Frank

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!

If you can get a Colt Frontier .22 dummy gun from Duncan's, I believe they are very close to the same frame size. I thought Duncan's had the Frontier at one time but not sure at the moment. Frank

No problem at all. Always try it in an inconspicuous place first but I think it will do exactly what you want it to. If you don't like it, email me and I'll buy the rest of the gallon from you. I can never have too much on hand! Frank

Dink, One other oil that I use exclusively is Weaver's U-82 Saddlers Oil. It is a very thin oil , almost a water consistency that is not greasy and leaves no surface residue. Once you put it on, the leather comes back to original color within a days time. I'm not sure how many people here have used it. I started using it when my saddle making instructor and I were trying out different oils one day. We had about 6 or 7 that were were playing around with but this stuff was amazing. If you get a chance to pick up a gallon, I'd definitely give it a shot. Frank

I like the tool as well. I believe in an earlier post he said that it was initially made out of a piece of aluminum and once perfected then using stainless.

There are a few different ways to lace them together. I have heard it called the Mexican braid, it all depends on who is using the term. I believe it is in Al Stohlman's saddle making book. If it isn't there, it is for certain in Bruce Grant's book: Leather Braiding. For about $8.00-$9.00 you can't go wrong with that book. I have no diagrams otherwise I'd post them. Someone here might have them. I hope this helps out a bit. Frank

MrBill, Welcome to the forum. What I think you are referring to is adding a finish or top coat to the leather. Top coats vary greatly from mellow, satin, and high gloss in liquids, and aerosols. Some need to be thinned and others do not. Each individual has their own preference depending on the type of leather work they are doing. Your best bet as far as I'm concerned is take a look at Fiebings website: Finishes and see what they have to offer and what looks "fun" to try. Most stores that specialize in leather will have Fiebings products. I'd purchase a few different 4 oz containers of the finishes and try them on some scrap to see which ones you like the best and you can always order larger amounts later when you figure out what you like. You can also call Fiebings and talk to them about the different finishes. They are pretty knowledgeable and friendly. They are right down the street from me, so I just go for a visit once in a while! I hope that helps out a bit. Frank

I've used some leftover chap scraps to make some of the impossible braid bracelets to give out during different holidays, birthdays, events, etc. I have a whole medium sized shipping box of them cut out. I just pull one or two out when I need them and braid and then add a snap. Frank