LynBrook Report post Posted May 16, 2016 Hello! I am just getting started in leathercrafting. I want to make horse tack, and maybe branch off into other areas later. I have extensively researched leathercrafting, so I've already got a pretty good idea of the steps and techniques involved. I want to make a western style headstall (bridle), as they are simple and somewhat similar to making belts. Basically what I want to do is a stamped design along the cheek pieces and possibly the browband as well. To do this, I know that I will need tooling leather at least for the stamped pieces. I wanted to line/glue and stitch the tooling leather on top of either harness or latigo leather, for its sturdiness and resistance to water/sweat. Is this a good plan? What size leather should I get? Should the tooling leather be heavier, or the lining? (ex. 8 oz tooling leather, 2 oz lining, or vice versa). Would it work if I went with a lighter tooling leather and heavier lining, since the latigo or harness I want to line with usually comes in heavier pieces? Also, can anyone give me an idea of how many items you can make out of a double shoulder or a side? Specifically how many straps you can get out of one, for belts or bridles, etc. My last question is on what tools I need. Making bridles is somewhat similar to making belts. I have made up a list here, if you all could tell me what is unnecessary (besides the leather marking pen) and what I don't have that I should have, I would greatly appreciate it! I want to be well prepared, but not buying more than I have to. Carving Stamp Leather Marking Pen Strap Cutter Leather punch Stitching punch or chisels Harness needles Thread Edge Slicker Skiver Edge Beveler Tandy's Horse tack accessory patterns Book on handstitching Thank you all so much for your time and input! I can't wait to learn leathercraft Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LynBrook Report post Posted May 16, 2016 Oops! I did not see the saddles and tack section, I will check that out. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Big Sioux Saddlery Report post Posted May 16, 2016 On a double and stitched headstall I'd go with about 7/8 oz for the tooling leather and 6/7 latigo for the lining. I absolutely would not cut the tooling leather for your headstall from a double shoulder. You need the very best part of the hide for this, especially with the lighter weight leather. The crown piece on my working headstalls gets cut from the butt of a 9/11 oz side of russet harness leather. Cut from that area of the hide, they will run at least 11 oz and be good solid stock. Those don't get lined, but even if cutting from lighter stuff and lining them they should still come from the butt. The cheek pieces will need to be bent hard at the bit end and around the buckle, so you can cut them a little further ahead in the side where the leather isn't quite as firm as the butt, but not so far ahead to where you get into shoulder wrinkles. Yield varies from side to side and with the projects you're making. I generally figure if I get 20 inches of useable leather from the spine to where the belly gets too soft to use for strap goods, then I've done really well. Most sides won't yield that good. As far as your list, I can't function without a round knife, but if this is your first project you will not be adept at handling one without a lot of practice first. A GOOD round knife would be a wise investment and then PRACTICE. I've always done my handsewing with an awl rather than chisels, but that's just how I learned to do it. A stitching horse will be invaluable if you sew the whole headstall by hand. My hands hurt thinking about that! You'll need some glue or harness tacks to hold things together until you get them sewn. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LynBrook Report post Posted May 16, 2016 Thanks! Noted. I'm wondering if maybe I should forgo any stamping and do just a plain headstall? Should I buy harness leather and forget lining it? Yes this is my first project. If you sell your bridles, what do you normally sell them for? And if you don't, what would you want to sell them for? It seems that the cost is high to make a nice quality bridle. I have purchased decent quality bridles for between $40-$60 and am wondering how they manage to get away with that. Is that because of the use of machinery to make production faster? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Big Sioux Saddlery Report post Posted May 16, 2016 (edited) Yes and yes to your first two questions. I didn't want to discourage you, but this being a first project, you would be better off to just keep it simple. Harness leather is a great choice and if taken care of and not abused, will last you the rest of your life. I have headstalls out there that I made when I first started in business 25 years ago. They are still in daily use by a guy that rides some tough horses. THAT is a testament to Hermann Oak's Russet Harness Leather! My plain work bridles sell for $65. I have to make up quite a few at a time to make that work. I absolutely cannot make one at a time and sell them for that price. Machinery sure speeds up production for any shop, but you have to realize that some of these $40 bridles you have bought may be made in a manufacturing facility. Their cost of materials is way cheaper than any small shop because they can buy in quantity. Their labor is cheaper than a one or two man shop also. I know of some mediocre (not top shelf) goods coming out of Amish shops. Those guys literally work for less than poverty wages, and then complain that they don't make any money. Don't try to compete with them on price. Ever. Beat them on quality, which isn't all that tough to do. If you are planning on making this stuff to sell, at some point you will have to invest in some machinery. You just cannot get enough done in a day doing everything by hand. The investment in tools and machinery is large in proportion to the return when specializing in products for the equine industry, unless you become one of the handful of top artists in the country whose work commands top prices. At best, you can make a modest living. I am happy with that because I like what I do, want to be the boss and have the freedom that I have. I do not want to work to help make someone else wealthy, while myself working for barely enough to get by, all the while hating what I do every minute of every day. After 25 years of working for myself, I