Can someone explain how to do a pre set stirrup wrap?

[Curbstrap2]

Photos are appreciated. Thanks

[Curbstrap2]

I'm am using this beautiful saddle pix as an example of the technique I am look for an explanation of. Sorry, but I don't recall who's work this is, but its a beauty. I hope the owner doesn't mind me posting it and asking. Thank you.

Edited May 4, 2009 by Curbstrap2

[Echo4V]

Well since it's been two days with no answer, I'll answer even though I'm not a saddle maker I do know how to do this.

First you have to unhook the blevins buckle and turn the slide part ( the peice that locks it into place) around on stirrup leather. Now for the left stirrup you take the blevins buckle in hand and turn it counterclockwise ( so that if you are looking at it from the view we are seeing the saddle in the picture it will rotate from left to right). Once you get it turned all the way around re buckle it and then use a saddle string to whip it ( that's the term for the way that string is tied around the stirrup leather). Here is a good demo of one style of whipping.

http://www.animatedknots.com/sailors/index...imatedknots.com

For the right stirrup it's the same process but you turn the stirrup clockwise. Just remember that when you are turning the stirrups you want to turn them so that the part that was against the horse goes to the front of the saddle then to the out side (away from the horse).

I hope that was an understandable explaination.

David

[Curbstrap2]

Well since it's been two days with no answer, I'll answer even though I'm not a saddle maker I do know how to do this.

First you have to unhook the blevins buckle and turn the slide part ( the peice that locks it into place) around on stirrup leather. Now for the left stirrup you take the blevins buckle in hand and turn it counterclockwise ( so that if you are looking at it from the view we are seeing the saddle in the picture it will rotate from left to right). Once you get it turned all the way around re buckle it and then use a saddle string to whip it ( that's the term for the way that string is tied around the stirrup leather). Here is a good demo of one style of whipping.

http://www.animatedknots.com/sailors/index...imatedknots.com

For the right stirrup it's the same process but you turn the stirrup clockwise. Just remember that when you are turning the stirrups you want to turn them so that the part that was against the horse goes to the front of the saddle then to the out side (away from the horse).

I hope that was an understandable explaination.

David

David, that was very clear. I appreciate your reply. I have one question. What lenght of leather would be necessary for the whipping?

Thanks again!

[Echo4V]

every time I've done them for people I've just went to the tack store and bought a set of saddle strings. I have found that they are just the right size and thickness to do the job. It helps to have the extra length when doing the whipping then cut off the excess after they are tied.

Another tip is to moisten the stirrup leathers with a coat or two of neats foot oil before twisting them. Seems people neglect their stirrup leathers when maintaing their saddles and they tend to get dry and stiff, which makes them harder to get a good twist with. You also might want to leave a little length of string to grip so you can tighten the whipping in a couple of weeks. You wouldn't need to do that with brand new leathers but the older leathers will "break in" to the twist after a couple of weeks and leave your whipping loose.

David

[bruce johnson]

One thing to point out. On most saddles the pins on the Blevins point out, and the tail of the leather is in front of the stirrup. To do the twist you need to punch out those rivets and turn the buckle around, then rivet them back.

[AndyKnight]

wet the stirrup leather very well before twisting and they will stay. Most saddle makers use a either a jig or drawdown to stretch and twist until they dry.

[Echo4V]

Bruce, I agree that what you suggest is best but, not necessary. I have ridden with twisted stirrups where the buckle wasn't turned around and re attached with no side effects. In fact if you look closely at the photo she posted you'll notice that the blevins buckles on this saddle have not been turned around and re attached.

David

[bruce johnson]

I put my Blevins on like the twisted leathers in the picture. Pins in, 180 degree twist or fold, and they point out. I install them opposite for straight leathers - pins out. Otherwise when you go to buckle them on straight leathers the pins point in, and the excess stirrup leather is under the fender leg.

[Curbstrap2]

wet the stirrup leather very well before twisting and they will stay. Most saddle makers use a either a jig or drawdown to stretch and twist until they dry.

Can you explain to me what a jig or drawdown is? I am not familiar with those terms. Thank you.

[bruce johnson]

A jig is used to set the twist and stretch stirrup leathers and fenders. Some people refer to them as a stirrup leather stretcher. A few guys make them commercially and some guys make up their own. Basically assemble the fenders and leathers, wet them up, put the top of the leather over one bar, the bottom bar goes through where the stirrup bolt would be. You then add tension, usually with a screw mechanism that spreads the two bars.

A drawdown is a saddlebuilding stand with some way to pull a seat down tight with a strap over the top. You can again wet the assembled leathers, put them on a saddle tree, turn the stirrups out and run a piece of post through them, and apply tenson to that post. It will set the twist and stretch them.

A homemade way to do it is to wet the leathers still on the saddle, turn the stirrups out, and run the post through the stirrups with a bucket hanging between them. Add weight to the bucket - water, an anvil, whatever. Let everything dry under tension.

[Saddlebag]

I have a knee breaker with heavy fenders and stirrup leathers. I tried everything to get those suckers to turn to ease the knee pressure. I then reversed the slider, soaked the leather and put a 3" wide collar on them and laced them tight. When dry I removed the collars and low and behold I finally got a nice turn that seems to be permanent. That was 5 years ago.

[Tosch]

Curbstrap,

I just had a good laugh.

I hope you enjoy the trouble you are getting......

Tosch

[Casey Jordan]

Curbstrap2,

I just found this post today, I was in Colorado when it originaly posted.

I had to comment since that is my saddle you posted, and no I don't mind.

The twist you are refering to is called a Nevada twist (well that's what I call it anyway).

The purpose of it is just for what saddlebag refered to. A lot of saddles have the stirrups parallel with the fender, this will get to your knees sore in short order. You want your stirrups to hang perpendicular to the fenders, reliveing the stress on the knee.

The tail of the fender where the bevlin buckle is rivited should have been just a little longer to get it just a little farther from the stirrup.

While the fender is still wet I rivit on the bevlin and squeeze the leather together just below the buckle. I used 1/2" latigo ( with saddle soap on it) with a slit about 1" from one end and run the other end through the slit and start wrapping, keeping it as tight as possible, and run the end back up through the middle. Then put it on my drawdown like previously explained and with tension and left to dry.

Thanks for the help Bruce, you saved me a lot of typing!

Hope this helps.

[D.A. Kabatoff]

not sure how I missed this topic as well but Bruce is absolutely correct about the direction of the pins. Typically, the pins of the blevins would be facing the opposite direction as pictured below. If what you have looks like the photo below, then you will have to drill out the rivets, reverse the plates, and rivet them back in. After that you can wet the leather and make your twist as shown in the photo you posted.

Darc

[cowboycolonel]

When I do this, I put the adjusting buckle on so that when I'm done the pins will face the horse.  If I'm building the saddle, I will often use a bag punch and tap through both the stirrup leather and the fender leather to get a good start. I use a 3/8 saddlestring and punch a hole in one end while tapering the other end and the sides of the string.  Thoroughly wet the string so it will stretch and form a tight wrap.  Wrap around both pieces, but do not tie them off yet.  Put both assemblies on the stretcher and make certain that everything is properly aligned and then tighten the wraps and finish them off by pulling the running ends back down through the wraps (I wrap 5 times).  Then tighten the stretcher as tight as you can get it and set it aside.  I tighten it again the next day and the next.  By then the moisture will be gone and your stirrups will be set forever. 

Please note that you should do all tooling, stamping and dyeing, and edging, including punching the holes for the Blevins or Kreger's or whatever you're going to use, beforehand.

If you still need a photo of a stirrup stretcher, let me know.