BigSiouxSaddlery

These are hand stitched. A machine can't sew through both ends of a loop.

Imo, Wickett's show harness is misnamed. It has a very hard, waxy, dull finish with a pull up effect upon flexing. All of those qualities are the furthest from what I would look for in leather I intended to use for show harness. Their English Bridle is not near as stiff nor waxy.

I can tell you that the brand is the logo of Mast Harness Hardware, who sold out to Weaver back in the mid 2000s(?). Eli Schlabagh owned it, and now is the owner of Landis sales and Service in Illinois. He would be able to tell you something about the knife, and is a wonderful and interesting person to visit with.

Normally a broader, more round blade works good for skiving larger parts, although I use my pattern cutting round knife for skiving also. A lot of times it's simply whichever knife is handy and closest to me at the time. Sharp is the most important factor.

I guess if I'd have looked at the second picture more closely, I'd have seen the rivets weren't set. Lol. I was in a hurry, I still had lots to do and not enough day left. But you're welcome. Good luck.

You have the plates set way too far into the assembly. You have to leave enough space below your bottom post, so that it can go into the hole and not bind on the stirrup leather. Some people rivet the plates on the the outside of the fender, and skip the burrs, peening the rivets right into the plate. I never cared for the look of that personally. I usually skive the very end of the fender leg down a bit also, so it's less likely to cause a lump and the stirrup leather passes over it more smoothly. Edit: At this point, since it's just for a fender gauge, you could take a sharp french edger and trim the leather back so that it terminates about halfway between where it currently is and the rivets. Then you wouldn't have to drill the rivets out to cut the excess off.

I hate to give bad advice, so take this for what it cost ya. Personally, I would trying cleaning the whole project with a good leather cleaner, like Lexol cleaner (in the orange bottle). You could try something like deglazer or acetone, but I don't like what it does to leather, and have had mixed results trying to remove acrylic finish with both of those. You said you put Leather Sheen on it, and that's an acrylic. However, if the Tan Kote is coming off and black dye us coming off, then the Leather Sheen is probably coming off as well. After you get as much off as you can, since archery equipment is outdoor equipment and you have applied oil already, I would be tempted to try a beeswax based product to seal the leather final. It seems like everyone has their own favorite homemade concoction with beeswax as an ingredient, and a google search will bring up more than you want to look up. As you already know, oil alone doesn't completely waterproof leather. A tallow or wax based preparation is needed following the application of oil.

Tan Kote is not water resistant, and will create a sticky mess when exposed to water. It is unfortunate, because for me, the look it provides far exceeds anything else. Four coats is excessive regardless. Excess oil will complicate ANY finishing process, no matter what the product. Many times I have added "one more coat" of oil to something that I know will receive heavy outdoor use and minimal.care and maintenance from the buyer, only to end up with a smeary mess when trying to apply a finish. I've used Resolene, Weaver Tuff Kote, Tan Kote, Angelus acrylic ( which is a superior product), Neat Lac, Leather Sheen, and others I'm probably forgetting.

I don't have much to add to what Randy said. I'd refuse to do the repair, and offer to help them find something better. I'd have way more time in it than the saddle is worth, and still have a cheapish saddle.

Duane Watts is currently making the only swivel knife with the swiveling blade. He was not the first one to make them. I have one of Watt's and I am seriously unimpressed. The blade quality is very poor, and the quality of the overall knife lacking, considering the cost. I know some people really like them, others hate them. It seems that people who have used a standard style knife for years are not happy with them. For the $100+ that they cost, you can get a better quality knife.

The guides are used when the operator wishes to sew a long piece and remain a consistent distance from the edge. There are two of them, a left and a right, because on a machine like the #1, they are most often used when stitching rounds or traces, especially if using a knife to sink the bottom stitches. Both rounds and traces consist of multiple layers which like to twist and move around, making it much more difficult to stitch. The manual has a general guide for the number of stitches per inch and which needle/thread combination to use on any given type of work. The foot corresponds to the number of stitches per inch. So if you're sewing 5 spi, you use a number 5 foot. You have to adjust the stitch length of the machine to match up to the marks the foot makes. Again, the manual instructs how to do this. The closed toe foot with the knife in the bottom is for rounds. It would typically be used in conjunction with a bottom knife, so that too and bottom stitches would be completely hidden from view in the finished round. Bottom knives are almost impossible to find, but could probably be made by someone with a little knife making/metal working knowledge. #3 needles are larger than you'll use for most work. #4 is standard for average heavy work, probably equal to a modern day #230, although the original needles do not match up perfectly with the modern sizes. The original needles are also of a much better design than the modern needles. I'm glad you saved your neighbor's machine from the scrapyard. Both machines were made before 1910, judging by the serial numbers.