don't think I COULD go back to work for someone else. I was in business quite a few years before I started making money, and then there were a few years during the "crash" that the business actually lost money. Part of the reason for making no money in the early years was that I had no formal business training and had no idea how to price my goods. Early on I had a conversation with Pete Gorrell on the phone and he told me that if I was not charging $30 an hour, I would lose money, and that was 20+ years ago. I thought "Man you're crazy, there is NOBODY in this area that will pay that." Guess what, I finally realized he was right, got my prices up there where they belonged, weeded out the guys that wanted to pay me $5 an hour, and got more clients of the type that I wanted to do business with. It didn't happen overnight, but it did happen. DON'T make the same mistake I did. There are a couple good books out there; one is by Bob Brenner and the other by Pete Gorrell. They discuss in detail how to price your products in order to turn a profit. I would add those to your list of requirements if you plan to make more than just a few items for resale. Best of luck to you! Edited May 16, 2016 by Big Sioux Saddlery Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LynBrook Report post Posted May 16, 2016 Wow, thanks so much! You have been very helpful. I want to start with something I am very interested in (horse tack), but later want to branch out to other things like holsters, wallets, bags, maybe even gloves. I do want to make a living out of this eventually. I have no need for mansions though, lol. I found the one by Gorrell, "The Business of Saddle Making". Do you have the title for the other one, as I couldn't find it? After reading your list, I started adjusting my tool list but I am finding it a bit overwhelming. What tools, needles, and thread do you recommend for making a simple bridle? I want to saddle stitch the buckles in, put in chicago screws or leather lace for the bit ends, and bevel and slick the edges. I was planning on using gum tragacanth for the edges. What do you recommend as a sealer/protectant for the rest of the bridle? Does it even need one since its harness leather? Thank you so much for your time. The information you have been giving me really is invaluable! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Big Sioux Saddlery Report post Posted May 17, 2016 The other book I'm referring to is called "How To Establish Prices For The Saddle Maker Or Leather Worker" and is written by Bob Brenner. It was published in 2003, so do keep that in mind wherever prices are mentioned in it. I found it more helpful than Pete Gorrell's book, maybe simply because I purchased Brenner's book several years before I purchased Gorrell's. For me, it's difficult to determine just a handful of tools for making a simple bridle, because I have a shop full at my disposal and don't even think about which ones I use. However, the round knife, as mentioned earlier, would be one I just couldn't do without. Many folks do passable work without one, but for me, it's a necessity. A draw gauge (strap cutter) would be another. Avoid Chicago screws, I don't know anyone who likes them. Unless you're using decorative conchos that utilizes them for installation, I would use bit ties. I use an oval punch to cut the tie holes in the cheeks at the bit ends, size 7 or 8, I can't remember which, and use a 3/8" lace with a rosette, concho and a bleed knot. However, my cheek dies are flared where the ties go through; if you cut them straight, the 7 or 8 would be too large. I use a #4 or #5 for the buckle holes on the crown strap. Get a bag punch right off the bat to cut your buckle slots and save yourself some frustration. One inch is a good size, if it needs to be longer, you can always take a second swipe at it, rarely do I use anything shorter on heavy straps. For hand stitching, find a GOOD awl. You'll have to ask others here for their opinion on that, as my best ones are old. I've bought new awl blades for $25 and I didn't think they were worth a damn compared to the old ones. The steel is just not the same and no matter how much polishing, still drags, unlike my old awls. I usually just pull thread off my machine thread spools for hand sewing. Purists prefer linen, and I must admit there is no nicer look than a good job of hand stitching with good linen thread. I find it hard to keep the waxed linen clean by the end of my stitching job. I run bonded nylon in my machines, so most of the time, that's what I hand stitch with. You could also lace the buckles on with latigo ties. Many good work headstalls are made that way. Gum trag is typically what I use for my edges. Harness leather does not need a sealant. Sometimes, if I know a specific item will get used hard and neglected badly, I will dip the item in oil before it leaves the shop. Some of the HO russet harness leather (not all of it) turns an unattractive color after dipping, so anything that is going to stick around the shop to try to sell, or go to a show, does NOT get dipped. Hope that helps:-) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LynBrook Report post Posted May 17, 2016 Thanks again! I am feeling excited and relieved at the same time now that I finally have my list together. Thinking about the different kinds of leather, a few years ago I purchased a pair of reins that were a bit on the stiff side but I liked the fancy hardware (stupid, I know). No matter how much I use them and oil them they are always on the stiff side. There is another pair of reins which I think are harness leather. They are very strong, but also flexible and soft and pleasant to hold. I never knew how much the tanning process affects what the leather will be like. Anyway, here is my modified list! Leather Marking Pen Strap Cutter round knife oval punch oblong punch (bag punch) Stitching awl stitching pony Harness needles Waxed Linen Thread Edge Slicker gum tragacanth harness leather latigo lace conchos (?) Tandy's Horse tack accessory patterns Robert Brenner- “How to establish prices...” Pete Gorrell- “The Business of Saddle Making” I'm looking forward to getting started. I will post pictures of my first bridle! I may end up keeping the first one for myself! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cabreraquaterhorses Report post Posted October 11, 2016 Hello what size needles do you recommend? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
