Help with carviing/stamping fork

[Priam1]

Hi Everyone:

I'm a newbie and building my first saddle, a slick fork (8 inch fork) with a 5 inch cantle. In any case, I'm about to cover the fork, but I want to do a combination carving border with a standard basket weave stamping for the center. I'm really nervous about ruining the fork because from what I undersand, the fork is stamped after it is installed. Can anyone give me some advice as to how to stamp it without making stupid mistakes. For instance I'm concerned that the stamp won't track straight because of the curve of the fork. Furthermore, that the stamping will not be as deep as if it was done on a stone block because again, the curvature of the fork. Any advice/suggestions would be most appreciated.

[D.A. Kabatoff]

Priam,

When I do a basket stamp on a slick fork, I take a ruler and draw a guide line down the center of where my pattern will be. As long as you are not using a flexible ruler that gets bent into the curves of the fork, your guide line will be a straight line. Each single basket stamp is usually too small on it's own to cause much distortion to the straight line. By starting in the middle of your pattern and working outwards to two different edges, you minimize the distortion through the forks contours enough that the eye can barely detect it when it's finished.

As for the actual stamping, make sure the fork is properly cased when you stamp it. I try to install my fork cover fairly wet and as it air-drys I wait until it is about the consistency of cased leather. It is very difficult to get a fork cover properly cased for stamping once it has dried out completely. The other trick is to use your drawdown strap on the saddle with an emphasis on pulling the front end of the tree down. If your drawdown stand wasn't designed in the shape of a horse's withers, you may need to put something under the rear of the bars to raise them up and lower the front end. If your tree is cranked down nice and tight and your fork cover is properly cased, you should be able to get the best impression possible. The only other thing I could suggest is using a heavy maul with a basket stamp. I don't know the weight of mine but it's one of the large ones that Barry King sells. Take your time because your tool is often at an odd angle and can easily fly out of your hands with a miss-hit of the maul.

Darc

[mtsadl]

I dont stamp mine until the seat has been cut out. That gives you a line to follow for your border on your fork cover. I rewet and case the front in a plastic bag overnight before I stamp it. Like Darc said make sure it is cased well and clamp it down tight.

[AndyKnight]

I usually, but not always stamp mine after my seat is glued down. This way my lines are perfect. Slickforks are the easiest to basket stamp with very little distortion. .. The way Darcy does it you get the nicest cased leather. As later it is a little more difficult to get it cased well. Take your time and it will turn out well.