel which is mounted to a 1750 rpm grinder motor. I then take it to a couple different buffing wheels. Sometimes I use a bench mounted belt sander. Be careful not to get it too hot...it'll ruin the temper of the steel (if it is tempered). It's pretty easy to overheat using the machines. Hope this helps, Bob

Might try calling Bruce Cheaney, Cheaney Custom Saddles, in Gainesville, TX (940) 668-8607. Bob

I've had the same experience as most everyone else. I requested the sample magazine as soonas Jo posted it and got a renewal notice. I'm definitely not ecouraged to try them out either.

Have a Happy Bithday, Clay, and many more to come! Bob

Brent, I wish you had a close up photo of the saddle...it looks to me like NeatLac was applied with a brush to create the highlights and the rest of the saddle was antiqued without a resist. I used to do that years ago...haven't seen it done in some time (except on a few belts). Bob

Hi Alan, Jay is right, it is easier to use flower tap offs and fill in the blanks..........after you've had years and years of experience tooling!!!! I don't think it's the way to learn to draw. When you're starting out I think you should draw on paper or acetate and work on the pattern until you're satisfied. Like Greg and Ben, I also shade in the background whenever I draw a pattern. One of the things I find helpful is to make circles on file folders, cut them out and lay them out on your pattern. The circle should reperesent that which surrounds your flower, so you will want to make several of them. I like to draw a flower on the circle cutout just to help visualize the pattern. Orient the flower in the opposite direction on the opposite side of the cutout. Ounce you have several of these circles cut out, you can spread them around within the outline of your pattern. It shows you immediately where you will have odd shapes to fill in, whether or not a flower element will fit or not, get everything evenly spaced, define the flow of the pattern, identify areas to place leaves/acnathas/swirls, etc., etc. When it looks pretty good, trace round the cardboard circles, mark the direction of flow and then fill it all in. Draw your flowers in the center of your circles and draw in the vines and petals based on the circles you drew! This is probably an archaeic method but it works. In my opinion, one of the most helpful books a tooler can own is Sheridan Style Carving by Bob Likewise. In that book Bill Gardner explains drawing patterns and there's lots of photo's in the tutorial and a lot of pictures of work by several master toolers. He explains how to space elements out when drawing and how to keep a continuous flow. The fundamentals apply to all tooling, not just Sheridan style work. Good stuff! I'll bet it was fun watching Jay. It's amazing what toolers like he can do. Did he push his swivel knife instead of turning the piece around? That's always amazing to watch! Anyway, I hope this is helpful. Bob

Alan, That's a big tooling project to jump into! I hope this will help! I would like to see more petals coming off your vines and I would like them to extend farther into the pattern. You created a border and I think the petals and the other elements need to extend to it. Increasing the number of petals will help to fill in the background area and make the design more balanced. I would also like to see the cuts more elongated and tapered. There is nothing wrong with having several petals and stem elements lapping each other...they need to gradually taper into the main vine. There is enough room to add a flower at the top of the fender and another element could be added at the bottom at the stirrup leather. Feel pretty bruised!!! Please don't, it's a great first run at full tooliing. You were successfull in laying the pattern out and creating a flow from one flower to the other! In addition you incorporated other elements such as leaves and successfully branched them out of the main vine. The size of your flower is good and you maintained the circle which surrounds the flower! Good job! I'm going to go check out my local Thai restaurant...what could be be better than eating good food while developing tooling patterns! Bob

I agree with you Dave, steel is still the best, in my humble opinion! I think a lot of people gravitate to the RubyAt and ceramic blades because they haven't developed the skills to sharpen steel properly. I know I certainly went through that phase as well! Once I learned to sharpen my steel blades, I discovered I preferred them. That said, it's still important to buy a quality steel blade. I use Henleys and Bob Beards...so far they are the best I've found. I have not tried Pauls (Leather Wranglers) blades yet, however, I understand they are very good. Troy likes them, and that's quite an endorsement! I know Paul has certainly done a ton of research to determine the best steel to use for swivel knife blades. The important thing is to aquire the tools and skills necessary to sharpen your blades properly...your tooling will improve immediately! That's my story and I'm sticking to it! Bob

Good catch Greg!! I didn't know Ellis had done that. I learn something new here every day!

