Mulesaw

Thanks Chuck, It is really appreciated I am so lucky to have my son involved in this as a partner, because he is the one who knows how to sell stuff. And together we make a pretty good team. Plus we make sure to have a good time along the way doing it which is really important I think. One of the ideas of the company is that it would be a great way to ease his way into it. He takes care of the accounting and that sort of stuff, and I provide some muscle (and a little experience). We haven't got any debt to a bank, but our company has borrowed some money from me. And it is written in the document that the money should be paid back whenever it was convenient for the company. That means that he (and I ) doesn't have to stress to meet any goals each month to satisfy a bank. And given that he is still an apprentice and goes to technical college half his time that is really good. The long term goal is to specialize in harness rooms / saddle rooms in large stables and horse trucks. We have bought a house too that we are renovating, and that will be rented out. I don't think that I'll quit sailing, but I hope and think that he can make a living from the company when he is done with his formal training as a carpenter. And at that time he will already be accustomed to tax reporting, accounting making quotations etc. And I am happy if I can still participate by repairing horse related stuff :-) Technically I could also work full time for the company, but I think we need to get it a bit more off the ground before starting that. But we are on the right track. Brgds Jonas

Really impressive! and thanks for providing the IMGUR link, I think I see a boot project somewhere in my future. :-)

@TomE Thanks for the video, I sadly can't see it out here since the net connection is so slow, but I'll have a look at it when I get home. I repaired a nice lead rope for someone, the rope was a braided thick soft rope, and the snap was attached by means of a piece of leather that was folded and then sewn onto the braided line. The other end had a leather ending as well, not a rounded cap, but also just a folded piece of leather that was sewn pretty close to it. It looked nice, though the stitching wasn't that great (I guess that's why I had to repair it)

I just tried to google a bit, and this page came up: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2011-title19-vol1/pdf/CFR-2011-title19-vol1-sec12-60.pdf On that paper it is specified in section § 12.61 that "(a) Fur-seal or sea-otter skins taken by Indians, Aleuts, or other aborigines under the authority of section 3 of the act, fur-seal skins taken under the authority of the Canadian Government, and fur-seal skins taken on the Pribilof Islands and other specified areas under the authority of section 4 of the act shall be admitted to entry if officially marked and certified as having been lawfully taken and if accompanied by a declaration of the shipper identifying the skins by marks and numbers as those covered by the official certificate." So I would guess that it also applies to seal pelts from Greenland Inuit. But I think the safest bet would be to contact the US customs, it can't hurt to ask them. There is a similar problem in antiques. You can't import an old piano to the US unless you have proof that the ivory on the keys were taken lawfully. And that information doesn't exist on older pianos since it wasn't unlawful at that time to hunt elephants. There is a well known restorer named Patrick Edwards who has a series of very interesting articles on that subject on his blog a couple of years back (not leatherwork related otherwise,).

@TomE Thanks for the kind words :-) And thanks for the suggestions for future products. I really like the idea of a show name plate, I have never thought about that until now, but it is always the same piece of paper that is taped to the front of the box door. and it really doesn't do much good for the overall look. I would have to learn how to make a rope halter, but I guess that should just require a good source of instruction and some practice. Lead ropes is also a good idea that everyone needs. I would love to make stuff like side reins and surcingles, but I am afraid that I will have a hard time getting in on the market with them. I know that I can make them as good or better than some of the fancier brands, but they have a powerful PR machine and many riders love using a recognizable brand. We hope that we will be such a brand someday, but I think it will take some time to get there. (But that doesn't matter as long as the journey is a blast) I think that hay nets are too cheap for repairing, at least if you need to pay someone to do it. It is the same problem with paddock halters. These can often be bought as a package deal at at sale with 5 halters for 15 $. I can't event get the hardware and nylon strap for 5 halters for that price. We actually operate with different hourly rates depending on the work we do. Horse blanket repair is just DKK 200 per hour (roughly 28$) but for saddle repair jobs and leather repair jobs we charge dkk 350 per hour (roughly 49 $) It may seem like a high price, but it is dirt cheap in Denmark. I think an unskilled labourer is paid something like 25$ per hour, so if you need a carpenter you usually pay at least 70 $per hour. My thought is that if we charged a higher price for the blanket repair, it would often be cheaper for people to buy new blankets, and I like the idea of repairing stuff instead of throwing it out, so it still generates an income to our company, and it is a great way to get in touch with more horse people. On an average I'd say that a horse blanket takes about an hour to repair, there is usually a bit of hardware that goes into it as well, and then there is the Danish VAT that amounts to 25%, so it quickly adds up for the customer.

