Straight Cantle Bindings

[jwwright]

Ha!..........Keith sometimes my taco hats do develop somewhat of a pencil roll after a few years.........makes them even more areodynamically effective! I cowboyed in quite a few differing regions, and worked with puncher and buckaroo types, and most every hybrid in between. We settled in the ranch country here in the Flint Hills of Kansas quite a few years ago, and like it just fine. However, you are correct.........I'm most definitely a west Texan always at heart. I appreciate all your saddle wisdom. JW

[TroyWest]

I agree that rawhide wears out faster on binders and I just tell 'em I don't do that anymore. I do a lot of straight binders and I like to do a hidden stitch. It's clean, it looks good, and you can actually sew faster because you don't have to have those back stitches perfectly placed because they are hidden. The saddle I'm building right now has a hidden stitch. I take my binder down on my bandknife to about a 10oz., fit it on my tree, take it off and flatten it on my bench with my glass slicker. I've tried this several ways but I like best to use my round knife. Lay the binder on the edge of the bench and run my knife lightly down the middle of the back edge of the binder. Then I do it again going a little deeper each time til I have it the depth I want it. I like it to be 1/4" to 3/8" or so. I prefer to be in the middle of the leather. If your closer to the bottom side it makes it harder to flip the top up for sewing. If you're too close to the top edge it'll flip up easy but when glued down it can show bumps where each stitch was made. Glue your binder on your saddle. I use my creaser to open that cut up. Keep the back of that binder moist so the leather will flip up to get your needles and awls past it and sew. I actually like to start in the middle and go one way, then come back and go the other way. Keeps me from having to have so much thread at a time and it seems to keep it a little cleaner. I glue it shut with rubber cement.

Rub it smooth with my rubbing stick, and then edge it with a small edger. A smooth job back there makes a saddle look really nice, and a bad job looks so bad. A big deal to me is keeping those borders accurate with your tooling.

[steveh]

Troys hidden stitch on the cantel back is a neat technique. Does anyone have methods or comments on exposed stitching on the back of cantels? I really admire clean stitching that matches the front.

[AndyKnight]

I often use a stitch groover on the back and so ensure my stitching is straight and looks good on the back. If you want you can use a stitch wheel to get your stitch length even.

I have a single groover that works well for this.

[kseidel]

For exposed stitches on the back, I use one size larger stitch pricking wheel on the back as on the front, starting in the center. I use a tickler to crease a channel for the stitches rather than cutting out the grain with a groover. I find it easier to avoid pulling the thread through the leather when pulling the stitches tight. Keith

[TroyWest]

One more thought on the exposed stitches on the back. I find I have to stick my awl thru the back hole first, without going completely thru. Then go thru the seat side and hit that back hole. You can find that back hole pretty easy and your awl will follow that premade guide hole right out the back and be accurate. Otherwise you might have a hard time hitting your stitch mark. When you don't, you can sure tell it, and so can everyone else.

Do ya'll find it amazing? I'm in Tx., Keiths in Wy., Bruce in Ca., Greg and Andy in Can., Jon in Iowa, Bob in B.C., others in Oregon, New York, South America, Spain, and Australia and wherever and were all talkin' to each other like it was next door? Amazing.

[kseidel]

Troy, It is great to get to interact with people that we only get to see every coulpe of years. Keith

[lilsiscojoe]

I really appreciate all your input. What a great site to have questions answered on. Thank you all for sharing your knowledge.