Mulesaw

I think that much of the leather paint is acrylic paint, so perhaps you could just get some acrylic JD paint and use that? I tried to google JD green and the RAL number seems to be 6001. But like Constabulary says, I think it all depends on the age of the tractor. Good luck, and please show the end result. Brgds Jonas

1) I buy my thread at Laederiet 2) I prefer Amann as brand, I use Serafil for machine work and Serabraid for handwork 3) Thread usage pr month: 5 yards of Serafil TEX 270, 20 yards of Serafil TEX 135, 20 yards of Serafil TEX 70, maybe 5 yards total of Serabraid TEX 380 or TEX 500. 4) Two colours mainly, black and white. with black being the most used colour. Occasionally some other colours in TEX 70 for zippers in riding boots. 5) 14$ for a spool of Serafil, and 45$ for Serabraid 6) Polyester and waxed polyester, (Serafil and Serabraid), it is a consistent quality and works well for my purposes. In addition I use a small amount of waxed linen thread to repair old objects. The colours used here are nature (off white), black and brown. Brgds Jonas

@Yukonrookie You are always welcome to contact me :-) Just send me a DM through this site and I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can. If it takes a while before I answer, it isn't because I am angry or offended, but when I am not at sea I can often go a couple of weeks without firing up a computer, so chances are that I just haven't been online .-) By the way, I am pretty sure that they speak better English than German at Laederiet, so don't be afraid to call them. I'll check out the buyleatheronline, and see what they have, and maybe get inspired :-) Brgds JOnas

@Pdm25150 Just a tip: Normally the zipper stops right above the heel cap on the boots. On riding boots the heel cap is usually around 3/4" high. It still makes sure that the zippers doesn't take all the load from the foot that is trying to split the boot open. Also you might need to put some sort of cover flap on the inside of the boot, so the end of the zipper won't gnaw into you heel. These things are normally done already on boots with zippers, but since you are going to install one from scratch, it might be worth planning it beforehand so you don't end up doing the work twice. An idea could be to look at some similar styled boots with a zipper, and then use that as an inspiration. Brgds Jonas

Hi Tom Normally I use the spiral zippers, because that is what most boots are supplied with from the start. If the zippers are on the inside instead of on the back, and they don't have a cover flap, then I'll install the Vislon type. The spiral type have some thread weaving to hold the individual teeth in place, adn the boot constantly moving around on the skirt of the saddle will cause those to wear though in a month or so with very active riding (10 horses pr day or so). But the Vislon while not quite as elegant can hol up to a snowmobile suit for a kid. So that is sturdy. I can try to make an instructional post when I get back home showing the process. Normally I mark the correct length of the zipper based on the old one. Then I install a metal stop at the bottom. Cut the zipper to the correct length after installing the stop. I then melt the teeth just below/under the metal stop using a heated piece of metal (a nail usually). And then I install it. Brgds Jonas

I haven't ordered from buyleatheronline, actually I have never heard of it before now :-) But I never really tried to find another supplier than Laederiet, so it is not that I have anything against them or anything, I have just been happy with Laederiet, so I figured that I'd stick with them. I think you will be pleased with the Croupon, and no matter what, their customer service is outstanding. They are just a phone call away and they know about the stuff they are selling. I once ordered some buckles and the guy called me and said that he could see I had ordered something like weight lifting belt buckles, and at the same time I had ordered some that looked like it. And he just wanted to make sure that I was aware of that the latter ones were not super strong or anything they just looked that way. That was ok with me since they were just intended for a regular belt, but someone wanted a double prong buckle. But I really appreciated that they took the time to make sure that I didn't order something that I would get disappointed with. The same goes when I am visiting their warehouse, something I do maybe twice a year. The service is great and the staff are really helpful and there is no aggressive sales techniques. They ask you immediately if you need some help, and when I tell them that I'll just look around, they are super cool with that and simply lets you know that they'll be over by the counter in case you have any questions or need any help. So after half an hour of browsing or so - I'll go to them and say that OK, now I need some assistance, and they provide it. Last time I was there I needed some chewing gum pink leather for a set of chaps for my daughter. She wanted some that looked like Zuki's chaps in Fast Furious. They didn't have it in the store so I was just taken into their stock warehouse behind the store and he helped me find some of the correct size and colour. So with a service like that I never really feel the need to shop much around :-) Thanks for the nice words on the chaps. I think they came out nice too, but after I had made them, I saw a youtube video from Weaver (I think) about how to make chaps, and they suggested that you zipped the legs from top to bottom, and I did it the other way round. But I know that for next time. Brgds Jonas

@Pdm25150 I would go for the YKK Vislon type zipper. I replace a lot of zippers on riding boots, and the Vislon zippers can take a bit more of a beating than most spiral zippers can. I would probably aim for something like a 5/16" (8mm) or a 3/8" (10 mm) wide zipper. The easiest way to sew in a zipper in a pair of boots (from my experience) is to: -Make sure the zipper has got an appropriate length, it should go from the top to maybe 3/8" below the lower heel flap/reinforcement -Use some double sided tape to hold it in place while doing the sewing. -Start by sewing one side of the zipper, starting at the top of the boot and work your way down towards the heel. -Next sew the other side of the zipper from the heel going up. But make sure to test early on that the upper end of the zipper will end at the same height on the boot as the other. (To avid that you by accident shift one side of the zipper a bit farther down in the heel portion, something that can happen in soft flexible riding boots). -Most riding boots have a small strap at the top with a click button, this strap serves to hold the "handle" of the zipper up, so that the zipper can't open by accident. You can always ad that on you boot at a later time if you experience that the zipper opens by itself a lot. Brgds Jonas

