Mulesaw

Are you painting it "Reseda green" (Hannover green) ? I guess it'll be spectacular once done, since you are sanding it down and all first :-) I really dislike making stuff ready for painting, so I am always impressed with those who take the time and do it.

I really like the green "hammerlak" paint on the Vilhelm Pedersen machine. Tha Dania is looking good too

Welcome, I am pretty new in here myself, but it sure is a nice place with a wealth of information. Our farrier once told me that whenever the horses are nervous, it helps to sing to them, her theory is that they get so confused with the singing that they forget to be nervous. I saw her employ that trick on my wife's warmblood once, and it worked. So I don't know if that trick works on American horses too, or if it just Danish horses that can't concentrate on being nervous and listening to singing at the same time :-)

Thanks, I need to wait for the edge burnishing until I am out of the hotel quarantine. I haven't brought any sandpaper with me, and besides I am afraid that the maid would get angry with the amount of fine dust produced. So for now it is just edge beveled on the front and back with my homemade screwdriver beveller. But when I get onto the ship I'll probably turn an edge burnishing tool that I can mount in the drill press or the lathe, That should hopefully help in obtaining a nice edge.

I have managed to make a steady progress on the breast plate. Two days ago I started the most difficult part (for me at least), to make the loop that will eventually be used for attaching the martingale. I had to thin down the leather a bit to make it possible for me to make a round sewing without it becoming too bulky. Still I think it came out all right. Yesterday I sewed together the two central pieces of the breastplate and also made a hole for the strap that will connect to the girth. I started making the round piece from the middle, and then worked to both ends of it, because it was so hard to roll near the ends. Stitching is done. It is beginning to look more like a breastplate and less like a bunch of leather straps. Now there is even a hole for the strap.

Now I could suddenly see some more pictures :-) But if the 3S is obsolete then I guess there is no need to be able to go back again. I am looking forward to seeing some pictures of the finished machine at some point. Cheers Jonas

Hi Søren So you want the arm with 3 holes to replace the mint green arm with 4 mounting holes? If you get a machine shop to make a piece of flat steel bar that is the same size as the base of the 4 hole arm, and drill 4 holes into that, then you can drill and tap 3 holes in the top of that plate (or have the machine shop doing that) The 3 hole arm might sit a bit higher, but it depends on how it should have been mounted originally. That way you could still fit the 4 hole arm in the future if there ever was a need for that. Oh and buy the way, it is a nice looking machine :-) I could also have completely misunderstood it all (I don't know the first thing about skivers, but I know a great deal on machines in general) Cheers Jonas

Do you have any pictures? Instead of drilling and tapping new holes in the machine itself, you could make an adapter flange. One that has got the 3 holes for your arm, and 4 holes for the back of the machine, Off course it depends on if the arm mounting holes are more or less the exact same position as the 4 first holes. (I am not sure if this makes sense, it is kind of difficult to explain) Brgds Jonas

Great looking project. The oak really looks good with a lot of texture and colors. The belt in the picture looks really fine too.

It really does look like fibreglass. I watched https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/index.php/building-a-saddle-tree/ He uses rawhide as far as I can tell, but I guess there are many ways to skin a cat (or build a tree). You said that the lady selling the saddle got it when she was 3, so is it a childs saddle? In Europe we measure saddles from the front to the back, and adult saddles are 17" and above, childrens saddles would typically be 15" or 16", not that it is an exact science though.

Welcome, I am new to the Forum as well. Brgds Jonas

Gustav and Cajou (the horse), winning a major round of chocolate, at his first ever B level event (young riders), He was the only one with four perfect rounds, I think he came in this particular round. Winning a C level competition, and posing with the sponsor gift. Washing and drinking at home.

You are much too kind :-) I am improving on the saddle stitching though, so I guess there is some merit to the "practice makes perfect" one thing that bothers me a bit is the hardware, I wanted some smaller snaps to where the upper part of the saddle is connected to the breastplate, and also the buckles weren't exactly as I wanted them, but I also wanted to support a local shop, so that trumped my vanity in what hardware I should use. There aren't many leather supply shops in Denmark, so I figured it is best to support those that still remains. Anyway, in the heat of the battle, few will notice as long as the equipage is doing a good job.