It's possible that Schmetz made some 331 LL needles, but I've never seen them, and they aren't currently available new. I do believe Singer made that needle in an S point, although I've never seen those either, and they would be very rare to find now. Both the Bauer and the Pearson No. 6, took that same needle system. There may have been other machines and applications that I don't know about.

I'm a "she" (born that way, and still am) but I won't hold it against you since I don't list my gender in my profile. Vintage machinery rescue and rehabilitation is probably a very strange obsession for a female, but it's a lot more satisfying than shopping for things that would go on next year's garage sale!

Jacob, what is the serial number on your machine? You can find it stamped into the head to the right of the presser foot bar, on top of the machine. Interesting that you have a wax/lube pot on top, I haven't seen many of those. Can you tell if it looks like it was an aftermarket pot made for the #1, or something that was just made to work? I have a couple top pots, but they are not identical to yours. When motorized power became available, many of the original treadle pedals were removed and discarded. What's curious is that the big flywheel is still there. Most of those were removed also, along with the whole boiler and waxing apparatus, to reduce weight when transporting.

LR needles are the only kind currently available in the 331 needle that the #1 takes. In fact, I have never seen an LL configuration for these needles, and I have a pretty extensive inventory of original, old stock needles. I do believe there were some round point needles available at one time, but I've never run across any. I have owned and run Landis #1 machines for 30 years, and while I have many other models now, I still have a great fondness for these ancient beasts. They are a very simple machine, and if they are not worn out, are able to do decent work with a few minor adjustments.

It looks like a variation of a collar fastener, used at the top of horse collars. The lever has more curve than the ones typically available. Maybe a company had some made to their own specifications (?). I believe the are available through Weaver Leather, at least in stainless steel. The Buckle Guy would be another possibile source.

Flex trees are a different cat altogether. They are held together with T-nuts on the back side of the bars, and the conchos have machine screws to thread into the t-nuts instead of wood screws. I despise everything about a flex tree saddle. What normally has happened by the time they come in for repair, is the conchos either have come loose and the t-nut slips out of position, or the threads are stripped and you have to replace both the t-nut and the concho screw, or the prongs on the t-nut are no longer holding the nut stationary like they are intended. That can be because they have chewed a groove in the plastic material of the tree bar, or I have seen the prongs broken off or bent enough that they don't hold. Any one of these scenarios is likely to put me in an extremely bad mood. Now, when a flex tree comes in, I establish from the get-go that any repair is likely to cost significantly more than on a saddle of traditional construction.

The silver cap is likely soldered to a copper rivet.

I am impressed, and I've never been accused of overusing that statement. Anyone that builds a pair of boots with no formal instruction, and has them turn out this well on only the second pair has my admiration. I want to build myself a pair pretty badly, but to me the boot building process is very intimidating. Nice job!

It's definitely not a barrel racing saddle. It's a roper style front, with no swell and a big horn. I would agree with your dating of it as being 1960's. Value on a saddle like that around here would be under $200, and even then I'd sit on it a long while before it would sell. Right or wrong, riders today do not want to ride in something that looks as dated as that style, and there is no collectible value to it that I know of.

Tim O'Hara of SX Industries. It's been awhile, but I've seen him on here.

Seems like $300-350 is an average of the few I have seen sell in the US.

The machine is used for stapling in keepers, such as for loop-on rear cinch billets, bridle cheeks, etc. With that anvil, it looks like it would work for stapling box loops on harness also. You will rarely if ever find a model number on any Standard Rivet machine. The only way to identify them is if you have an old machinery catalog, and good luck finding one of those!! I was told the company does not support their machinery anymore, having changed hands a number of years ago. You'll have hell getting parts or attachments for most of the old automatics or semi autos. Tim at SX worked for Standard Rivet for years before he went on his own, and is the best hope for having info on your machine.

Nope, looks similar in style, but the Pearson shuttle is about half the size. Supposedly a Pearson shuttle will drop in a Bauer machine, but not vice versa. I haven't tried it yet, but that comes from a guy who would know.

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