BondoBobCustomSaddles

Nice work Tony! I have worked on hundreds of those at the Pinnacle Race Course when it was open. In your design, you may want to allow for heavy wear in the area of the skirt that the stirrup leathers rub. I started making a patch with biothane in that area and the trainers seemed to like the way they wore. Bob

Like Big S, I agree, the horses back then were smaller and more importantly narrower in stature and a saddle from that era that fit those horses won't fit todays "better fed" horses. Re furbishing it for fun and display is always good, but; using it will probably lead to a sore horse, or a thrown cowboy, or both. Just Sayin'. Bob

I see you took my advice and posted here. There lots of good guys and gals on here that would be glad to do it for you. You might try Wiz, he is in Flint and does a lot of varying types of work. Bob

Nice job Chuck! It is very dificult to make animals look "real" when working in leather. Where at in MI are you located? Bob

You got it! My spelling of his name I did get it wrong, however; that is the guy and he does know what he is talking about. Bob

Ok Julia, I'll try this again. Not sure what happened to my original answer but half way through the dam thing put me back to the topic page without saving what I wrote. Bottom line, Ron's advice is valid, had it happen to me and that's what it took to get it right several years ago. There is a video on utube by Schleese Saddles that will help you understand the mechanics of what is going on. Jocken is a world renowned saddler and is saddler to the German Equestrian Team. He knows his stuff, he actually went to a Gynecologist to help him understand the mechanics of good fit especially for women and his research is enlightening. Even though he makes English Dressage saddles, the principles apply. I am currently making a western dressage saddle for a lady using his teachings. Really pleased with how it is coming out. Had a mutual friend of his and mine sit the seat on this one (she is a Dressage Judge up here and rides nothing Schleese saddles, her comments after she got off of this one were simply, "how much for you to start one for me". Guess you are never too old to learn something. I believe if you look under Schleese Saddle Videos you will find it. If not pm me and I will find it for you. Bob

I agree with Ferg and Chief. Bob

Yep! A fan is the right word. Bob

I am a fan of your work. Bob

In keeping with Big's comments, it is worth what you are willing to pay for it. When I look at a saddle to see if it is well made, and will last, this is what I look at: 1) Is the fleece real sheep skin or synthetic fleece ? 2) Is the tree rawhide wrapped hard pine or plastic? 3) Are the parts hand cut and fitted rather than just die cut in a big press? By hand fitted I mean if you look up under the seat jockey where the rear jockeys end, are the ends skived down so as not to produce an eventual lump under the leg. 4) Is there an anchor layer in between the upper and lower horn wrap that is tacked to the horn to effect a mechanical lock to the horn so the leather will not become loose over a couple of years? 5) I also look at the cantle binding to see how it is formed and stitched. Is the leather bunched up on the underside or are the bunches cut out rather than formed and worked out? 6) are the skirts actually formed around the tree bars or just tacked to the bars? and last but not least, I personally hate the use of staples, if it is put together with staples in stead of screws and tacks, it is a sign to me that the assembler was more concerned with doing it fast rather than fitting it correctly. Now this is my personal opinion and others may disagree with me, however that is how I make them and in my opinion, how they should be made. If the saddle you are looking at meets that criteria and has some silver on it, too, it most likely is one that cost in that $5 to $6 k range new. Like I said in the beginning, it is worth what you are will to pay for it. Hope that helps? Bob

I use one step more than North does. Once nicely peened over with a ball peen hammer I then use a small doming tool I made out of a 1/2" bolt, by ginding the end concave with a dremmel tool and polishing. I use it as a finish strike to give it a nice smooth rounded look. Bob

Really sad to hear that about any one. Unfortunately, some times, it just happens and not much you can do about it. Don't let it get you down. All comes to he who waits. Bob

I am sorry to hear that about J Stead saddles. After all the good words in earlier posts, it sounded like he was doing a good job of buiosing saddles. Perhaps the cost of materials has caught up with him, I know that to build a good saddle, my cost is easily over $1200 per, and that is really watching cost when making one. Bob

Pretty much what Equiplay has said will get you through. I keep a side of 9/10 oz ladigo on hand and use it for a lot of different stuff, but; when it needs to be thinner, I split it to the thickness I want. As for bridles and such, the same materials are good to use. Ladigo lined veg-tanned skirting makes a really nice headstall. You can use veg-tanned both sides, and that is fine, but; I like the ladigo on the back side It gives you a nicer "feel", and I believe better durability. Bob

Samantha can you get a couple of pictures of what you need done? That would help. Bob

Nice job Wrangler. Keep it up, It looks good and clean, nice lines. Bob

I would return it. Where did you get this from? I don't use drum-dyed much, however; usually the material is dyed through and through. I would also expect the surface to be much better than that. The drum dyed leather I have used came from Wicket and Craig. Bob

On another note, casing is an art. There is a good tutorial on this sight by Bob Park (one of the premier leather tooler's today). Follow it and you will find quickly that good tooling starts with proper casing. When I case, I always do it the same, I dunk it in water till the bubbles stop, then let it set out for most of the day, then put it in plastic, (since most of my work is in sizes larger than will fit in a baggie, I use large garbage bags) let it set overnight then let it sit out till the surface color almost comes back to normal, I begin tooling from there. I use a spray bottle with a distilled water/listerene/dishwashing soap mixture to keep it at the dampness level I like. I usually don't get a piece done in a day, so whenever possible if it will sit overnight, I cover it with a pane of glass to keep the moisture where I like it. Hope that helps. Bob

Once again Ferg, you and I agree. I too have gotten good and bad stuff from Tandy. You just have to pay attention to what you are getting. Bob

Bull, You can get what you want from the leather guy, or hide house, both on line prices are reasonable for both. Large selection, be sure to get at least 5/6 oz or 6/7 oz for your chaps and make sure you reinforce the seams where ever there is stress. If the ones you have been riding have lasted a good long time, then they will be a good guide as to what you need to do. Bob

That's a nice old saddle, with a little tender loving care, it will be a nice piece of history. Judging by the rigging, horn covering, and stirrup leathers I would guess late 30's, maybe early 40's for age. By that I mean, stirrup leathers come out from under the seat jockeys, but; over the fenders, also that style of horn covering went away in the late 30's. Any earlier and I would expect to see laced leathers, and they would be exposed at the top of the tree. That is just a guess though since I wasn't around then. The numbers could possibly be of assistance to someone that knows/has access to the production records for Heiser. They may chime in here. Hope that helps. Bob

Hi Darc, all the superlatives have been already used. I'll just say it's been a while since you have posted some work. More work!!! Love your stuff. Bob

Nice job Tom getting it all in order and posted. I must admit, I just couldn't seem to master getting it all in one file! Hope the information will help all those that have asked. It has certainly done it for me, and of course thanks to Ann, Al Stohlman and Bob Pleyton for sharing it with me all those years ago. Bob

I agree with Luke, good job done by all! Bob

Al Stohlman's book on leatherworking tools has the how to in it. Not hard to do. Best advice get a good one from the start and it will not require much sharpening to begin with. If you can't see yourself getting a really good one for the price like one from Knipschnider, check in with Bruce Johnson. He has zillions of good used ones to fit any hand, at reasonable prices. Give him a call and he will help you pick one out, great guy to do business with, hell he even is a great guy to be friends with, I've only talked to him on the phone, but; puts you right at ease as if you grew up knowing him. Bob.