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Hello and welcome to the addiction. Have you ever considered heroin? It might be cheaper. I'm just a bit north of ya'll in BC, 'bout an hour out of Vancouver. You aren't kidding on casing leather Havamal. I started learning to work leather further east in the much drier Kootenay region of the rockies. When I got home I had to totally relearn and experiment how to case the leather properly before tooling...the first pieces I tried casing using the method I originally learned went moldy before drying enough to tool! Sometimes it seems like the air here is damp enough on it's own...lol.

My #1 hate is pricing the finished product. I know all the whys and hows for pricing it, and I know that it's worth the higher number but my nature wants to give everybody a good deal. Doesn't mean I always do sell low, just that I WANT to. Sucks to need to make money to live. My #2 hate is stitching anything 10+ stitches per inch. Dang english bridles...I swear the person/s who decided they should be stitched so small was OCD.

Thanks for the history, that was interesting IMO though, linen thread is outdated. The main thing it's good for is that it doesn't cut your fingers up as easy as synthetic thread does when handstitching. It also can "fluff up" a bit once sewn and looks a bit prettier. Oh...and if you like to pull on your thread ridiculously hard the linen will break before your leather does so you don't end up with two holes becoming one. I like my synthetic thread and I still do use it for all my handstitching...I just wear a bit of suede on my fingers to protect them. That's when I remember. Thread cuts are way worse than papercuts.

My love of leather started with obsessively cleaning my tack over the years and buying old tack then shining it up better than new. I couldn't afford a new/fancy/good brand name saddle when I first started riding but I could afford the dusty/moldy/grimy 30+ year old used brand name saddle...and if the seller saw it after I had it for a few weeks they would've doubled the price Please don't use Leathersheen, Resolene or any other sealer product on a saddle. Won't wreck it but it's really not a "correct" thing to do...and it does seal the pores so that it won't absorb any oil until it wears off. Might also make the saddle a bit slippery. Basically, If saddle is used and dirty, wash with a sponge, water and glycerin soap. Wait to dry. This is important otherwise the next steps will seal in any dirt and you won't have a nice finished product. If saddle has been washed and/or is dry then oil it with 100% pure neatsfoot oil. Use a brush or sponge and apply til it won't absorb any more. Avoid any linen thread, particularly if the saddle is fairly old. Won't rot it like the myth states unless it's already weak from age then it might help speed up the process. If it's synthetic thread or newer linen thread just oil away without worry. Oil won't provide shine though unless you oil past the point that the leather absorbs, then it'll be shiny and wet and ruin your pants the first time you sit on it. Wait 12-48 hours depending on your climate for the oil to soak in. Overnight was fine when I was in a dry climate but in my current humid climate it's no less than 24 hours. Then use a bit of LeatherNew sprayed on a sponge. Sponge saddle in circular motions. Wait to dry (an hour or a few, not as long as the oil though) then go back and buff in circles with very soft cloth. I actually use ShamWows to buff. Works great! Then you'll have a nice, clean, well oiled saddle with a brilliant shine. It's all about the elbow grease

Yeah...do your gussets with a thinner chrome tan leather. Like a chap leather. The thick veg tan is for the front and back (and divider) of the bag and doesn't flex when being sewn. The thinner chrome tan then can flex and be contact cemented to the front/back panels before sewing. At least that's how I've done saddlebags in the past. I wouldn't even attempt a veg tan gusset on a bag, even a thin one that's been wet formed. Seems like a hassle. That's just me though. You probably want the veg tan for it's stiffness to help protect the laptop (a bit) against crushing though. If I ever were to attempt this (which at this point I still wouldn't) I'd probably skive the edges as thin as I could get then maybe put a "V" cut on the inside of the leather where it needs to bend. As well as wet form of course.

Real English bridle the answer is no. Some (all?) North American "English" bridle, yes. I'm currently stamping a western headstall (basket weave) out of some of Weaver's "Chahin" bridle leather. Despite seemingly not taking on much water for casing, it's stamping crisper than any skirting/tooling leather I've ever used.