Vikti, I would cut out the piece to be tooled and glue it to a piece of 1/4" acrylic with rubber cement. Be sure to case the leather, slick it and cut it to shape first. When you're finished with it, strip it off of the acrylic, glue it to the lining (oversized) and then trim the lining to fit. You'll find that gluing to the acrylic will preserve the dimensions of the piece and it will go together much more easily. You definitely do not want to tool with the lining in place because you cannot control the stretch and the tooling will telegraph through to the lining. Using packing tape on the back of the tooled piece is an easy and inexpensive alternative to acrylic to control stretch, but it does not work as well. I only use it on belts or headstalls where the length of the piece makes it impractical to glue to the acrylic. Hope this helps, Bob

Jed, I use a stamp from Harpers on all my work. It has lasted for many years. They are a bit pricey, but well worth the money. Infinity Stamps makes them also. Jeff Mosby's stamps are very nice, faster to get and very reasonable. Daryl Barberousse also makes them, he's here on LW. I don't remember what material he uses. I'm not familiar with Barry King's stamps, I'm very anxious to visit with him at Wickenburg about them. Barry is a great guy and can make anything you can possibly imagine is his shop. If you're ever in Sheridan, it's a must see! I have discovered that it is necessary to have several size stamps for different uses. Obviously you will want a large stamp for saddles. You will probably want a medium size stamp for mid sized gear (dayplanners, briefcases, scabbards, etc.). I have discovered that having a small stamp for belts, headstalls and the like is really handy also. I am going to have a small "signature" stamp made to incorporate into my tooling patterns where a makers stamp might be distractive or inappropriate. I'm with Troy, Flat Hat is a great name! It definitely suggests cowboy/buckaroo using gear! Because you haven't "landed" yet, I think it would be wise to get one of the less expensive stamps and get that name out there! Name recognition is extremely important! When you do land and have grown a little you will definitely want a steel stamp. When you get rich and famous you'll want to look into incorporating makers plates made out of silver, into your projects! Good Luck, Bob

Thanks Mike, sounds like they both do the same things. I'm a tool junkie and have to know all about something new to me! LOL!

Somewhere in an earlier thread, Steve Brewer named a product they used to use, I can't rmember the name, but it was a wood laquer....he said it worked very well. That thread is only 2-3 months old, so it shouldn't be hard to find. Also, Johanna said that NeatLac is just Tolulene (spelling?). That would also be worth looking into. I was greedy enough to buy all the NeatLac left in Phoenix, so I'm good for a couple of years! Bob

Thanks for the kind words, Rusty. That worksheet really is valuable. If I ever get my computer back, I will post one.... Bob

I've used PhotoShop Elements for some time. It's a great program! There is learning curve as someone else mentioned, but I can't imagine needing anything more comprhensive unless you are a professional! It does way more than most of us technically challenged leather workers are capable of using. I've found it's great for making "catalog" pages of your work which is easily reduced in size so that you can e-mail professional looking photo's of your work. Mine include descriptions of the piece, available options, pricing, contact information, the whole can of worms! I keep these photo's in a file and can re-send them to anyone...anytime. Bob

If you really want to find yourself sitting in the middle of the arena, go roping in a Ralide tree! I have seen first hand what a saddle horn will do to a human leg when it comes out of the tree...it goes thru it...not over it! Not to mention what happen to your hands! PURE HORROR! I'm not a saddlemaker, but I am a roper and I'm with Greg on this one...he said it best! Bob

Steve, I looked at the Neubert cutter through the thread you provided, but I can't see from the pic's how it really works. Does it do more than the LaceMaster? Bob

Wow Doug, that's really nice! You both should be proud of that! Great work! Bob