@BlackDragon Here are some pictures of the products we have made so far. The leather grease comes in 3 colours: neutral, black and brown. The wooden hooks on the head stall holders are mitered in the corner and reinforced with a spline (those re the darker vertical lines) I haven't got any close up pictures of the shabrack holders, but they are also stained pine with two coats of marine varnish on them, You can see the ends in the first picture, where it holds 3 shabracks.

@chuck123wapati Hi Chuck, I think that the current delivery time and ordering time is something like a couple of months, so it is not a product that demands fast delivery. We have a bunch of spare hammocks on board, so without knowing the full detail of the ordering process, My guess is we (the ship) order once every year to replenish stock. Getting the hammocks to the ship is not a problem since they will just be sent to the office. Technically it would be cheaper if we managed to deliver while the ship was in Denmark for a visit. Cause then there wouldn't be a shipping issue to get it to Norway. Since I am still on a regular sailing job it means that I am out of our own company half the time, so that kind of demands that we always uphold a little stock our products so we can sell them, but the hammocks would be different since they will be sold in batches. So far my plan of production is: -Cut the rope needed to the correct lengths. Using a hot melt knife. This will keep the ends from fraying and I won't have to spend a lot of time putting on a small tackle on each end. -Make an eye splice on both ends of the carrier rope. (I would do this on a bunch of ropes, not just for one hammock) -Cut the canvas to the correct length and width and do it for say 10 pieces (more than 10 pieces I am afraid will just cause unnecessary clutter in the shop) -Fold the ends over twice, and iron the folds (2") so they will stay in place while I am sewing, (another possibility is glue or double sided tape, I just think that ironing would be faster and less costly) -Sew the folded ends. -Fold the sides, these fold should end up being approx 1.5" -Insert a string (like the starter cord of a chainsaw) in the fold. And sew the side folds. -Pull the carrier rope through the folded side using the cord. At this time the operation is repeated because this can all be done on the same setting of the sewing machine. -Adjust the sewing machine to do a higher lift so I can sew the carrier ropes and the lacing ropes. -Mark for where the lacing ropes should be mounted on the hammock. -Fix the carrier ropes to the side folds by sewing, approximately a 2" stitching on each end. -Sew the lacing ropes onto the bottom of the hammock. At this point all the sewing is done. -Mark where the holes for the brass eyelets should be on each of the folded ends. (8 pieces in each end) -Make the 16 holes for the eyelets. (Here I am not sure if I should use a hand punch, make something for a swing press, or make a pipe shaped drill, I am leaning mostly to the drill for speed and accuracy) -Install the 16 eyelets (I have a special tool for those, they are 20 mm ~ 3/4") Now the basic hammock is complete. This is the state that the ship buys them in, but there is a also an interest in getting some that can be sold directly to our trainees, and these will need to be "mounted"- the mounting consists of fixing a 3" diameter steel ring to each end of the hammock using a total of 10 pieces of rope each sort of 6' in length, They are just tied using a half knot and a farmers splice (insert the entire rope though the strands to hold it in place). I don't know how many mounted hammocks we will sell, but it is just not a completely different product, just a few things added to the existing unit. There are quite a few steps involved, but my main idea has been to make sure that I don't waste time by having to change workstation or readjust the sewing machine for each hammock. Brgds Jonas

