joe59

Where in Arizona are you located? JOE

I have high/vaulted ceilings in my shop and as with most shops, lighting and storage are always a problem. I solved both by building a 36"x 96" re enforced plywood shelf. It is anchored to the wall on one side and hung by chains from the ceiling on the front side. I store full sides on the shelf and mounted two four foot shop lights on the under side. I put 3 inch spacers between the lights and the bottom of the shelf to limit any heat from the lights. The shelf is 7' from the floor and my sewing machines are underneath the shelf. Just a thought. JOE

I would not waste my time trying to fix a ralide tree. You can buy a new one cheap enough and not have to worry about it. The next best thing would be to tear it down and send the ralide tree off to be duplicated.

15Mules, I built my first draw down stand from the directions by Lee Rice in the Bruce Grant braiding book. I used that until the Al Stholman volume one first came out. I built one and have used it ever since. When I started building saddles on mule trees, I discovered that the trees with mule bars fit my stand better than the horse trees. I built a second "Stholman" that I do my repairs on. The only changes made were I made one three inches taller and used auto carpet to cover them. Too slick. I took an inter tube from a tractor tire and stretched over the stand. Much better and easier to clean. JOE

Dick Levitz, from the Tooling Bench made a left handed push beveler for me out of an old Osborne creaser. I was amazed at how easy it was to use the first time I picked it up. It is by far easier to control on belts and long runs than either the Osborne push beveler or the swivel knife type. I can get more pressure on it than I can with the straight handle and it makes a nice crisp bevel. i can even tip it to get a narrow, tight bevel. JOE

I was in Sheridan for the leather show and went over to Sheridan Leather. Luke and Vandy had at least two there for sale. They are used but appeared to be in good shape.

I use sleeping bag ground pads. You can get them at most outdoor stores.

That is the one. I own both sizes. They are very easy to use and a handy tool to have on your bench. I bought them from Jim Downey when they first came out. Jim sold his business to Barbara about two years ago. She is a wonderful person to deal with. JOE Hi Joe, Do you mean this?

I use both the Aussie stranded and the tandy wand. Both work great on latigo and chap leather. Rawhide is a bit tricky but both tools work well on it as well. I would also recommend the lace beveler sold by "Y Knot". It is a fantastic tool and does a great job. I use mine on all my lace as well as saddle strings. JOE

I talked with Tony Luberto yesterday. Good news for the Classic and #9 owners. He is back in business. He said it will be limited at first but he is planning to be back in the sewing machine business full time before long. He is traveling back and forth between Conn. and Montana. He is using his old number, (860) 564-8252. No 800 number and we didn't talk about his web site.

If you have the opportunity to look at some old saddle catalogs you will see the easiest way to put a twist on your stirrup leathers. Before the stirrup leathers are laced or buckled, the leather below is turned. The left one is twisted counter clockwise and the right is twisted clockwise. I've used this method on numerous saddles, both restorations and brand new. I soak the entire fender, put them on the tree, twist the stirrup leathers below the fender and use my draw down to set the twist. Hope this helps. JOE

Bruce, Rather than fight your needle nosed pliers to pull the tail of your horn wrap, try this. I take my front saddle strings and lay them on my fork cover. (one on top of the other) Then I wrap the horn with the method you described. The wrap goes over the strings against the fork. When you get to the tail, sandwhich the tail between the strings and pull the tail through. This has saved me from putting any unwanted marks on my fork cover. JOE

send me the details

Ken, I was not aware that there was a book on the classic. I have one of the original #9's and if I'm am correct, the classic is an improved version of it. Where could I get my hands on the book? I started another post before I saw this one and said that my VCR ate my instructional video. My machine is out of time and I cannot get adjusted correctly. Any help would be appreciated. JOE

I had an instructional video (VHS) for my #9 stitcher. However like most VCR's mine got hungry and ate my copy. I cannot get ahold of Tony Lurberto to purchase another. Does someone have have a copy they would be willing to sell or tell me where I can obtain one. I would prefer one that was on the DVD format. Thank you in advance. JOE