Thanks so much for the replies I shall check out W&C and see if I can get some samples sent. I've also found a local leather supplier that I'm going to give a call to see what they have. Maybe I'll get lucky and find what I need to get these orders done to -my- satisfaction. Right now I've got repair orders for English bridle parts and replacement orders for heavy draft horse show harness parts...I'd really like the pieces I do to be equal (if not superior in quality) to the rest of the bridle/harness and not wear out and get ratty looking earlier because all I could find was 'soft' leather! That said, I'm currently making a western headstall out of the chestnut "English" bridle I got from Weaver. Despite it seemingly not taking much water for casing, it stamps up crisper than any skirting/tooling leather I've ever stamped. Then I dyed it dark brown...without using any deglazer...

I'd mail every company selling leather in North America for samples but I'm not entirely sure that the samples they'd send would give me a good enough idea of how their leather would work for my purposes. So I'll ask here in hopes that somebody's already done my research for me and wouldn't mind sharing the results.... I am specifically asking about hot-stuffed leathers, bridle and harness leather for tack making. Mostly strap goods. I DID buy a couple Chahin "English" Bridle backs from Weaver a while back. It's gorgeous leather...but not really good for making bridles out of! I can get a nice burnish on it but the leather is just too soft and the edges rough back up really quickly once a buckle is dragged across them a few times. Not to mention the buckle makes an impression in the leather and EVERYTHING makes an impression in the leather. You touch it with your finger lightly and leave nail marks! I am thinking of making some bags with what I have left...seems like it might suit that purpose better than strap work. From what I've read here in other postings, this seems to be pretty typical of North American bridle leathers. So question #1 is: Do I -really- have to go overseas for some decent bridle leather that I can make bridles out of? Ideally, I'd really love to find a Canadian supplier of something I can work with... Question #2 is: I have recently had some orders for harness parts and am wanting to order some black harness. Am I going to have the same problem? Can harness leather made in North America -actually be used- for making harnesses?!!! Question #3: If I can find harness leather suitable for making harnesses, could I split it down to 10oz and use it for bridles too? What is the main difference between bridle and harness leather anyhow? I keep seeing "English" bridle being advertised as suitable for tooling...I don't want that stuff!!! I want something with a firm temper and durable. Something that actually requires me heating up my tools to put a mark in it. And ideally something a bit less costly than ordering in some Sedgewick's. I'm just starting out and trying to keep my costs manageable while building up my inventory.

One or the other is the basic rule. Any programs designed to do the same thing will usually not play nicely together (particularly firewall and anti-virus programs but sometimes anti-spyware too, I've seen it.) If you find you have something that one doesn't remove...get the other, use it and delete one. It's kinda like a condom, two is not more effective than one and doubling up can cause both to fail miserably. If you don't have the skills to get it for free then you don't deserve it free. I googled the last one and recommend nobody else do so. MY EYES!!! :brainbleach:

I don't really need to clean the leather in most cases unless I have a greasy spot or need to remove a finish to re-dye another colour. When that happens I use a bit of cheapo nail polish remover on a sponge or cotton ball. Works great for me and it's easy to find.

My personal recipe of programs that I have on my computers and put on all my friend's computers when they kill them and call me in a panic is: AVG free, Zonealarm free, and Ad-Aware Free. Ad-Aware free in my opinion is the #1 MOST IMPORTANT! No other spyware removal program will do IMO. With these three programs you can download pr0n to your heart's content without having to explain to your wife/partner the next morning why the computer isn't working anymore. A hint though: If your computer is a tad bit on the old or slow side you want to make sure you don't install all the extras offered with the programs. The basic components is all you really need. As pointed out above, if you have a router you don't even really need the firewall. I used to work for <bigname computer manufacturer> as their lowly outsourced Canadian tech support (also known as the "thank gawd you're not Indian" tech support) and I couldn't bring myself to sell the crappy programs they offered. Particularly after a call I got where the customer had an obvious spyware issue, bought the recommended program from another tech support agent which did NOT catch the spyware and I had to get her to download Ad-aware for free which fixed it. I then helped her uninstall our crappy program we sold her (for $40+ dollars) and told her to use the installation CD for a frisbee if she wanted because that's all it was good for.

Very inventive and beautiful work!

Thank you all muchly for the feedback. Now I guess I gotta get busy and go shop around...*groan.*

With antique? http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/home/department/leather-dye/2607-134.aspx?feature=Product_9