Frank

Thanks to all that posted. I will check on the companies provided. I'm not much on making my own inserts. Leather that thin does not do well with these arthritic fingers. I find it very hard to handle/grab a hold of and hell, I'm only 32. But I'm pretty sure I have had every finger and knuckle busted on my right hand along with my right wrist being busted twice...no questions or comments on that one...LOL. It's a long story about a quick decision!! Thanks again, I appreciate it.

I had a saddle come in at about 30 pounds as well. I shortened the skirts as much as possible so I did not have to add skirt plugs. That will make a big difference in itself. That might be something to consider. I can't wait to see the finished product.

Hey all. I just got in an order for a checkbook cover. It seems that I am doing a great deal of small projects right now instead of saddles. They pay better anyways. I was attempting to locate a good place to buy inserts. I did a search on here and someone mentioned Hitching Post Supply. I checked their website but found nothing. I'd appreciate any help in locating some good inserts. Thanks in advance.

Josh, I believe Weaver does carry those trees. If I'm not mistaken, Tandy used to carry them as well. I'm not sure if they do anymore though.

Randy, Custer Park is great. I hope you have a great time. About a 1/4 mile outside of the West gates to Custer Park is my saddle making instructor, Dallas Stermon of Outlaw Saddlery. Stop in and give him a Howdy for me if you have the extra time. I'm sure he wouldn't mind a like-minded visitor instead of just a tourist, stopping by

I was blessed to have about the same type of luck a month or so ago. A very nice guy that lives a few blocks away does leather work as well. (mostly jackets and biker chaps) He called me up and asked if I wanted his leathercraft and saddlers journals. Of course I took him up on the offer and low and behold, it was the entire set from 1995-present. Needless to say I was ecstatic. He said he needed to get rid of them because they were taking up too much shelf space. All he asked in return was when he needed to have a piece of heavier leather sewn because his machine can't handle it, that I do it for him. I believe that was as good a trade as you can get.

I'm not sure if this is the type you are looking for but Weaver does carry a good dense closed cell foam. I have used it on top of ground seats for a half seat saddle and it works very well and have had no complaints so far. It will glue to leather and skive fairly easily too.

Someone posted this a while back and it is a good reference if you need photos instead of words. Saddle Making Hopefully it gets you off to a good start. There are several relatively inexpensive books out there that will help you out as well. Dusty Johnson's book is $20 I believe and has a lot of good handy tips in it.

You should be able to get the rawhide heads from Tandy at a discount. They were getting rid of them for $4 a piece the last time I saw them there. I believe they were discontinuing them.

I went to order the 6" splitter from Neel's but he was out at the time so I did purchase the same one from Weaver. Weaver and Neel's splitter blades are interchangeable which makes it very nice since Neel's blades are $40 cheaper per blade than Weaver's

I used the half-round punches when scalloping the edges of a cantle binding. They work fairly well. Unless they started making them again, I do not think Tandy is selling the Al Stohlman Half-round punches anymore. I asked about them and the store owner here said they were discontinued and he couldn't find any. Check with Weaver.

Thanks for giving me some insight. I made a knife sheath not long ago for my knife and was looking a various ways to incorporate a dee ring, and there you go. I like the fact that you give two different options as to hanging it on a belt. Some people like it high and some lower. I do have one question though...what are the side loops for?

Hello all, I figured this was a long shot but you never know who might be interested. Long story short a saddle maker in Summit, South Dakota is getting set to retire. I spoke with him for well over an hour today. He is more or less looking for a partner to eventually take over his saddle shop, so for me it would not have worked since I would have to move. I'm hoping that someone out in the Minnesota/South Dakota area might be interested. It could be a great opportunity but you'd have to decide for yourself. Times being hard and tools being expensive it might be worth a guy or gal to check on this and see what you think. If you PM me I will give you the individuals name and phone number. Frank

Here's a breast collar that I finished last week for a guy in California. He said he was very happy with it, which made me feel pretty good. I made it to match a saddle he purchased from me earlier. He wanted it a bit more contoured so it fits over the horse's shoulders better.

