SaddleBags

Nottage used to be the curator at the Autry Museum

Bill Reynolds knows more about Ed Bohlin than anyone else I know. He used to own the Bohlin Company. Can't remember but he might have done a forward for that book. I'll check with him.

This topic tickles me to tears. I was in the aerospace industry for about 35 years where the third and fourth decimal places mattered, but, hey, this is leather, not titanium. If you need to worry about the third decimal place, you're way over-engineering. Have you ever hear the phrase, "measure it with a micrometer, mark it with chalk, and cut it with an axe"? 2.54 cm per inch and put it to bed!

I took a flyer on a couple of these and am pleased beyond belief. Five collets (each haft comes with five replaceable collets) assure you that anything you want to put in them will fit, and they are HEFTY!!! I can't believe these aren't flying off the shelf. Great work, Tim, and thanks for the speedy response.

I guess I never considered that someone would think that I meant to cut down a firearm . That make absolutely no sense. Guess I'll have to be more specific or as we used to say, "make it idiot proof".

My bad, Wizard, I really hadn't considered a dress belt that will handle a weapon as a gun belt. Guess that's just the cowboy in me. Other that the language barrier, I guess we're on the same page.

Inch and a half for a gun belt??? Wonder what they're carrying. The western rigs that I make (call them cowboy style if you like) are either 2.5 or 3", depending on what goes in the holster, and of course what the customer asks for.

Additionally, if the bely has design or tooling on it, you can ruin the look it you shorten the tip end. The space near the buckle will be covered by the overlap, so it is not as noticeable.

Wranglers (and why would anyone wear anything else?) will take up to 1.5 inches. Slim guys can easily wear 1.25, but only go smaller ( 1 inch or 1 inch tapered to 3/4) for dress wear. Inch and three quarters will no work.

much easier to take off 7 inches than it to only take two. Thanks for doing this the "right way".

... and you have to have a background check to buy ammunition! Know why? (Well, other than that the state is run by people who don't have a clue...) purpose number one is to identify and eliminate what are known here as "phantom firearms". Those are guns that a person might have that somehow slipped through the draconian regulations about registering them. You know, like that .22 cal rifle that your grandad had when he was five and he gave it to you when he was about to die. Not only that, but you have to have a permit to buy a handgun, for which you have to have a California address to apply for, but (how smart is this?) after you have waited 10 days to pick up your firearm, you have to show "Proof of residence" but neither your drivers license nor your firearm purchasing permit qualify as "proof of residence". You have to use a utility bill or vehicle registration. Or (now get this) you can use your driving record. To get that you go to DMV and pay $5 and they will ask you what address you want to use, then type that in so you can go to the gun shop and "prove" where you live.

Battlemunky obviously does NOT live in the Peoples Democratic Republic of California, but I salute his approach. An alternate approach would be to work with a full-sized Henry and cut it down to specified length. That should cut out a lot of guesswork. Good luck.

I used to do it the way that you are showing, but found a much simpler approach. This is kind of like horseshoes= you only have to get close. I now use tapoffs for the flowers and leaves after figuring out the flow. That way you can stay away from stitchlines and welts. Then all you have to do is get close with stems and buds. Of course this approach won't work if you're trying for TCAA, but nobody else will notice on a loping horse.

I guess it would be useful somewhere under certain circumstances, BUT ... I am a hat guy. I wear one all day almost every day. The hat must fit not only the personality of the wearer, but also the weather and event. I have never found a leather hat to be useful, as they almost always tend to be very heavy and do not breathe, as one wants with a hat that he (she) will wear for very much time at all. Still, it looks like a fine piece of work to hang on a peg or in a display cabinet. ... and I love the color!

No ID under the near aft jockey. Pulled the Jockeys completely off and looked at the skirts everywhere that is not covered by the tree. Guess someone might have replaced the original skirts and destroyed the evidence - as it were.

Hey BNP, As long as you're looking, would you look up mine as well. I will need to know where to look for the number, as the saddle leathers are very dry and won't stand any unnecessary lifting or pulling. Thanks in advance.

Squil, I had the opportunity to restore an old Porter a few years ago. Interestingly, the rear rigging was no more that about 22 gauge sheet metal which had been glued and stitched inside the skirt to reinforce the slot that had been cut out to carry the billets. While this might look okay, I'm certain that there is no strength in this approach. Certainly no working cowboy would accept such construction. But then again, the saddle was made for a 12 year-old girl when it was new, so no expectation that she would "cowboy" out of it.

"Fanny", in this case, is an American term which is considerably different from what you use the term for. Still, gotta wonder, huh?

Need more to go on, Pard. What some would call "cowboy cut", others might refer to differently. I build everything from close-cut skirts to square, and everyone refers to them differently. What do you really want to know?

Since you asked ... I do this sort of thing regularly, by which I mean about 10 times a year. I cheat a bit. I use the machine to punch the holes in the leather patch, but without thread. Then I use a dab or two of livestock glue to hold the patch in place and tack the patch on at the corners. Then I stitch the whole thing by hand. It takes longer, but the end result looks better, IMHO.

Kelsea, show me what you've got and I'll see if I can help.

Emily, I believe it would be a waste of effort and money to try to thin it down just to "try to make something of it". Unless you WANT to make a saddle, you are facing a huge task, and it normally takes two sides to make a saddle. With all the folks up there, you could probably trade it out or sell it to your advantage (especially since it was given to you). If it happens to be harness leather, all the better. I usually start with 12 oz for a saddle unless the user intends to REALLY use it rough, and I'm guessing that your stuff might be heavier then that. Good luck.

I do my hand sewing with about 12 feet of thread. Any more becomes unmanageable. Like Yin said, calculate where to start, stop, splice and you'll have a nice project. No need to worry about "leftover" ends. They will come in hand for smaller runs or basting. The surest way to waste thread is to try to measure it exactly. Besides, thicker leather takes more thread, so there is no exact answer. Gotta practice.

The best single source I can offer is Dusty Johnson's DVD and book set. Stohlman's is superb, and I use it regularly, but no DVD (which is fine with me at my age) and you need to get at least the first two volumes to carry you through a saddle. Volume III expands and shows three more saddles, but If you've made it through your first, then it's "variation on a theme", Bill Gomer's three volume set (VHS) is also superb, but I don't know if it's even available any more.

Find any leather worker and I'll send him/her a pattern. You can get by for a lot less than $50.