davnasca

Go2tex: Thats probably just it on the cantle binding. Like I said I started over once and I totally forgot to look for a stretchy piece of belly when I cut the second binding. I just took it out of something I had laying about. Ah well, live and learn. Thanks for the tip on the jocks too. Just an update: I ran to the local ag supply store and picked up their very last 8 oz bottle of neatsfoot oil. It was just enough to get a nice second coat. Currently the saddle is sitting outside and waiting for some Buffalo sunshine (I'm back home in WNY right now) to do its work. As if... we're getting at best random 5 minute periods of sun right now. Ha.

Whew. After a long five month process and a truly hectic and sleep deprived past week, I am done with my first saddle! First the basic specs: 15" Ray Hunt Wade tree from Timberline Half Double fenders Half Breed stamped (minus the cantle binding) with J. Watts Navajo Diamond stamp Its been a fun and trying time and leatherworker.net has been a fabulous resource. For the record I use J. Watts video series with a bit of guidance from a rancher with some saddle making experience. Things I'm not so happy about and problems I ran into: -The cantle binding, I opted not to stamp it from the get go because I have no clue how to go about it and since the saddle is for me and me alone, it doesn't bother me from an aesthetic point of view. Forming and sewing it were at best miserable. I had to start over once and I don't think I skived the binding thin enough the second time and couldn't form it with out major wrinkles on the bottom. I ended up breaking down and putting a relief cut low on the near side. I know thats not too cool, but I was frustrated and will walk away with a lesson. The dark spots in the picture are from when I used a vice clamp in a vain attempt as smoothing wrinkles. I'm waiting on some oxalic acid to take care of that. The sewing looks great from the top, but underneath the cheyenne roll, looks pretty abysmal. By the end of the cheyenne roll it was looking decent so next time I'm hoping I can do a bit better on it. Also, were the cantle binding meets with the ear cuts is not nearly as smooth as I would like -the off side of the fork, for some reason, wouldn't stamp right. Maybe I had it cased poorly, maybe the fibers got too stretched/ compressed during the fitting process, or maybe my draw down stand wasn't solid enough to take the continued abuse of a 36 oz mallet. Whatever the reason, the impressions were not quite deep nor burnished enough. -I had to use a frog on the skirts instead of lacing because I cut them at a bit too severe of an angle and if I laces them flush up against each other, they might sore a horse -Jockeys aren't quite tight enough Other than these things, I'm pretty thrilled to have finished my first saddle and happy about the product. Below are some links to pictures and any advice and criticism would be most welcome. I have literally hundreds of pictures from along the way so if anyone wants to see how I did anything to pinpoint where I went wrong or for their own reference, just ask. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3640/367654...b574509.jpg?v=0 http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2438/367718...a22717c.jpg?v=0 http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2548/367572...276f0b8.jpg?v=0 http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2641/367571...9046501.jpg?v=0 http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2638/367651...54a13bb.jpg?v=0 Tomorrow I take it on on its first ride! One of this summer's projects is a nice pair of eagle beak taps and some braided reins and a headstall to complete the outfit. Thanks and let the advice roll in, David P.S.- Its still awaiting its second coat of oil (and some sunshine) to even things up and darken it. Sadly, when I flew with the finished saddle and some of my tools back home from college, the TSA impounded my neatsfoots because it is flammable so I gotta pick some more up.

Everything else is going quite well actually, I'm following the Jeremiah Watt video series and I have the gullet, cantle back, groundwork and swell cover in. I've been taking pictures all along and when I'm done I'll post. I'm worried that if I lift and reblock the skirts, then the corners wont lay up nice in the hand hold and if I just lift the trailing end of the skirts, they wont be level with the ground. What if I made the frog out out a lighter more flexible leather? I have some nice 10 oz stuff thats pretty soft and flexible. I also remember seeing a saddle on this forum (I think, I could be completely making this up) with skirts that didn't meet behind the cantle, they were rounded. I believe they were called swallow tail skirts. Is that an option? Thanks!

Is it possible to use a frog for the skirts? I didn't cut quite enough wedge on my skirts and if I lace them they will curl down and I'm afraid it'll sore the horse. If I don't lace them, then there will be about a 3/4" gap between the two skirts at the back. I figure if I put a frog on them, I can adjust the angle to be appropriate without the huge gap. Is this something that can be done/ are there any issues with doing this? Is there another way to go about this issue short of cutting new skirts? Thanks and sorry to drag up this old post.

Carving (which is my true love in leatherwork) the saddle is essentially out of the question. This is really the only chance I have to learn the mechanics of saddlery, and like I said, my caving isn't good enough yet. I know custom tools wont help that. I'm really just taking about getting a custom border stamp or geometric made by my cousin, just one stamp. Plus, buying a Jeremiah Watt geo or border tool would run me about $70, this way it would be next to free. I wouldn't of even thought of it if he didn't offer. Is this at all feasible?

