hidepounder

Ferg I appreciate what you are saying but I have to disagree with your philosophy on this one. I admit I'm prejudiced here.....I like Bob's tools and we're friends. But based on your reasoning none of the saddle makers or craftsmen who have year or longer waiting list should be advertising their products. I know I would be in trouble if I had to produce custom orders in a matter of days or weeks. IMHO, if you make a product that the consumer is willing to wait a year for, there is nothing lame about that. Bob is very up front about his turn around time. If you order a Dosier knife you will probably wait a year to get it. Is that lame? The other tool makers who are selling tools are either mass producing them or they don't enjoy the demand for their tools that Bob does. He prefers to build each tool himself by hand....I just don't see what is lame about waiting for custom had made tools. Just my opinion from a different point of view........ Bobby

If you could post some pictures it would be helpful. What antique product are you using and what process are you following?

That's fantastic, I'm anxious to meet you! You're going to have a good time! Bobby

Sorry, Buddy, I jumped to a conclusion I shouldn't have, LOL! I can be a little dense some times! :poofan:

Buddy, It's a unlikely you'll find a complete tooling pattern that will fit your next saddle because there is no standard for sizes. Fenders, seats, jockeys, etc vary in size and shape with every maker, so you will most likely need to modify anything you might find. Old sytle tooling patterns will probably be even harder to find. If you can find an old saddle with a pattern you like, you can take a rubbing of the pattern and then modify it to suit your needs. That would be a really good place to start. You could look in old saddle catalogs also and copy one you like. Another thought is that if you are just starting out, you may want to practice your tooling for awhile before committing yourself to such a large and difficult tooling project. Meanwhile someone on the forum here may have what you need....you never know. Good luck with the project...we would all like to see what you come up with! Bobby

Yes, I do all my finger cutting after the lining is glued, sewn and the edges are burnished.

I apply the paste, full strength, with a piece of trimmed wool skin. I use them to remove the paste also. I rub the paste in thoroughly and then continue wiping it off with the wool skin until no more residue appears on the wool skin. If you want more darkening in the depressed portions of the tooling, try wrapping paper towels around a flat stick like a paint stir stick to remove the paste. This will leave paste in the depressed areas which you can allow to set a little longer before removing. When you begin removing the rest of the paste take care to only wipe as deep as you need to. You might also want to try thinning the paste with Tan Kote or mineral spirits to get a thinner consistency when applying. Hope this helps.... Bobby

Wes, you can buy it through Panhandle Leather....it's called Clear Lac which is the manufacturer's own label. I believe Springfield Leather carries that label also. Or you can contact Sheridan Leather Outfitters. They carry it under their own label which is Wyo-Shene. Bobby

I usually use one coat of NeatLac but I make sure I get it thoroughly coated. For oil I use EVOO. Bobby

Hi Ralph and thanks! Hope to see you again this year! The finish on this belt is a simple dye and antique job. Here are the steps I follow when antiquing: 1- clean with oxalic acid. 2 - dye the background. 3 - oil (allow to dry over night or longer). 4 - seal with NeatLac. 5- apply antique paste, remove, polish with wool skin. 6- seal with NeatLac. That's the exact process I use. It's really pretty simple and it's worked for me for many years. Hope this helps..... Bobby

I had pretty good luck skiving the edges very thin before gluing and then I just edged and burnished like I normally do. Came out fine..... Bobby Pretty work Shooter!

You're right Lutz, we are fortunate and we forget about it sometimes! Bobby

Lutz.....Saddle Lac is not the same as Neat Lac. And Ferg is right, Clear lac and Wyo Shene are the same as Neat Lac and are available from Sheridan Leather Outfitters, Panhandle Leather and Springfield Leather, among others. Bobby

I use fitting belts also. I have one which is 1-1/2" wide and another which is 1" wide. When ever possible I have the customer put his buckle on my measuring belt. That way I have one less measurement to keep track of. When using a measuring belt, have the customer determine the length of billet they prefer by referring to the appropriate hole along the belt. When laying out the new belt, use the measuring belt to measure with. I don't do phone measurements. If my customer is not available I send the belt to them. I have shipped measuring belts as far away as Spain and when the new belt was finished it fit the customer perfectly. It's the only way to be sure!!!!! Bobby

Thanks Tspear! Belts are one of the few items that I don't glue to acrylic. I use clear packing tape because it is so much easier to manage than a long piece of plexiglass. Bobby