@BlackDragon Sorry about the link, I have asked my son to send me the pictures, so I can upload them here. Thanks for the input. So far we are not looking into having employees, it's just Gustav and me, but that said we still need to look after ourselves as well. the idea about observing how someone else is doing things is good. When I made the first shabrack holders (they look like a rope ladder), I riveted the leather strop on each "step" both sides. But Gustav wanted to try, and he just tried doing all three steps in one side first, then flipping all over and then did the other side of them all, and that cut down probably a couple of minutes, and less fuzzing abot. I like to be able to give him some good inputs since he will be the one who will be running the company at some point (hopefully in a very distant future), but if I can teach him just a little then it might be the difference between make or break at some point. At first I had to explain to him that if we produced something ourselves, then we should still be able to make a decent hourly wage of the product. So that was why I was noting the time each operation took. I felt kind of like Scrooge McDuck, but there is no point in lying to him, and while it is OK to spend a long time on something if it is your hobby, you just have to operate with another mindset if it is for a business. We are planning on making a dedicated leather/canvas shop in the old green house in our garden (it was originally a brick structure, so it isn't a flimsy aluminum thing), so far the plans go for a well insulated wooden floor, lots of natural light, a wood burning stove to keep a decent temperature in the colder months, and it will be out of the regular wood workshop so there won't be a problem with dust settling as much. But that is for the future. We are not trying to make a living out of the company yet, so we are mainly trying to do a soft start without getting into debt. But the entire organization and planning of e.g. those serial productions fascinate me.

I tried to google a bit, and I found this https://www.horsejournals.com/riding-training/tack-gear/western/restoring-vintage-western-saddles That is form 2013, and they are linking to Alain Eons homepage.: http://alain.eon.free.fr/ Our net out here is so slow that I can't seem to load the page completely. So I don't know if it is possible to order directly form Alain home page.

@chuck123wapati Hi Chuck, thanks for your very thorough answer. It is pretty much along those lines I have been thinking, except hat I had forgotten needles and thread since I figured I already have it on hand, but that supply will also need to be replenished at some time. When we made the first shabrack holder and the first headstall holder, We made jigs and fixtures as we went along, so we could produce the next part faster and more accurate. Then once we had made the prototype we have made a small production run of say 10 units. And half the fun was to see if I had guessed sort of correct on the time it took for producing one item. I can't find out how to get the pictures from or IG account over to my computer, so here's a link to our Instagram page. In case you want to see the holders. https://www.instagram.com/p/CkNDdE3DP9d/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= The hammock production will most likely be made to order, with a couple of extras being made to go into stock. Here at the ship I think we restock once per year or thereabouts, and I guess it is the same on the other training ships. (At the moment they also buys from the same supplier). On our ship we often hear that trainees who have sailed with us would like to buy a hammock, but as it is now, we are not able to sell any since the supplier only delivers a minimum of what we need just for our own use, so I was planning to change that, so that there would be some for sale as well, not by me, but by the ship (I would still supply all of them but they could resell them and make a profit that way). At the current point in the planning, I am going to end up with a strip of canvas that's 14" wide that is not needed for the production itself (scrap), so I am toying a bit with the idea of making rigger bags out of that. That would fit very well into the ships stuff that we sell, so I think that I might sell it in larger quantities compared to the hammocks. I could also make something else out of it, so it doesn't just count as waste. The canvas is originally 60" wide, and the finished hammock should be 40" wide. The edges needs to be folded and doubled so that takes a bit of the width too. I am really looking forward to getting started once I get home in a couple of weeks time. Brgds Jonas

I sent you a PM. brgds Jonas

Great gift and a really great idea to repay a good friend with such a beautiful piece of work. Friendship is a dear thing, so I am all in favour of doing something good for a friend! The world needs more people who acknowledges and remembers friendship.

Good luck with your project, and the best wishes for the coming season of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year.

