Rear Conchos Won't Budge - Need Help

[Saddlebag]

Owner wants saddle strings installed. Because it has screw-in conchos I'm adding the steel D ring with the flange. Fronts are done. Cannot get the two rear ones to move. They are under the Cheyenne roll so space is a bit limited. I'm hoping someone can offer suggestions. thanks

[dirtclod]

Sometimes you can use a pair of hog ring pliers and get them out of they haven't bent the screw on the concho real bad.

[Saddlebag]

I'm going to try vice grips. I'll also research hog ring pliers. Thanks.

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

I have used vice grips quite a few times with 100% success. Granted, it is a last resort, because you run the risk of damaging the concho, but when all else fails, the vice grips come through. Rope edge are easier to get a grip on than a clear edge. I've had them where the screw is bent and they are in so tight that the solder breaks. Then you get some solder practice in:) Good luck

[Saddlebag]

The vice grips worked but on the leather concho underneath. There was no way anything would budge so I tapped the blade of a big screwdriver, one I'd sharpened the blade on, under the leather concho to wiggle it a little. Had to work around it as much as possible. Then when I applied the grips - success. Once the leather concho began to turn the metal one did also. Dontcha just love jobs like this!

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

Just all in a day's work, Saddlebag:-) The ones that drive me crazy are the ones that are entirely put together with ring shanks, where every single nail in the saddle is a ring shank. They are a bitch to get apart without wrecking something.

[BondoBobCustomSaddles]

Not only that, but; the butthead that used all ringshank nails , is also the one that puts them all over and in places where no nail should be! When you work on one of those, you learn new words.

Bob

Edited September 7, 2014 by BondoBobCustomSaddles

[Saddlebag]

I had to loosen the front of the skirts on one and instead of a screw and a few nails or staples I pulled a handful of staples, close to 50! I suspect the trigger on the power stapler was too fast for the operator. Or someone was getting back at a boss.

[Hennessy]

take a sharpn'd scratch awl ]kinda like a sharp pointed phillips screwdriver] on th conch edge in th rope edge or into some engraving along th edge get th point in there good, n tap th awl backin th conch out until you can remove it by hand.i do this often,usually no usually no damage to concho/

[Dwight]

Personally, . . . I'd like to thank everyone for the useful tips.

I don't and haven't done a lot of saddle work, . . . but my channel lock pliers works wonders on a stuck concho, . . . pulls nails pretty good too.

May God bless,

Dwight

[oltoot]

There are ways to get the ring shanks out but they still leave a crater rather than a clean hole in the wood and rawhide of the tree. Ring shanks should be banned from the saddlemaking/repair world.

[Dwight]

There are ways to get the ring shanks out but they still leave a crater rather than a clean hole in the wood and rawhide of the tree. Ring shanks should be banned from the saddlemaking/repair world.

Just in case you made that into a motion, . . . I'll second it, . . . only had to mess with them once, . . . that was twice too many times.

Can we somehow get a binding vote on it,..................lol

May God bless,

Dwight

[Saddlebag]

No ring shanks yet. What's the trick to removing them? Nail pullers for horse shoes? The saddle with all the staples, none were blued so were starting to rust. They were one on top of the other. Removal of these added new words to my vocabulary. If I hadn't detected a big lump under the skirt I wouldn't have known about all the staples but I had to investigate. Someone didn't bother skiving the stirrup leather to an even thickness and where it wrapped around the tree it was 3/8" thick. There was no way to get it to move without releasing some of the tension from the skirt. Owner had complained of horse's sore back. Small wonder.