BondoBobCustomSaddles

Steve, As always, your work is clean and well executed. Really nice rig! Bob

As I said before," Its your thing, do what you wanna do", however; food for thought, sometime ago I heard a comic or TV show host say, a tasteful tattoo somewhere on a woman is " cute" now, but ; in 40 or 50 years there are going to be a lot of Old Women with some really ugly sagging...tattoos walking around!

I just turned 66, to date, the only thing I have added to my body is a small initials tattoo on my forearm back in the 50's! My buddies and I did each others, back then it was cool. I guess I have never regretted that, except for the beating I got from my mom back then! On the other hand it kept me from getting/needing to get any more. As for earrings, not for me. To sum it all up, "It's your thing, do what you wanna do!" That's what America is all about. Bob

Mornin' Joel! Well, Blake pretty much covered it. From this saddlemakers position, the most important thing to me is first and formost, proper clearence, to the horses back, mostly a function of the tree, plus a little bit of rise. After that, it is a matter of rider's preference. Depending on what kind of riding they are doing they can want/like anything from a high rising deep pocket to a wide open flat seat. Usually I am making saddles for people that have been riding for a long time and really know what they want. Personally, I like a pretty much wide open low seat. When I do get a chance to get out and ride, (not often as I would like) I like to ride as long as I can. If I am at a penning, cutting or on the trail I may stop to shoot the breese (go figure!). When that happens, I may be there for a while, and in a deep pocket, that means I am pretty much sitting in the same position all day, with a wide open seat I can move around a little bit. Like I said, after function, it is pretty much a matter of preference. Bob

Andy, very nice. As always, clean and neat. I especially like that kind of "warm glow" to the leather. It just gives an inviting look to that saddle that says "come on , saddle up and ride me" Nicely Done. Bob

It is a sad day when someone decides to bring it to an end. We are all only give a small amout of time on this earth. It is depressing when I hear of someone that just can't deal with it anymore. I pray for his soul and his family. I hope he has found the peace he was seeking. Bob

So many pretty saddles, so little time to make em! I just like looking at all the beautiful work I see here. Nice job! Bob

First, I must say that from the pics of that saddle I have seen on here over the last several of your posts, it is a well made saddle , made by someone that knows what they are doing. Second, that pic certainly looks like a pic of the near side (or left side) of the saddle to me. Now, while that wrinkling most often does occur to some extent from throwing the stirrup up over the saddle while cinching up because that action causes stress in the area where the wrinkles are eminating from, the other reason is , like Bob said , it is the flanky part of the hide. By the way, most saddle makers that I know, cut the seat and swell cover from the stretchiest part of the hide because there is so much stretching and fitting that is required on those pieces to get them to fit properly. Lastly, from pictures that you have posted in the past, the horse that you ride looks to be very wide through the girth. Possibly, so much so that with teh combination of pad, (I believe you said you use a 1" pad and a cover also), when the saddle is on the horse it also causes stress in that area, but; that is purely conjecture, as without seeing the horse in person, it's just a guess. If you are going to use leather much, your are going to get some wrinkles. If you don't want any wrinkles, don't use it, just put it on the stand and look at it. Don't know any other way to keep it from happening. My advice is to make sure that you don't throw the stirrup over the saddle when you are cinching and uncinching, and do not just set the saddle down on the floor, table, ground, or anything other than a stand when not in use. Other than that, saddle up and ride that thing! Bob

Nice work JW! As always, good clean blending lines. I love to look at your work. Bob

Welcome to the family Lee! You will find quite a few Vets on here also. Make sure the VA does everything for you they can, They won't if you don't ask. I know from experience. Anyway, leatherwork is easy on the mind, and helps ease the soul. Good Tooling, and don't hesitate if you need help, there are lots here that will be glad to "tell you how she got done". Bob Buono

Cedar, nice clean mounted shooters rig! I've made a few, has the owner started competition with it yet? Bob Buono

CW, you guys that braid just amaze me! I've done a little and from time to time. I'll do something when I have a lull in the work , but; so far the most intracate thing I did was a mexican querto out of the encyclopedia of rawhide and braiding. There was an old timer that used to make all kinds of tack with parachute line around here, nice stuff that is still around being used. That stuff lasts forever. He's gone now, but; his work lives on. Love to see your work, keep it up. Bondo Bob

Mike, Troys method is very much like mine, and the differences are so minimal it is not worth mentioning, especially as each time I do it, it seems to be a "well that's different, guess I'll need to do this, kind of a thing". Once you've done it a few times you'll get the hang of it. Like both of the guys said, it's not that difficult, just takes a little patience, and sticktoativeness, excuss the pun! Good luck! Bondo Bob

For any of those interested and looking for a new saddle, this saddle is currently being sold on ebay item # 320606160045. This saddle is new and never used and comes with the 2yr warranty against defective materials and workmanship. Bondo Bob

Lupin Luke, I still have some red loctite left over from my car building days, and it still works just fine. A little bit goes a long way. Between that and the methods that Bruce describes you should be good to go with any style of concho you choose Bob.

