covering my horns

[Go2Tex]

Alright guys and gals, help me out here.

When covering my horns in the conventional method, with full leather wrap, (wings attached to bottom piece), I skive the wings down to a feather edge and really put the stretch on it wet, tack it down and let it dry. It looks absolutely stupendously marvelous....until it dries and INVARIABLY the edges start to pull away. I thought leather was supposed to shrink as it dries., dang it. I've even let it dry, then re-wrap it using my chinaman choke strap.... and it still happens. It's as though the leather just keeps stretching.

So, the question is, am I taking all the stretch out and therefore it's not staying tight, (per the latest article in the Journal)?

Or, am I skiving the edges too thin, or maybe both? I've tried glueing the dang little buggers down, but somehow I don't think that's the right solution.

Or, should I start using firmer leather for the wings?

[AndyKnight]

Heres my 2 cents....

Sounds like the leather is maybe too wet. Try using the choke strap again or rub stick when it is almost dry.

I usually try to cover a horn with ethe wings cased to about the same as if I were stamping. It looks dry but isn't. However if the pattern isn't 100 percent then having the wings wetter willl make it easier. then rrub or choke as suggested. I like to use decent leather. The cap portion as firm as possible with the wing portion towards the belly. ( not flanky)

I will sometimes glue the underneath wing. My deal is that I want them to stay tight forever.

Edited November 11, 2007 by AndyKnight

[bruce johnson]

Brent,

I have stopped skiving the edges to a feather edge for the reasons you have, especially on recover jobs like on cutters and barrel saddles that won't have mulehide or rubber over it. Some just don't seem to stay down for me, riders pick at them or they tear when I feathered them out. I leave the edges about a scant 1/16" thick now. By the time I have cranked them on and choked them down they are pretty flush and more inclined to not curl or roll. Rubbing around with a deerspike or tapping with a smooth hammer sets them flush too if there is still some case to the leather.

[Hidemechanic]

I agree that you may be too thin of feather and too wet.( I watch how much of the top grain I am getting into as to feathering.)

I also choke on the dry. However I start by wrapping the first wing right to left using lasting pliers if needed to snug it if I have room,(also working by hand to get it to lay right)tack the tail in place with tension on it then wrap the left wing around to the right and wrap the chinaman on it. Often times before using the chinaman I will work the wing around by hand trying to work some stretch out of it to get a prelimanary fit before choking down(gets things going in the right direction). I never do this in an ABC fashion. I will repeat the process to make sure things are laying where they should. I come back later to check it and have had situations where I have had to run the chinaman over it again, usually though this is more for burnishing. I also will let the chinaman losen up enough to slip(near the end of the process) allows me to control the blending of the wings as well as burnishing. By this time the chinaman has also begun to dry out.Good Luck. G.Hackett