I do practice sheridan style, its just that that I'm building the saddle in the coming months and my skill is not to the point where I want to put it on something that I'm laying out a grand to make. I don't want a saddle that could be worth $3,000 even as just a rough out to be ruined with sub par carving. I also do practice basket weave stamping. Its just that I don't want a design that I personally am not attracted to on something that I'm laying out a grand to make and will have my whole life.

Thanks for your help everyone. Just to clarify my position on the tooling of the saddle... I would LOVE to do very traditional floral carving. However, the gent I'm learning from wont let me do that the first time. He doesn't have the experience to teach me and is adverse to letting me figure it out on my own as I am not well versed in traditional carving. I find sheridan style carving GORGEOUS, it manages to be very "traditional" but also, in my opinion at least, highly artistic. From a purely aesthetic point of view, I do not find basket weave attractive (it has nothing to do with the "easily duplicated" look-- I also am not a fan of oak and acorn carving). I do really like the look of border stamped saddles. I even like the look of plain meander borders, I would just like it better if it was a border that couldn't be duplicated by anyone with craftool-xxx. I'm not proposing to reinvent the wheel by getting something made by my cousin. In all likely-hood it would just be a meander, or something of the sort, with a slight, slight twist. Plus it would save me a good seventy bucks from buying a quality tool. Also, this saddle (which is really the only saddle I will build in the foreseeable future) would be for myself. I am a college student and the saddle I will be building will be a "independent study" of sorts. I do see myself pursuing my leather work hobby (and possibly saddlery) as a hobby for the next few years, but can't imagine a scenario where I have a business where I take orders until I'm graduated and settled down. So, its not that I think basket weave or stock borders are "too simple" for me or that I don't respect tradition. I do immensely. Sorry if this comes off as defensive, I'm just trying to clarify where I'm coming from. -David

Hey all, The gentleman I'm building my first saddle with advised me to avoid floral carving for the first time. I guess it's a smart choice because I have no formal training in carving, and he doesn't carve. But, I'm pretty adverse to doing something that's been done before, like basket weave or a plain meander border. I know I could buy production tool(s) and find a creative way to use them, and thats definitely a possibility. Just for reference, the saddle will be a wade half-breed or a wade with border stamping (he also advised against stamping/ tooling the seat for the first time). My cousin works in a machine shop and has offered to make me some tools (I would trade him some nice leather thingy). Has anybody has this done before? Is this feasible? What is the best metal? How deep should the impression I want be? Thanks in advance cause you guys are the most helpful on the net! -David

Do you know if he has a catalog or contact info? Thanks everyone. EDIT: By he I mean Wayne Jueschke, sorry.

It seems most people are extolling the virtues of Barry King, Hackbarth, and Bob Beard tools on this forum. Are the Watt tools of the same quality, specifically the stamping tools? The gentleman that I am learning saddlery from is a fan of the Watt tools and encouraged me to take a look at them over my Craftools. There are some stamping tools that I really love (especially some of his geometrics) and I like that I can see them all in the Weaver catalog and order them from Weaver. So are they comparable? PS- I am in love Jeremiah Watt's work! He has some of the prettiest saddles on his site (ranch2arena.com). I kinda like the 'contemporary' edge to some of them, not to bound in the tradition of sheridan carving, but with a definite nod to the classic.

I would not suggest the rawhide though, perhaps I was expecting something different, but the lace I got was PAPER thin and full of unsightly glued splices. I could easily break a lace by pulling and the glued used on the splices made the areas impenetrable to water, and thus, made braiding very difficult. Also, it was goat hide, not cow, though I'm not sure if this matters terribly.

Wow, thats lovely! Great carving! Nothing like working under a deadline though... Just out of curiosity is it common to see the California half double / overlaid stirrup leathers on swell fork saddles? I've only seen them on wades and other slick forks.

Thanks, I "discovered" the modeling spoon about a month after I did this. I made this about a year ago, when I found out that I got in to this school, but unfortunately, this is the only pic of my stuff I have. I'm terrible at documenting stuff (never thought I had a use for pictures, plus, its easier to imagine things as awesome when you don't have to relive your mistakes!), and I've done quite a bit since. Most of it has been gifts too, so i can't go back and take pics. Now that I have a place to receive criticism and post pics, I'll be more religious in documentation. As for staying in school- don't worry "wife material" is pretty scarce at this school so no worries there!

Wait, I guess I did figure out how to post a pic, completely on accident I assure you. So yeah the pic is of a leather folder I made. The Swinging (upsidedown) "T" is my colleges brand. I bit off a bit more than I could chew with this one as far a carving goes. The beveling is not as smooth as I would like it, and the design is way too complex for my skill. That being said, this was my first attempt at western style floral carving.