Like your's, my horses eat for a living also, seems like I just don't get the time to ride like I would like. Attached is a picture of Duke, the cinch on this saddle is a 36", and the gap between the cinch ring and D on both sides is 7". That means if I drop to a 32" it would increase the gap to 9". Guess our horses do about the same "work!" Bob

Well, everyone has given good advice, and they are all good things to think about. I will add that a really good/big cutting table is also a must. I got lucky a long time ago, and traded some venison for one that has been a major plus. My table is 11' X 6'. It was even longer, but I had to cut it down to get it in the basement/shop, I can lay a whole side out and really plan out what I am going to cut, before I lay knife to leather. The only drawback is that some gremlins seem to store a lot of un-needed stuff under it. The other thing I would suggest is some outside lighting, like windows and if possible, a sky-light. All in all, if you incorporate all your wants into you plans, even though you don't get them right away, you will be able to add them as you go. There is no time table for having it all, and you will probably always have a work-in-progress going anyway. My work -in-progress is now 20 years old! Good luck! Bondo Bob

Gold, without question, the info from Keith and TK, is correct. Hang that nice leather cinch on the all and let it look pretty. Use a good quality mohair cinch of proper length, if it ends up a little forward, it won't bother the horse and your horse will enjoy the comfort afforded by a well fitting new saddle. Happy Trails, Bondo Bob

I was a youngster then, but; as I remember, it seems to me that this was the subject that was being discussed at the OK Corral when all the fuss started!!!! Dosen't seem as though there is an answer to the question that satisfies every one yet! Guess it is more of a , "what works for you ?" question. For me, I have always found that if I send my tree maker, a set of templates that accurately represents the horses back and conformation, and trust them to send me a tree that fits that group/type of horse, the results are that when I get the finished tree, it fits. ( the only caviate is that I use good makers like Denise, and others that know their craft) and I have made quite a few saddles now, and yet to have a fit problem with the trees I use. I always check them before I start on the saddle, just in case, but; to date I have never been disappointed. I have actually had calls back from customers commenting on how much better their horses work with the saddle I made for them, and in one case one woman told me that she was about to sell her horse because he kept going lame after 15 or so minutes of use. She said that she had exhausted a fair some of money trying to have the problem diagnosed by her vet, and also by Mich State Equine Center, and they could not find anything wrong with the horse. Bottom line since I made that saddle for her, he not only stopped going lame, but; she still had the horse, and had me make 2 additional saddles for her niece and sister-in-law. So, with all that said, I guess, that's what works for me. A little common sence goes a long way. Bob

Well, Keith, seems like all the superlative words have been used up. I once saw a pic of a breathlessly beautiful landscape, of mountains, and a valley and lake, and the caption fit perfectly. I will simply use it also, as it is befitting. "Know the Creator, by his work". As I said about the picture, breathless. I don't get up into Canada much, but; if I ever am in your area, I will make a point of looking up your shop. Bondo Bob

DR, first and formost, welcome home, and thank you for your service! As a viet nam vet, I know that for some of us it takes a long time to get back home. As for the relaxing effect of working on leather, especially making saddles, it can't be beat. Short of having a master that has you on an apprenticeship, the best way to learn saddlemaking and the business it to have advice from sincere folks that are actively involved in the art, and you will find that here. One other place that I recommend is the Saddle Makers of America Association. You will get a lot of valuable info and input there, including where to get books, instructions and the like. Their web sight is http://www.saddlemakers.org/. Hope that helps. On another note, incase you haven't already looked into it, you mentioned that you were going to a saddle making school, be sure to see about using your GI Bill to pay for it, many years ago I used mine to pay for horse shoeing school. Save me a lot, and made me a lot over the years. Welcome Home! Bondo Bob

Bobby, it is said that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. When I am working on a tooling project I find myself picking out the person whose work I most admire in that area, (design, style, finish, tooling, ect.) and emulating what they do, to achieve the results they achieve. In the case of tooling, I always find myself thinking how does Bobby get those smooth edges, crisp tooling, and relief? I make it a point to work with that as my goal. I never miss a chance to read your comments on how to. Thanks for lending your expertice on tooling! One thing that I have found works for me is that once I start to tool a piece that has been cased, If I need to add moisture, I use a spray bottle and mist it on. I try to take it a section at a time as you suggest, since when I am tooling, most generally I won't get it all done in one sitting, also I like to do paired panels at the same time, like fenders, and I do them left and right handed, (mirrored) which makes for a lot of tooling in one sitting. Anyways, thanks for all the info, keep it coming, it is appreciated. Bondo Bob

Nice and clean, good blending lines. Top notch and professional all the way! Good Work, the owner will be proud of this rig. Bondo Bob

Ok, Bobby I know you are at least close to me in age, not sure about the other guys, but; this is beginning to sound like one of those TV commercials from the 50's for joy soap! Whew! Dejaveue! And you are right, great place to be,.....with friends. Bondo Bob

Jim, Jim, there you have it. I liken advice from Bobby, much like the advice I got from Ann Stohlman while she was alive. "It just don't git much better". There are lots of outstanding leather toolers out there, and I rate Bobby right at the top. For me, a little Joy dish soap, water and a table spoon of listerene in the mix (I like the smell) works well. Bondo Bob