Laederiet in Denmark https://laederiet.com/ They are inside EU. I have been very happy in dealing with them. Brgds Jonas

Ah, that makes sense :-)

No problem at all :-) I buy 99% of my leather supplies from Laederiet, and have been very happy with them. When they mess up (Has happened a couple of times when I buy a lot of zippers for repairing riding boots), they straight away acknowledge that they screwed up, and send the correct parts immediately. So their customer service is perfect. Here is a post with some tooled yokes that I made for a set of chaps. Those yokes were made of the Croupon that I linked to. I think I ordered the 2.8 mm thick one. The croupon was flawless when I got it. And it is really almost square, so there is very little waste unless you make something of a very weird shape. But I have to say that I am not an expert in tooling, so I don't know if other leather are better than this. But this stuff is easy to tool in my opinion. Just remember to case it first (wet and leave for a while) before stamping. Brgds Jonas

Looks lige a very elegang solution, and I would guess that it slides a lot easier compared to the leather. Did you sew together the braided rope together? Brgds Jonas

Great setup!

@Yukonrookie I think the advantage of a slightly tallowed hide is that has a nicer surface and it probably resists dirt and markings a bit better. (but that also means dye) According to my leather supplier (Laederiet in Denmark), https://laederiet.com/shop/48-double-backs/8203-croupon-crust/ In Danish and German it is called a croupon, but when I choose the English text, it suddenly changes it name to a "bend", the desription (if you don't trust the link), is that the croupon is the piece that goes from the shoulders to the back. They claim that it is hte better part of the leather since it is without the folds the leather would normally have around the neck of the animal. I have ordered some once and I was very happy with it. Brgds Jonas

@TomE That lead looks fantastic! I am tempted to copy your design on that one. Is that 3/4" or 1" wide straps that you have used for the lead? Brgds Jonas

Fantastic looking as always! You do an amazing job on those! Brgds Jonas

Welcome, lots to learn here, and plenty of helpful and nice people to help :-) Brgds Jonas

Yes, I noticed that one too. It looks very authentic :-)

@Jaypit Welcome to the forum :-) Since you are a member, you can post pictures directly in the forum. My educated guess is that you'll get a lot more response that way. I think the most appropriate category to post your pictures in would be: https://leatherworker.net/forum/forum/50-leather-sewing-machines/ Just make a fitting headline like: Need help identifying this sewing machine. And then take it from there. Brgds Jonas

Here are the pictures from the ad. Please note that the pictures are not mine, They just give an idea of how the oxen harness is built.

@TomE I just remembered that I once downloaded this paper on how to build an English saddle. I found it in an old tread on this forum Scroll down to the 2nd last comment. There is a link for the pdf there. The first link is dead, but down there the Moderator Northmount added it. Have fun reading it. Brgds Jonas

Thanks for the tip, sounds like a doable recipe (not something with drops of unicorn blood and tailfeathers of a speckled Kiwibird :-) Brgds Jonas

Interesting subject. In Germany, traction harnesses for oxen are called: "Ochsen zuggeschirr". If you Google that and chose "pictures", then a bunch of different ones surface. I know it isn't a detailed how to make instructions, but normally there are plenty of pictures in those classifieds ads that it will help in giving an idea. https://www.kleinanzeigen.de/s-anzeige/zuggeschirr-fuer-ochsen/2403421497-240-1220 Here's the link to a classified ad for one in Germany. I don't own the right to the pictures, that's why I just put in the link. I know it will expires at some point. but I don't want to mess up some copyright stuff. @Northmount Do you have an idea if we can copy the pictures from that classified ad without getting into trouble and posting them here?

@TomE Good idea with diluted ammonia, I just used grated soap and tepid water, but I had troubles getting the old "caked" grease off. So the ammonia might be a better choice for a start cleaning. And I normally give the saddles a light touch over with grease afterwards anyway, so they look nice and the customer can see that I care about their tack. - so removing a bit of oil/grease in the cleaning process wouldn't be a big deal since it will be reapplied :-) Brgds Jonas

It is a strange construction, I am also most used to saddles that are stitched in the fwd part. I have repaired a couple of Passier Mono Optimum dressage saddles lately. It is admittedly a professional rider that uses them so they see a lot of working hours. But I think that the main course of most of the wear that I see on those particular saddles are due to lack of cleaning. Most people happily oil away on their saddles and give them nourishing creme etc. But the very fine dust that comes from riding in a riding house or on a dusty track gets stuck in that grease/oil and soon starts acting like very fine sandpaper. It also goes on the boots, and pretty soon the lower part of the saddle flaps wear through. I have tried to tell her as diplomatic as I can, but it is kind of hard to break the truth to someone when they haven't even asked why I think the saddles look the way they do. I mean if I was a customer I'd probably feel insulted if someone kind of accused me of not cleaning my stuff thoroughly. It is a different matter if they genuinely ask: Why do you think this happens? Then I'd be able to show them where the dust and grease accumulates and scrape a bit if it of and make them feel it between two nails that it really is abrasive. I think that would give them a better understanding of the importance of cleaning the tack - not just grease it. Before I started the last repair job, I cleaned it the best I could, but I didn't want to use an hour or so on that without having cleared it with the customer, but it still helped a lot as I could see. Brgds Jonas

Welcome to the forum :-) I'd try some beef tallow. There is an old recipe with beef tallow and neatsfoot oil, but the neatsfoot oil will darken it a bit, so if you try pure tallow it might be better. But I guess it will still darken the leather just a bit until it is dry again. Similar to if you wet leather with water, it will immediately become a bit darker. It is possible though, that the leather is too dried up to be salvageable. But you won't know until you try it. Brgds Jonas