BigSiouxSaddlery

Well that looks like a challenge for sure. I'm afraid I have no insight to offer. The sheepskin for saddle skirts is only on the bottom side as it is stitched, so the foot doesn't come in contact with the fleece. I've heard people complain about the fleece getting caught in the standard feed dog, but oddly enough, I've never ever had a problem with mine. I think the problem with the narrow dog not feeding it as well was due to there being less surface area to contact the material rather than any fault of the parts. Saddle skirts with dense wool an inch in length is asking plenty of any machine with feed dogs. I guess now that I think about it, I have sewn fleece to leg hobbles, for horses. With that project the fleece is on the bottom, then wrapped around the edges of the body and sandwiched between the body and a top layer. Not such a fun sew. But the foot still doesn't come in contact with the fleece, so I still have no advice!

Keith, I thank you as well for that advice. I have never used a blind stitch on a swell cover, because I could never get it to look like I thought it should. I kept thinking I was doing something wrong. Even the cutters I've built I have used a welt in the swell cover. My question to you is, exactly what type of stitch is used and how is the leather positioned when stitching? My failure to perfect this type of stitch has irked me for years.

I have used my set for over a month now, and wanted to test.it on all types of work before I gave a review. It works splendidly for fine and narrow work. In fact I didn't find anything that didn't work well with it until I sewed new sheepskin on a set of saddle skirts a couple days ago. It didn't feed as well as the standard dog, which is understandable. I have plenty of other machines to do that on however, and I think I will just leave my machine set up with the narrow dog and plate. Thank you for developing and making available to the rest of us a much needed accessory to these machines!

Truest words that will be spoken today!! There are many items in saddlery and harness that this can happen if things were not fit up perfectly, or the layers shift the least little bit during stitching, or if the operator isn't paying attention. It does indeed make for a bad day.

Thank you Tom. I've tried resizing, and even when below the required size I still get the message that they are above the required size.

I have tried many times to post pictures to this site, and no matter what I do, I can't get them to post. There are probably some pictures associated with my old account, under the same name. I got locked out and never could get back in. Even the admins couldn't get me in. Yes the #1 s are slow. Sometimes that is an advantage. I sewed on a #1 exclusively for the first 15 years in business. But I did eventually upgrade, for various reasons. I have two Randalls, a UL, a Landis 3, a Landis 16, a cowboy 4500, plus others. The #1 is more forgiving of different types of thread than any of the others, including the 4500. It also requires less tinkering than any of the needle and awl machines. I can put a knife in it to cut a channel and hide the bottom stitches, which I do on my harness traces. Some of the other machines have that capability, but I don't have knives for the others. I won't argue that there is no machine that can compare to the stitch made on a properly set up hook and awl machine, especially a Randall. But sometimes they can make a person pull their hair out in frustration trying to figure out why it went from sewing fine to not sewing. They all have their place, that's why I own so many, plus I just like machinery.

Lol, well I'm somewhat of a collector but definitely no Swartzentruber. However, I DID sew a set of round reins on one of my Landis 1s today, and have two more pair fitted up to sew tomorrow. I'm running 207 top and bottom with an original old stock number 6 needle and the correct size old stock bushing. I also have a set of harness tugs to sew on it, (with a heavier thread and needle of course) as soon as I get to them. I have many other heavy stitchers, some vintage, some newer, but some things I still prefer to sew on a #1. Most people familiar with the #1 wouldn't even believe me if I showed them some of the work I've done on one.

I don't know much about the 97-10s, but I see a Landis #1 in the background, plus a bobbin winder, that I'd take ahead of the 97-10. As old and obsolete at the #1 is, I think parts and needles are more easily available. But I could be wrong.

If you have customers that are willing to pay for the best, there are people that custom make conchos and buckles. They like to work in Sterling silver, and be prepared for $100+ a concho, and at least that for a buckle. Otherwise, there's Mincer and Horseshoe Brand (Jeremiah Watt, Ranch2arena). I'm not necessarily endorsing those companies, because personally I'm not a fan of a lot of the HB hardware, but they are options.

I know Eli personally, having worked closely with him for several days a couple years ago in preparing for an auction. We visit on the phone every once in awhile, and met again this past July at the harness makers auction in Wisconsin. I have to say I have never had anything but great and generous advice from Eli. I might add that I have never purchased anything from him, in fact we have bid against each other for the same machine parts multiple times and still always had a civil conversation following. His behavior experienced by the OP sounds quite out of character. I guess everyone is entitled to a bad day once in awhile?