I am only going to line the piece that goes over the neck of the horse. That is as much as I can see from the pictures of the Dyon breast plates. Since I am doing it in a hotel room, I didn't bring any tacks and a hammer with me. I'd hate to get into trouble for disturbing the other guests. But is is a great idea that I might do next time I am making something similar at home. I am lining the piece with a thin piece of black soft leather (don't know the correct English term), kind of the stuff that you could use to upholster a car seat or make a leather jacket. Here's a link to my source of inspiration: https://www.google.com/search?q=dyon+anatomic+breastplate&rlz=1C1SQJL_daDK797DK797&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=yNj2k2M6Zi46XM%2CnpVioJLhjUbikM%2C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kSfUxWldiMqJvhtXHMRwlbQ1AM9_Q&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwio48vE-druAhWotYsKHWKZALoQ9QF6BAgKEAE#imgrc=yNj2k2M6Zi46XM Economically it would probably be cheaper to buy a finished breastplate, but I wouldn't learn muck from that, and besides, I like to make stuff, (guess most people in here does that) Brgds Jonas

Hahahaha. Good idea :-)

Thanks, I had originally planned to do the project on board, but since they changed the quarantine rules, I decided that it was a great way to pass the time in the hotel room. Brgds Jonas

Thanks, The worst part is the smell of contact glue, but there is a decent extraction from the bathroom, so I apply the glue on the table, then put the parts out into the bathroom, wait for five minutes, press them together, and leave them a bit to let the smell disappear before marking and sewing. Once it it time to call it a day, all the glued parts go back into the bathroom so I don't get a headache while sleeping due to sniffing glue :-)

I'll be following along here. I have had the same idea about buying an old saddle. I actually had one maybe ten years ago that I just threw away (not a western saddle though), but at that time it never occurred to me to keep it for learning purposes. Regarding about getting the saddle back to riding use, I have to admit that I know absolutely nothing about western style saddles. For European saddles, I would say that as long as the padding under the saddle is renewed and not hard as a rock anymore, then the saddle can be used. But I don't know if there is padding under a western saddle? Brgds Jonas

Due to the Norwegian Covid regulations, I have to stay in quarantine for 10 days after arrival in Norway. The company I work for have arranged for a hotel room in Bergen, and there is not much to be done about the situation. But due to a bit of planning ahead, I had bought various buckles and rings etc. and precut some leather at home and brought with me. So I am hope to make a breast plate for my sons horse while I am stuck out here. The working conditions are not optimal, but it sure beats watching TV or surfing the net. I got inspired by the Dyon anatomic breastplate, and I started out by measuring a bit on the actual horse and making a sketch. I still try to become better at making a nice looking stitching, but I haven't got a stitching clamp out here, so it is a bit difficult to draw the right hand thread and the left hand thread up or down. But I think it will end up looking OK. I have a small starter kit from Tandy with a marking wheel, and I have ground an old screwdriver to make an edge beveller. The knives I think are old fruit knives that are sharpened but they are sharp and that is the main thing for me. Before marking out for the holes, I glue the parts together with contact glue, and then I mark out and us a small awl before sewing it all together. Work station and place for eating breakfast, lunch and dinner. I brought a piece of plywood with me to avoid getting in trouble for cutting in the table. Nice and tidy workspace.. The main parts of the breastplate. for some reason the picture is upside down.

Looking really good. I like that even the belt strap gets stamped. Brgds Jonas

Thanks toxo When I worked in the offshore supply fleet I used to bring a small woodworking tool set with me, but now I'm on a different type of ship, and leatherwork is more suited for that, I am currently in a quarantine hotel in Norway for 10 days, and I am working on a breastplate for my sons horse.

After following this forum for a couple of years, I decided that I'd better sign up for it myself. My primary interest in leatherworking is horse tack, since we have a couple of horses at home, and our oldest son is a skilled competition jumper. I bought an old Singer patcher sewing machine, to be able to replace the zippers in riding boots, and I have made it a very small side hustle to do this for the local riding community. Being so happy with that machine I bought another Singer patcher but with a long arm, and that one I use for repairing horse rugs (horse blankets / stable sheets). A good thing about leatherworking as I see it, is that you can get a long way with just a little bit of equipment, which is great if you want to be able to bring your hobby with for e.g holidays or travels. I work as a chief engineer on a ship, so I like to be able to bring some sort of hobby project with me to do on board in my spare time. And a small box with a bit of tools and needles etc. and some precut leather will allow me to make something to keep my hands busy. Brgds Jonas