My son and I started a company in February, so far our main income has come from repairing riding boots and repairing horse blankets. However, we have also started a production of head stall holders and shabrack holders, where the hanging system is made out of leather Plus leather grease to care for your horse gear. We make a nice classic version of stitching horses, though so far no sale of those yet (we aren't that big in marketing) But as the title says , I am planning for making a production run of hammocks similar to those that we use on this ship. Our current supplier is well into his 70'ies, and I'd like to be ready to take over once he decides to stop. So far I have found a supplier of a fitting type of canvas, and a supplier of the correct rope and brass eyelets etc. And I find myself drawn to calculating all the time and trying to guestimate how fast I can make those hammocks and if I could do it a bit different to be more efficient etc. And so far I haven't even ordered the canvas (since I am out at sea). So I was wondering if there are any other that routinely try to organize a production run in their head of some projects that you already do or perhaps would like to do? It doesn't matter if you ever get around to do so, but I just like to occupy my mind in thinking about stuff like that. Like what I could do to utilize that small pieces of scraps. what the most logic or most efficient sequence of operations is etc. It could be that you have made one holster and you think about ways to do it efficiently if you should make perhaps a 1000 pieces of the same holster. Or in your head you are going to expand your belt production to a level where you can supply all Walmart stores. Let's hear it if you ever think about organizing a production, and what it should be (and you don't need to actually do it, just thinking about the process because it is interesting)

Hest & Hus Aps Danish company (me and my son) Stitching horses based in Denmark

I really don't think it looks that bad. There is a lot of dust n it, but that can be cleaned away with a bit of soap and water and then a light oiling will help. It looks like it has been stored in a dry place, so there is just a bit of rust on the cast parts below the table, but as long as the mechanics haven't been subjected to water it'll be good. In short, a great find! looking forward to see the progress. brgds Jonas

I have heard that it should also taste really fine if you use tallow when you roast your steak. I think I'm going to try that next time I get the chance (when I get off the ship) It is funny how such a seemingly small thing can make such a big difference in taste.

Some of the hunters I know are getting sausage made from the deer they shoot, so I think they use all the tallow themselves, but it couldn't hurt to ask them. But also the deer over here are SO small, so there isn't much "meat" on them anyway. The standard weight of a 3 year old animal is between 32 - 45 lbs. Unless you manage to find a sika deer or a red deer. But those aren't as common where I live.

After my initial test I bought 40 lbs of beef tallow food grade. that was just something like 35-40 $ According to a friend of mine who runs a restaurant, it is sometimes used in steak houses for frying a steak, as it gives bit of taste compared to e.g. cooking oil or butter. But getting some scraps from a butcher will still give plenty tallow for a nice sized portion (and happy dogs as a bonus). I have tried to look at a lot of those leather greases that are available over here, and quite a lot of them have got petroleum jelly in them. I can't say that it is bad, I just think that natural grease from the same animal ought to be better for the leather. Plus it is kind of neat to make your own stuff :-)

Darn. elk tallow is just SO exotic for someone like me :-) I guess that if you lived in a really warm climate, you could change the ratio of tallow to NFO, but I like that I can easily apply the grease even if it is stored in the unheated workshop in the barn. I haven't tried it in super cold temperatures like freezing though, but I reckon it will still be soft enough to apply.

@TomE Thanks, the dogs definitely found it to be a rewarding experiment. The tallow was quite pricey like this. I think I paid DKK 50,- (around 7$) for 4 lbs of tallow scraps. After boiling etc. I think I ended up with just over one lb. (I have already forgot the exact number). And it took a while for boiling, but I think it is fun to try all the way from scratch. Since I moved up to production scale I have fund that the NFO is the most expensive in the recipe. I haven't found a wholesale supplier for that so far, but I think its OK despite of that. My production costs are roughly 2$ per jar, and a jar contains 250 mL. (slightly more than a US cup). That price includes the jar and the lid and I also ad a bit of pine needle oil just for a nice smell. But technically it isn't needed. Sheep tallow should be good I reckon, and I haven't heard of anyone using that for anything except old time lubricating of wooden planes soles. I have tried to make black grease by adding some lamp black, and that works like a charm, so I also tried to make some brown using burnt umbra .(I haven't tested that one yet coming to think of it) Both these are intended to be for boots since few people I know want to use anything with colouring on their saddles. Most competitions still require white riding pants, so no need to risk getting those more dirty. Here's a picture of one of my friends equipment after applying the grease. She bought a jar of the neutral coloured and a jar of black leather grease. She is not into regular competition riding, so it would be fair to say that her equipment isn't always super shiny. But the boots look like a million $ now, and she was very pleased with the product.

