Frank

You might want to try cleaning the leather first with a deglazer, (use in a well ventilated area). I've never used the eco-flow dyes, I pretty much stick with the Fiebings oil dyes for anything. There's a possibility that there is some residue on the thin leather itself that is causing the dye to turn colors on you. I hope that helps a bit. Frank

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This item has been sold!! Thanks to all who responded. Joanna, in about a week or so, you'll be getting a $100.00 donation for leatherworker.net Frank

Hey All, I have a Tippmann Boss that is taking up room in my shop right now and I need to get it out. It is 2 years old and sews just fine. The machine comes with all of the original paperwork, box, accessory box, a few needles, DVD, all 5 presser feet, regular sewing plate, stirrup plate, and 7 bobbins. I am asking $950 shipping included. $100 will be donated directly to leatherworker.net PM me if interested. Thanks for looking. Frank

I believe you are referring to Wyo-Sheen. It's carried by Sheridan Leather Outfitters and I think it is $43.00 a gallon

No problem Gunter. Hopefully it works out for you. Frank

In a pinch, empty cartridge casings also can double as a hole punch if you are out in the middle of nowhere and need to punch a hole in a strap or belt. Please do not use the loaded ones!!!

Many thanks. I appreciate it. The next one is going to be similar but I am working with Felkins to come up with just the right tree for it

Gunter, You can call or email Jim at River Junction Trade Company. He carries those clips. They are not exactly cheap at $15.00 a clip, but he does carry them. They also have a website under the same name. Frank

Thanks for all of the compliments. I really think simplicity is beauty. People who fully carve a saddle and make it look good (there are many on this forum) are just amazing to me but it never appealed to my taste personally. As far as the tooling pattern, it is one of my favorites to use. Frank

Joel, I really like those chinks. I'm not a fan of the hair-on chinks but these are pretty nice. The only thing I would have done different is to turn the leather for the pocket a quarter turn to match the directional grain of dark hair on the body, unless you did that to make the pocket stand out more. In that case, you're a thinker! Frank

Thanks Luke. I appreciate it. I got the tree from Timberline.

Joel, Thanks for the compliments. I used Wickett & Craig brown skirting leather. All of the lighter accents are the discontinued Tandy natural veg tan ( I believe that's the name of it) I finished it with a layer of Fiebing's Bag Kote and then a layer of Weaver's Tuff Kote Frank

Hey all. It has been a while since I have posted. I ended up on vacation for a couple of weeks. It took me an hour just to catch up on the posts that I missed while gone. Most of what I make is 1800's style cowboy gear. Most of the orders are holsters and gun belts and I haven't put a saddle together in a couple of years. Well, I visited a friend that is a leather worker and decided to build a saddle for myself while helping him paint his house. I painted during the day and built the saddle in the evenings. I never thought for a second that I would work while on vacation but it seemed to work out pretty well. I wanted something 1800's style and then added a few frills to it. It's too pretty to jerk steers with but it will turn a head or two. Here are the results.

Kaitlin, Your saddle is worth a pretty good penny as long as the leather is in good condition, the rigging and also the tree. Anything with the H.H. Heiser stamp on it is constantly going up in collector value. Holsters, rifle scabbards, cartridge belts, and saddles made by Heiser are bringing very good money right now and will bring more when the recession lightens up. I would definitely put some time into caring for the rig and putting it away as a collectible. That's just my humble opinion. If you want to store it in someones closet, I'd like to recommend mine!! Frank

If you want to reduce wax on heavily waxed thread, the best way is to wrap the strand of thread in plain brown paper and pull it through. The coarseness of the paper with remove a great deal of excess wax.

The ziip loc bags work well but can get expensive if you ship a lot. My best thing to use is cheap cling wrap and wrap it a few times around, then pack the box with newspaper. The cling wrap rolls last for a very long and they do a pretty good job of protecting.

Another method I have seen used, is to rough up the rawhide with sandpaper and apply Bondo. When it sets, just sand it down flush.

Ricky, I've never done seats before but dye will not penetrate through wax of any kind. It will just bead up and run off . It looks like you'll have to use some deglazer, hit it with the dye and then put a top coat on it. Frank

Also, Jeff Mosby of Grey Ghost Graphics did a pretty good tutorial on basket stamping a belt. You can find it HERE

Whatever you decide, I would recommend two different things: Make sure you purchase 2 blades for the machine, that way you can put a new one on while you are sharpening or sending the other blade out to be sharpened. The other is purchase a side of leather already split to 4-5 oz for the cartridge loops and possibly hammer tabs or thongs, depending on what type of holsters you might make. This will definitely save the sharpness of the blade. I purchased 4 different sides of English bridle leather consistent with the colors of Veg. Tan that I use for belts and holsters. I had them split by Wickett & Craig, to use strictly for that purpose. Frank

I know some people who place a small leather bag filled with lead shot on the edge of the project to keep it from moving. I have a 6" long piece of railroad track with leather covering the bottom that I use. Use whatever is handy, and cheap and make sure it's covered in leather to avoid scratches on your project.

Weaver carries them in their catalog.

Same here, I always line with latigo on the back cinch, billets, headstalls, and breast collars.

In the service when I was in basic, we'd polish the entire boot with black polish and a bristle brush. Then for hours we'd sit there with a wet cotton ball (several) and shine the toes and heels almost until you could see your reflection. Just work them in a circular motion all over the toes and heels. This was a nightly process when you had people in front and in back of you who didn't know how to march! Wow, the good ole days!