BondoBobCustomSaddles

Just plain old Listerine, works well. As for the lemon juice, I have to be careful, 'cause every time I go to the fridge to get it, my wife chases me out of the kitchen with a rolling pin!!!!. Bob

Like Bruce said, I too use Listerine in my mixture that I case with. It does a real good job of keeping down the mold and since some of my tooling can be spread over several days to a week for one panel, the possibility for mold is pretty good. Between the Listerine and lemon juice I really don't have a problem. Oh yea, I also use some dishwashing liquid soap in my case mixture Bob

Simply said, get the best "tool" you can afford at the time. There will be plenty of times when you will "make do" with something less than you would like because there is just not enough money to go around. Every once and a while, you will spring for that "good-un" and you will never be sorry. Just my opinion. Bob

Tony, just a little tip that works for me. The instructions I got when I bought my CB4500 was to hold the top thread when starting the stitch. I found that got me going ok, but: I did not like the first couple of stitches cause the bottom thread pulled up some and didn't give me the look I wanted so, what I do now is I hold both the top and bottom at the same time and start backwards for a couple of stitches then go forward and it gives me a nice clean start and like wise for the end, I go to the end and then back a couple of stitches. Hope that helps you get the results you want. By the way, sooner or later Wiz will chime in and the advice he gives on sewing machines and their use is as good as it gets. Merry Christmas! Bob

First, Jake, nice job on your stand. I have been thinking about making a new one for some time and yours gives me some ideas to add to my new one. One thing for sure is to incorporate a jig for aligning rigging. The underpinning of the one you built will lend it's self to doing just that. Second, Troy's comments and detailed approach is very welcome. When you can get good advice from someone who "makes it the way you want yours to be" you are always ahead of the game. Thanks to Troy for the advice. Last, as the time is near, here's wishing all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Bob

Aw Ferg, I know that the ineptitude of others can be frustrating, But; it's Christmas time and perhaps they are helpers form a local special needs home!! We have both seen more than our share of this stuff, but; at this point I guess there is not much more you can do other than what you already did. Merry Christmas! Bob

Simply put, I stay as busy as I want to be. Got retired against my will when I wasn't ready for it about 8 years ago. By then I had a pretty good clientele built up and it kept me going till I could adjust to living on a fixed income. In the mean time, I worked at the race track for 3 years repairing and making tack for the trainers, and riders there. That's where I got a taste of a real leather business, working 10 hours a day 7 days a week and never being able to get ahead of it (600 horses tear up a lot of stuff!), or get the money I really though it was worth. All in all it was a good experience, and kept me going. Now I have scaled back so that I can concentrate on high end work that I like to do. And again, I stay as busy as I want to, but; leave myself time to ride and enjoy my horses in the summer. Funny thing, since I got "settled in" and found I could make it without a regular job, I have received calls form both Ford and Lear, asking me to come back and work for them 'cause they needed folks with my skill set and they didn't have them since they had laid them all off in order to cut to the bottom line. You can guess what I told them! Bob

One last thing, there is something that I do that gets me a long way towards having all layers even. I try to make sure that there is extra material out past where I want the edge to be, on all layers and then after stitching, I trim them to the desired edge together. Then I use Bob Parks' method to burnish. Like Jason says, you are going to put the work in, either in front or afterward. Might as well do it up front. Someone once told me, find the guy that gets the results you want, then, do it the way he does it. Personally, look at Bob Parks' work, or Keith Siedels' work. That's the way I want my work to look. Just my two cents. Bob

I would just cut the stitches, like I would for a re-skirting job on a saddle, then cut the layers apart where glued with a thin bladed knife. If you are careful you can get it apart without ruining all your work. Then reassemble it including the step you have left out. It's a little work, but; you will have it done right, and that's what counts. Bob

Nice work! looks really nice and professional. Bob

I use weldwood or 3M spray adhesive for belts. once bonded and stitched it will be good to go. If I feel the need to stick it together with pressure, like the old cook in lonesome dove said " I can whack it if I want to!" LOL. If you making more than one at a time, line them up next to each other and spray them all at once. Makes things go a lot faster with out sacrificing quality. Bob

I have several draw gages of different persuasions, and a couple of wooden ones too. A while ago I broke down after 20 years of using them, and bought a plough gage from Bruce. Now I can't imagine using anything else. The draw gages are just collecting dust hanging on the wall. Nothing like a good tool!! !Bob

Well you are on your way!! Keep us posted. Bob

Just an additional note on refurbishing that saddle. I do every thing the same way as Randy with one caveat. I take the extra virgin oil and mix it with pure neatsfoot about 1:1. Then I heat it up,and; apply with a piece of scrap sheep skin. It seams to absorb into the leather better. Hop that helps. Bob

Always a treat to get to look at your work. I can only say that work like yours and a couple of others on here are what keep me going. Some day I am going to get out to Wyoming and am sure going to make it a point to stop into you shop. Bob

Very very nice. Your artwork is ... well artwork. You can be proud of that scabbard! Obviously many hours of love have gone into it and it shows. Again VERY Nice. Bob

Cutting tools from Terry Kniperschield rate up there with the best of them. Bob

I rig my saddles the same way that I have seen them done and was taught. No nylon strap etc. I have rebuilt, and worked on easily over a thousand saddles probably more like several thousand, and aside from English saddles and excersize saddles for the race track, I have never seen nylon used in the rigging. That's not to say it isn't done, just not seen it nor would I used it myself. The old fashioned way has been good for all these years and I can't see doing it any other way. Bob

Have you loosened up the screw that holds the tensioner discs against each other? I am not an expert here, but; Ihave a CB4500 and I use it a lot, and that's one to the things that I do to adjust tension on the top thread. When you push the foot down to raise the presser foot up that is supposed to disengage that tensioner. You can also try raising the foot with the lever that permanently holds the foot up. That way you know you have it all the way up. Hope that helps? Bob

Another method that I use is to first get the piece to as close of a shape as possible, then lightly mark the border with a scribe so I can stamp/tool to within about 1/4". Once the tooling is complete, I reassess the shape of the piece (fender, jockey, skirt etc.) recut the shape to meet the original intent and then finish the border of the piece. That way I am not using glue, tape of what have you on the piece, which can be a pain on some of the saddle parts I tool. Just another option for you to consider. Bob

Simply put, if the customer is happy , then you nailed it. Good job! Bob

Well OK guys, I wasn't going to post on this one since your info is correct, except for the throat latch, I use 44" !!! LOL Bob

Tamer, if I am not mistaken, what you really need and want is the same thing that I always advise beginners as they start out to make their first saddle. Get the Al Stohlman books, the encyclopedia of saddle making. To me this is the most understandable and complete set of saddle making books you can get. Once you have them, you will use them forever. Mine are still in use and I have been making saddles of over 20 years now. There are charts in them that save you the time of compiling your own information along with really good illustrations. Bob

As for how much undercut will go away, and if you want to finish it or not, since the horn is usually the second thing you do in the building sequence (at least in mine) that if it isn't enough, or too much you can always do it over. Nothing lost, but: time. A simple price to pay for some good experience. Bob

I have not seen the style you are talking about, but; I would caution you to be sure it is made of very strong materials such as stainless steel. Especially in the swivel area, as that is a key point for stress and wear, and if it gives out, well you know where you will end up!! Personally if I were going to be riding many different types of horses as you do, I would get a saddle that has triple rigging rings and use that style to set up a saddle for each horse that I ride that day. Just my two cents. Bob