Tiffany, Maybe I wasn't as clear as I should have been. You can use the Fiebings leather balm with atom wax over the top of most dyes. I just prefer to use oil dye.

I was given the option of picking my own Christmas present last year. I chose a head knife from Jeff Cook at J Cook Blades . I love the knife and they are extremely sharp. I believe the price was $250.00. I was torn as to order a Dozier knife or J Cook.

Tiffany, When it comes to dyeing items, I do use Fiebings oil dyes. I know a great many people do not like to use these on everyday items because they can rub off on clothing. I use Fiebings leather balm with atom wax after I dye the back side of belts. First dye the belt and let it dry thoroughly. Then apply a coat of the Fiebings leather balm with a foam brush. Let it dry for about 15-20 minutes. It dries very quickly. Apply a second coat on top of the first. Let it dry thoroughly and then buff with a piece of denim. That should keep any dye from rubbing off. So far I have not had a problem when I use this method. It's fairly easy and quick. I hope this helps out a bit. Frank

Anything that I make that might have some type of flaw, I put them away and take them to shows as a demo of my custom made gear. That way people can handle them without the worry of them getting marks or scratches on them. Otherwise a flea market sounds like a great idea. We have one not too far from me which is open every weekend, year-round. I doubt that I'd be attempting to sell much at the flea market in February here in Wisconsin though...lol

Josh, I feel your pain on this subject. I barely make it month to month with bills but for some reason it always comes through...usually at the last minute. I have a website as well and to begin with I had quite a few hits on it but a great many people are all talk and no show when it comes to ordering items. I have sold a few items on eBay as well but nothing to really speak of. I did luck out with a guy in Texas. He inquired about one of my eBay auctions when it came to a holster. He went through my website after he learned of the seller fees. He bought a matched set of holsters and liked them enough to order a matching belt and a knife sheath too. It's people like that, that keep you going. My suggestion would be to do a little traveling if any type of shows arise, such as bike shows, gun shows, horse shows, craft shows, etc. My Uncle is a biker and is having a large Birthday party to which he invited 10 different clubs from around the state. So we are looking at 200-300 guys and gals at this weekend long party. He invited me up there as the only leather vendor...thank God for him. Instead of making saddles like I intended, I made up prototypes of biker style belts, cuffs, watchbands, holsters, knife sheaths, and key holders. I will show them what they will get when they order from me and let them add their custom detail on paper for me and I will go home, make the items and send the custom orders out to the individuals a few weeks later. It's all about catching breaks and you have to look for them as well. As my saddle making instructor said; "In the leather business sometimes you eat chicken and sometimes you eat feathers, but when you eat chicken, eat it for as long as you can." Keep up the good work and when you have a chance, go through the papers for local and sometimes non-local shows where you can display your items for custom orders. It pays to look for work instead of hoping someone is looking for your work. Take care Bud. Frank

Here's the link, I did find it. I hope it helps: http://picasaweb.google.com/rdbowes/BeltMaking#

I believe someone here did a photo tutorial on that particular subject. If I can find it, I'll post it for you, but otherwise keep searching.

Hey all, I have been going through some of my stuff in the shop and I have 10 or more 4 oz cakes of beeswax. Some people use it on their edges and melt it in with Neatsfoot oil. I generally do not use much of it but if anyone is interested does $3.00 a cake sound good? I'd like to get rid of it all in one shot if possible so it's not lying around. Thanks for your interest. FOR SOME REASON I ACCIDENTALLY POSTED IN THE WRONG SECTION AND I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO CHANGE IT. I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE.

I very rarely need to dye lace but if it comes up, I add the dye to a container with a snap-on lid and then put the lace in. I swish the dye around the lace and then pull it out to let it dry. It makes things a lot neater and easier. I hope this helps you out a bit.

David, This is the old civil war type Marine Corps blank buckle that I am referring to, not the modern ones. The old ones are supposed to be solid brass with a totally different fastening system

You might want to try this link. If you scroll down you will see a repro of a Marine Corps blank buckle. It looks fairly similar. Buckles