Thanks Chris! Believe it or not I actually understand most of that, LOL! If a person were to take the time to build enough elements and combinations of elements you could basically "cut and paste" and then modify or manipulate what ever was necessary to tie it all together. However it sounds like more than what I want to try to take on at this point anyway. It's amazing what you can do though and you really fooled me, LOL, I thought the photo was your original! Someone borrowed one of my finger carving patterns to use for a class and he copied the photo and turned it into line art and sent it back to me. I was really impressed and wondered about doing a floral pattern. Anyway...very cool stuff...thanks! Bobby

Now I have even more questions. Did your program take that photo and convert it to line art? And is it possible to draw floral tooling patterns with these programs? I don't see anyone doing this and always assumed it was way to labor intensive or difficult to do with a program. Bobby

I use rubber cement to glue with. I'm not concerned about the glue residue when I'm finished because I line everything, however, I'm told if you cover the back of the leather with packing tape and then glue that it works well and eliminates most of the glue residue. I use 1/4" plexiglass and that works well for everything except my rope bags. They are 21" in diameter and enough leather to still cause a little warping. I've been living with it but I'm about to go to a heavier piece of plexiglass. That rocking makes me crazy too!

I sure hope you'll show us some of your drawings done on the computer. That is something I would REALLY like to learn!!!!!! Bobby

Sorry...I didn't mean to be misleading....I remember Earl from our Junior rodeo days as kids, and I have always known of the family and the shop, but we aren't personally acquainted....wish we were. However I'm certainly acquainted with their work!!!! BTW...there's a good Utube video about them... Bacon Boots & Saddles Bobby

Chris, I think you have the makings for a great pattern! It has a lot of possibilities, but I really don't see anything "Sheridan" about it. To me it represents tat art which I think converts very nicely into tooling patterns. I think you should run with it! Can't wait to see the finished pattern! Bobby

Doug...you were right....the stitching pony is Bob's of Bob Douglas Tools and it's been available for a few years that I am aware of. Vandy offers a full blown sit on it stitching horse and a really nice one. I've been afraid to ask her what they run, LOL! Vandy (Bob's daughter) and her husband Luke, own Sheridan Leather Outfitters. They are two separate businesses, however this last year Bob has moved his tool business from his shop into Luke and Vandy's store and they have also decided to combine everything at the shows. Bob has a catalog but not a website.... Sheridan Leather has a website SHERIDAN LEATHER OUTFITTERS & DOUGLAS TOOLS (for those of you that haven't been seen it) but not a catalog, as I remember, anyway. They are all really great people!!!!

Doug, I have a very old decrepit stitching horse that I use when absolutely necessary and so I haven't used Bob's stitching pony, but I think it is a good product and have considered purchasing one for my bench. It's well made! The only thing stopping me is the really nice stitching horse that Vandy (Bob's Daughter) is selling at Sheridan Leather Outfitters!!! Bobby

Dennis, I read all the responses to your question with great interest. There were a lot of suggestions but for my part they were all a little hollow. Yes there are other products that you can draw on for a lot less money, but none of them allow you to trace multiple times onto leather. You can use any of the tracing papers, but you either have to transfer the pattern onto tracing film (which is what I do) or you have to cover the paper with packing tape or with shelf paper. Vellum or tracing paper alone, won't stand up to a stylus during the tracing process, nor will it withstand the moisture from the leather. Most papers won't! You can cover the back side of your pattern with packing tape, but packing tape expensive and somewhat time consuming, especially because you need to cover both sides if you hope to be able to use the paper twice. For me the shelf plastic is so heavy that I can't get the clean clear lines that I need, to be able to cut my pattern without having to do a lot of re-drawing. Sheet protectors also are too thick to do a nice job of transferring patterns. You can cover the leather with plastic wrap which is a real pain, but you still need something to protect your paper from the stylus. So for my purposes, I consider Tandy's tracing film to be cheap. It's large enough to do bigger projects. You can draw right on the film, or trace a pattern onto it. It can be used many times without coming apart. I think it's one of the better products that Tandy has ever come up with and having tried the alternatives, I still prefer to purchase it by the roll. I have patterns on Tandy tracing film that are 30 years old and are in as good shape today as they were the day I drew them. I have the greatest respect for all of you who use alternatives, but I think for the money, time savings and durability, Tandy tracing film is my first choice! That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!...... Bobby

Earl and I junior rodeo'd during the 60's. I have a lot of memories of Globe, the Bacons and an era which too few folks had the opportunity to experience. Ed and Earl are great craftsmen and I've known of their shop since I was a little boy. I worked at N. Porters under Guy Reidhead while I was in high school and I worked several years for Wm N. Porters while in high school and college. Believe it or not, some of what I was exposed to actually stuck, LOL!!!! But if any of my Porter's need work, I'll be doing it myself. Again, welcome to the forum...you'll love it here!!!! Bobby