Saddlebag

Contact Jack Leighton. You can find his web site by googling Leightons sewing machines. Jack is a machinist who has specialized in stitchers. I bo't my old Union Shoe machine from him which somewhat resembles yours.

Well made saddle, not typical of catalog sales. Good stout roper. Slick seats almost disappeared in the 60's so I'm thinking your saddle predates 1960. It was in the early 50's the cantles were lowered as there was a misconception that a cowboy could dismount faster to tie a calf.

I was working with a saddle with leathers that would not budge even with dribbling neatsfoot and hot water in there. Then an AHA moment. Two empty clean tall yogurt containers were on the counter right in front of me. I cut the top rims and bottoms off and also down one side. I now had two roughly 4"x7" flat plastic strips. (I also rounded the corners) I worked them up into the tree, one on either side of the leather. This enabled me to bring the free end up in to the gullet area to clean and lubricate and get the leather sliding back and forth. I then repositioned the "slides and fed the leather back thro the bar, slick as you please. The slides have been a valuable part of my tool collection since.

I just had one, same thing, brand new and 30 years old. It too was very dry. My first step is to saddlesoap it to help replenish moisture and remove dust that had collected in the tooling. I'll leave it a week and redo it. Then I will add warm neastfoot oil while the leather is still damp, using a paint brush I keep for applying oil. Owner was very happy with how the saddle looked and felt.

An old cotton tea towel and plenty of elbow grease brings up a nice shine. I use Feibing's soap and neatsfoot if it really needs it, then buff when dry. I prefer the mellow glow not the glossy shine.

This big unit is identical to the Pearson. Large comfortable fly wheel or treadle to free up both hands. Goes through skirts and sheepskin like butter. Includes a seperate shuttle rewinder. It's a dream to use. It's micrometer setting allows the saddlemaker to match the stitching to existing holes when refleecing a saddle. If shipped it will be crated. Price? - it cost me $5000. I'll be taking offers but no tire kickers please. I will send pics to the serious inquiries.

There is a Riley & McCormick Western store in Calgary Alberta. They've sold saddles for years. They have a web site. Hope this helps.

Mike, if you come across a saddle/s with a large V in the stitching on the seat by the lower edge of the cantle, pass them up also. Don't fit horses very well. They are sold under various brand names but ooriginate from the same factory.

I lived in Calgary for years before R&Mc moved downtown. I never knew them to make saddles. Kenways had a plant on 10Ave S. I was in there. The foerman told me they bo't the rights to make TexTan saddles in Canada. It was common back then for a retailer to have their name put on a saddle, rather than the manufacturer's.

My main gripe with makers who use a keeper for identification is it is easily switched to another saddle.

One of my favorites for cleaning a saddle is Fiebing's yellow paste. It will leave the leather with a nice mellow glow. I don't know the age of the Walker-Visalia but the early cowboys were small men and often rode a 13" seat. They literally rode ponies, often under 14'2hh. Their horses were built more like small thoroughbreds, high withered and narrow. That might account for the narrow tree on the W-V.

Thanks, I shall pass this along.

Just got a question posed to me. When dying a saddle to dark oil how do I prevent it from getting a greenish cast when dry. Has anyone had this happen and what type of dye did you use. Any fixes? I've never had this happen.

I need to see a pic of the forks from the front. I suspect this is an arab saddle. The shape of the fenders is circle y. Can you not find anything stamped into the leather on the underside of the jockeys or on the skirt high up under the jockeys. Usually on the near side.

You're right - 85 Sorry

A word of caution, the roughout leather on the seat can't take the abuse that suede shoes can when it comes to a wire brush. My preference is to use the edge of a cellulose sponge that has dried like a board. I'll rake the edge across the suede to raise the nap. No way of harming the suede.

Definitely not original to Porter. Even new cantle leather was added. If I'm reading the numbers right this saddle was made in 87.

What came first, the Bobbin or the Shuttle?

I use a drill press. The trick is to put a blob of saliva on the rivet, then drill thro it. This is an old welder's trick who said the spit works better than water. Besides, it handy and there's always a ready supply.

I'd give the saddle a cleaning with a soap containing conditioners like Feibings. Adding vinegar will kept destroy the mold. While the leather is still damp and the pores are open that's when I'd oil it. If you use a paint brush and paint it on it goes quickly and like painting you wipe the bristles off a little first. This allows you to better control how much oil you use. Because using a paint brush makes it so easy, repeating the process is only a couple of minutes.

Very nice. Hope the horse appreciates it!

Is that an arab saddle? Do you have a front on pic?

Nice to see the workmanship in the seat, the beautiful diamond pattern. The design in the seat often denotes the quality of the saddle.

Not sure about the first saddle but the others depict the styling of saddles from the late 50's and onward. Back in those days and for many years TexTan (Hereford) put identifying numbers behind the cantle plus used the stamp of the bull on the fender.

Pics don't show a lot but from what I'm seeing this is a factory saddle of moderate value. The leather on the fender looks like lit was taken from a less desirable part of the hide. I suspect the Lookout name is the shop that sold it. The factories often withheld identifying marks if a saddle wasn't quite up to snuff. The retailer would get a good deal and add his own stamps.