I found this recipe for harness oil in "The Harness makers illustrated manual". @Alexis1234 kindly referred to the book in a post about a fabulous goat driving harness that she made. The book can be found online, and in the end of the book there are a bunch of recipes. The easiest one was for harness oil that is actually more of a leather grease. I have made a production run of it, and so far I am very pleased. The grease is soft and absorbs easy into the leather. It doesn't leave a residue on the surface of the leather. My first test was made from absolute scratch, later on I have bought food grade tallow since it was a lot cheaper and easier compared to extract it myself. But then again, I am making a large production so I can sell some of the grease to other horse people. I like the idea of using animal based ingredients since I believe that it ought to be the most natural kind of grease for another animal product. The recipe calls for 3 lbs of beef tallow, and 1 lb of neatsfoot oil. the tallow is melted and the NFO is slowly poured into the melted tallow. all is stirred well until it is cold. The recipe also suggests adding a bit of lampblack to the mixture. I have only tried using beef tallow, but I guess that elk, moose, or deer tallow would be similar, so if you are a hunter or knows one then it could be an interesting experiment to try to use a wild source of tallow. The pictures show my process from the first experiment. No black was added to the mixture. 1 + 2) I bought some tallow scraps from the local butcher and these were boiled for a couple of hours in water. 3 + 4) The liquid tallow and water was transferred to a clean bowl and left to solidify in the cellar until next morning. The solid pieces of meat were given to the dogs (who seemed to like this experiment). 5) The solidified tallow was lifted onto a plate and the underside was rinsed under some water to remove any soup. The actual soup was also distributed to the dogs. 6) I used an old can to melt the tallow and NFO in. I weighed 240 gram of tallow and 80 gram of NFO. 7) I melted the tallow and NFO in a water bath, so I didn't have to clean up a pot when I was done. 8) All melted and stirred thoroughly. 9) Poured into an old tin. 10) After cooling and solidifying. the grease is ready to use.

Hi Scott It is a creamy paste, and that makes it easy to apply on saddles and headstalls as I see it. The two items are heated up and stirred, and if done correctly they don't separate (or at least that's what the recipe says). I haven't had any separation problems, but my experiment is only about a month or so old. In the Harness makers illustrated manual, the product is described as harness oil, but they say that it will be a smooth and soft grease which is also my experience. The author writes that you should heat up the tallow slowly and then stir the NFO thoroughly into the mixture until it is cooled. I ad both ingredients at the same time, and slowly heat it up to all the tallow has melted, stirring along the way. That has worked fine for me.

I found an old recipe in the Harness makers illustrated manual. 3 lbs of tallow (beef), 1 lb of neatsfoot oil. The recipe suggests adding a bit of lamp black to the mixture. I have made a large batch of it and I find it very easy to apply and it softens the leather as it is supposed to do. I mainly use it on saddles and horse gear. I got 40 lbs of food grade tallow. I also tested with adding a bit of brown (burnt umbra) to the mixture to make a brown leather grease. the idea being to use the black and the brown to boots and neautral coloured on the saddle and headstalls. (to avoid getting the white riding pants blackened by mistake). I don't want to put in beeswax in order to not increase the friction of the leather surface. If you ride a nervous horse, the squeeking sound of the boots rubbing against the saddle flaps can sometimes be enough to stress the horse. So far I haven't got enough experience with the product to see if it cancels all noise, but I am pretty optimistic though. Also I am thinking that since leather is mostly made from cows, beef tallow and NFO must be the most natural ingredients used to reapply grease to the leather.

Great find! I prefer my treadle version over the electric version, since I find it so much easier to sew really slow using foot power. But I also use the low "gear" pulleys all the time.