This is generally something that should done by a qualified saddle repair person. The saddle needs to be partially disassembled, leather pieces cut which will hold the dee rings, which will then be attached to the tree with screws and nails. If you have no experience with saddle construction or repair, it is typically not a do-it-yourself job. Inquire in tack and feed stores in your area for someone who can safely and properly do the job. While the strength of the rear rigging on a pleasure saddle is not quite as paramount to the safety of horse and rider as the front rigging, improper installation can compromise the tree and/or reduce the value of the saddle.

The saddle appears to be what is marketed as a so called "training saddle". A qualified saddle maker or repair person would need to inspect the saddle to determine if what you are asking is advisable. It may be just as easy and cost effective to add a rear rigging in the traditional manner, rather than rotate the existing dee ring, which would require a horizontal slit to be cut in the skirt, after drilling out the rivets, which would require removal of at least a portion of the sheepskin to access the rivet burrs. I shudder at the thought of it. If you're going to add a rear rigging, do it correctly and retain the value of the saddle by not cobbling it up.

When I was growing up back in the 70's, that was a popular method for attaching reins to a bit, especially latigo reins. I never knew there was a name for it.

To add to Yintx's good advice, splayed end stamps are harder to run also, angled stamps a little less so. The easiest are the stamps where the ends are parallel to each other and the center portion is 90° to the edges of the stamp. Practice with one of those in a high quality stamp, then once you've become proficient with it, move on the the others.

I'll take this, Joel, and the 4 strands of rawhide videos please.

I have experienced abnormally long wait times on nearly every order I've placed with wholesale suppliers this year. Many items are on back order, either due to raw material shortage or labor shortages at the manufacturing level and the supply houses. I've heard we better get used to it.

On flat work the #1 would do a good job, IF indeed it has been "completely restored". If it has simply been painted, $1500 could be about $1400 too much for it. Parts are scarce for those machines, and even though they will still sew when 3/4 of the way worn out, they may not do a very good job. On case work, you will struggle due to the design of the machine. A cylinder arm machine where the arm ends in line with the end of the head works a lot better for those types of projects. Now, I love the Landis #1, and for the first 15 years in business that is all I had. Nobody believes me when I show them what I sewed on that machine. They CAN do exceptional work if set up correctly and are tight. But improvements have definitely been made through the ages with more modern machines. You have to remember, the first patents on the #1 were in the late 1880's. Personally, I've never seen a good job of anything done on a Boss, and I'd steer way clear of those. If nothing else, you only ever have one hand free to handle your work, and if you want to see rifle scabbards, you'll be wanting to use two hands. Best of luck to you.

I've actually had pretty good luck selling on FB marketplace. Only once did anyone try to low ball me to the point that it got annoying. I just took the ad down rather than deal with it. As with buying and selling of anything, you just have to remember "you're 21" and stick to your guns. I've had buyers try every "horse trader's" trick under the sun through the years to get me down in price. Horse traders tricks don't work on someone that's traded a few horses.

It is an American model A. I will PM you.

I'd like $475 out of it. I do not want to ship. If you're in MN, I'm close enough that you'd be able to look at it in person. I'm in south east SD, just north of Sioux Falls.

I have one, where are you located?

You're welcome. I well remember the time when I rode bareback because I was too small to saddle a horse, and I also well remember the day I realized I was big enough/strong enough to saddle one. Funny thing is, it turned out I still preferred riding bareback for a long time after I could saddle my own. I couldn't feel my horse through the saddle; it placed me further back and it felt like I was "behind the motion". Good luck and happy searching.

That looks like a Bona Allen stamp to me. You can Google them. They had a long and interesting history. I would say late 1940's (?) model. Cantles and swells were getting lower by the 50's. That long ago, saddles weren't as specialized as they are now. Mostly there were roping saddles and riding saddles. While this one has double Dee ring rigging, the rigging leather itself looks a little light to be roping anything. Hopefully someone comes along that is better at dating these saddles and knows the history of the US companies better than I do.

Relative to the total number of cattle slaughtered, there aren't many bulls processed. Still, those weigh-up bulls go somewhere when they leave the sale barn. I'd probably start there. . .the sale barn, by finding out who buys the bulls and where they go. Then talk to whoever processes them. Or just go to the nearest beef packing house and see if you can make arrangements. Local lockers won't have any of course. If you happen to be in ranch country, you might source a few from local ranchers. Try as they might to avoid it, they're going to lose a bull now and then. Make it worth their while, and you might end up with some bull heads.

There is a Facebook group for people who braid, hitch and twist horsehair. I believe the name of it is Horsehair- Hitching, Twisting and Braiding. If there is educational material available, people in that group would know where to direct you.