I started using Sheridan Leather for most all of my leather needs. Luke and Vandy are excellent people to work with. They will take the time to talk with their customers to find out what you are looking for. I've seen them at the leather shows and they have a great attitude. It dosen't matter if you deal with in person or over the phone the coustomer service is second to none and their leather is top notch. JOE

It is hard to tell from the pictures but the fleece does not appear to be real. Also did you inquire about the tree? Is it a rawhide covered, fiber glass or raliade (plastic) ? Also, the saddle may be "hand made" but it does not look to be anything more than "hand assembled". In my humble opinion, judging by the style and the little I can see in the pictures, the saddle does not look to be fifty years old. I could be wrong, but the screw in conchos did not come into style until the seventies. The horn may have been replaced as was the practice when dalley roping became popular but it does not appear to be the style of fifty years ago. The stitch length on the Chyenne roll appears to be more along the lines of mass produced saddles of the very late sixties and seventies. More pictures of the saddle, may help to determine the age. Compare it to pictures from old saddle catalogs from the fifties through the eighties. JOE

Back when I was dating the girl who became my wife, I rebuilt an old HH Heiser saddle for her to ride. The major problem I faced was that she is 5 foot nothing and I'm over 6 feet. The stirrup leathers were laced and needed to be replaced. I put Blevins buckles in when I replaced them. The next problem was that when the stirrups were adjusted for her the fender was way up on the bar and caused a lump under her leg and the Blevins slide was cutting the latigos. When adjusted for me, the top of the fender was about a half inch below the seat jockey and would sometimes pinch. I couldnot see the forrest for the trees and was at a loss as what to do. Back in the day, when stirrup leathers were laced together, the length of the leather below the curve of the fender was between 12 and 14 inches. With the invent of quick change buckles, this length could be shortened. When I'm installing Blevins style buckles, the length below the curve of the fender I use is 10 1/2 inches. This will put the hardware below the lagigos where it will not rub and 2 to 4 inches of adjustment can be gained. This solved both problems. Before you go to the trouble of cutting down the fenders or cutting new ones, see if the length below the curve of the fender can be adjusted. The 10 1/2 inches will be ample room to use a Nevada twist. JOE

I received my xrays from a vet. They were ones he couldn't read or the animal moved ect...... Most of the Dr's offices and hospitals have gone to digital print outs but the old films are out there if you look.

Go to cost-co or sam's club. They use heavy cardboard between the stacks of paper towels and toilet paper. The employees are more than happy to have you take it away. It comes in pieces about 4' square. Also old x-ray film is great for stiffeners, small patterns and a backing when tooling thiner leathers. The rubber cement cleans off with ease and the film can be used over and over. JOE

Bruce, I also generate a large quanity of "scrap" sheepskin. I've used the wool to stuff bucking rolls and throw pillows (made from "scrap" chap leather). I've cut snow boot liners, covered the console in a couple of trucks, slippers, lined breast collars, made a bed spread, pistol cases, .......the ideas are endless. A few years ago I repaired an old D.E. Walker saddle. The saddle was coustom built for original owner and had been passed down. The padded seat had very detailed quilting pattern matching the floral design carved on the rest of the saddle. The seat had worn out over time and when I removed it I discovered that the original padding was woolskin. My costomer wanted it restored as close to original as possible so off I went. To my amazement, it was easier to sew the quilting pattern using the trimmed down woolskins than other materials I've tried in the past. Since then, I use the woolskins almost all the time. Some times I'll use just the woolskin and other times I'll put foam under the woolskin. JOE

What size and shape are you looking for? Maybe I can cut them for you. JOE

I agree with Luke. The Bianchi video is very good. Also, in my opinion, stitched cartridge loops look more professional and tend to hold their shape longer. JOE

Rusty, I cut my own from old hack saw blades. You can narrow them and take the teeth off with a sanding drum or grinding wheel. You can also make them as long as you need them. Hope this helps. JOE

If the flower is too worn on the fender to get a good impression, a lot of times the flower on the rear jockeys will be cleaner. I have also had my daughter scan the fender or jockey on the computer and then traced it, JOE