saddle blog www.stevemasonsaddles.com

DECEMBER SADDLES

2011-12-19T08:07:00.001-07:00

Here are a couple saddles that I finished this month.

The first saddle is for sale, here are the specs:

RUFF OUTWADE SADDLE MADE BY STEVE MASON

16” WadeTree made by Rod Nikkel, 4 ½”X12”cantle, 3”X4 3/4” woodpost horn, Inlaidpadded seat, 7/8 plateriggin, 8 buttonseat, Exposedstirrup leathers, 5” bellsstirrups, Mohair cinchmade by Kelsey Selzler, Crossover ropestrap, Trace deehobble carry

This saddle was a custom build for a customer,

OAK LEAFACORN/SAN CARLOS BORDER WADE SADDLE

16” wadetree made by Rod Nikkel, 4 ½”X12”cantle, 3”X4 ½” wood post horn, Inlaidpadded seat, 7/8 platering riggin, Hamleywade Cheyenne roll, 8 buttonseat, 4” bellstirrups, Mohair cinchmade by Kelsey Selzler, Crossoverrope strap, Hobble carry

ITEMS FOR SALE

2011-11-26T07:34:00.001-07:00

Here are a few items I have for sale at this time. Give me a call or email for pricing. Thanks much

8X8 saddle bags

ear bridle & brow band bridle

round body chinks with mincer conchosSOLD

square corner chinks, 12" fringe

assorted spur straps,
top pair have Richard Brooks buckles & conchos

small apron split gear bag

New Armitas for sale.

2011-06-22T20:03:00.004-06:00

Here is a pair of of very cool armitas.

They are two tone leather with square corners, they have pinked trim with spots in each 1/2 round, 11'' fringe and zippered legs(which can be changed to snaps & rings or buckles and straps) I have made these chaps to show at the Medicine Tree Ranch Rodeo in July. They are for sale. Thanks much, Steve

SOLD

Swade for Sale

2011-04-16T07:55:00.004-06:00

Howdy; Some photos of a saddle I just finished that is for sale. this Saddle is made on a "Swade Tree" made by Glenn Christman, 16" seat, 4 1/2" cantle, 3" X 4 3/4" horn with a guadalahara horn cap, inlaid padded seat with a veg tan cover, hamley wade roll, 7/8 plate ring riggin, 4" bell stirrups, 1/4 breed flower carved with 7X california rose carving, each flower is just over 2" in size.

SOLD

New Saddle

2011-03-15T16:44:00.003-06:00

Here is a saddle I just finished that is a little different for me, I don't make many team roping saddles so this order was fun. The saddle is made on a High Country tree by Rod Nikkel. The silver is made by Peter Swales. The saddle has a 3/4 inlay seat, 1/2 breed flower carved with knife cut accents on the cantle bind, rear billets, latigo and cinch carrys,

New chinks

2011-03-15T16:36:00.003-06:00

Here are a couple pair of chinks I just finished that are for sale.

these armitas are made from a very cool piece of leather, made for a working guy. The leather is french calf boot leather, the main body of the chink is actually ruffout, the waxed finish makes it as smooth as the grain side, this will be a very durable pair of armitas.

these chinks have a armita style finge on the waist, they are made for one of the nicest feeling pieces of glovetan chap I have ever seen. They legs are done up with buckles and straps, the chinks have a pinked trim and have concho's made by John Mincer.

New Saddle

2011-03-01T15:49:00.004-07:00

Howdy;

This saddle could be yours!!
I am just starting the build on this saddle that will be for sale at the Mane Event in Red Deer this April. The saddle will be made on a 16" Swade tree by Glenn Christman with a 4 1/2" cantle and a 3"X4" guadalahara horn. The saddle will be a ruff out 1/4 breed combo with 7x wild roses, (quite small flowers, 2" wide) . It will have an inlaid padded seat, brass hardware and 4" bell stirrups brass covered.

Save the year and half wait on getting a custom made saddle and take this rig home!!!!

Rein Chains

2011-01-10T15:40:00.003-07:00

Howdy;
Here are some very cool looking Rein Chains that I have for sale.
They are locally made by Richard Brooks.

-knotted and twisted rings $75
-snake head rings $55
-twisted rings $55
-plain rings $40

all prices in Canadian funds

2010-12-08T09:13:00.002-07:00

SPUR STRAPS!! Just in time for Christmas, if you are interested in any of these feel free to call or email.

top left-$135

mid left-$125

bottom left-$125

top right-$75

bottom right-$175

thanks much

Steve

for sale

2010-12-06T15:33:00.004-07:00

Howdy;
A couple items that I have for sale just in time for Christmas.

A pair of armitas made from oiltan chap leather, these are step thrus with a zipper, and a J. Watt concho on each leg with a pinked trim.

A pair of flower carved wrist cuffs, they are doubled and stitched with a piped bind for wrist comfort.

If you are interested in these items please give me a call or email.
I also have a pair of saddle bags, spurstraps, bridles and some other odds and ends for sale.
thanks much
Steve

Half breed Swade

2010-10-07T08:24:00.005-06:00

Howdy;
This is a saddle made on a "Swade" tree which was made by Glenn Christman. The saddle is half breed flower carved with a double cut border on the smooth leather. The riggin is a flat plate ring rig set at 7/8. It has an inlaid padded seat. The Silver on the saddle was made by Richard Brooks, it is all engraved steel with an inlaid silver border, Richard made the string conchos, the martingale dees and the hobble carry ring.

Thanks Much

ps; if you click on the photos you will see them full size.

Square Skirt Wade

2010-06-08T06:43:00.004-06:00

Howdy;Here is a wade I finshed.Dime corner square skirts, 8 button seat and exposed leathers, inlaid padded seat. Basket/carlos border, california rose and oak leaf accorn combo carved. Silver is made by Richard Brooks.

New gear

2010-04-01T20:12:00.004-06:00

Howdy; Here is a bunch of new gear that I made this week.

-Spur straps with scroll work and dyed background

-Glove tan square corner chinks with basket stamped waist and a pocket

-ruff out flower combo saddle bags 8" X 9"

-close of up tapadero carving

-27" tapaderos

SWADE SADDLE

2010-01-03T11:21:00.003-07:00

Howdy;
This saddle is on a new tree design that Glenn Christman and I came up with. What we have done is taken all the good ideas behind the wade tree and put some swells on the tree, hence the name "Swade" (swell fork wade). One of the main benifits of a wade tree is that your horn is closer to your horse which will put less leverage on the saddle when roping. The Swade tree is at least 1" closer to your horse than any other wood post swell fork tree we have seen before, in most cases the Swades horn is around 2" lower than the average metel horn swell fork tree. Our main idea was to have a wade tree that we would not have to put buck rolls since they are built into the tree. Here are a few photos of the first saddle made on a Swade tree.

Used wade saddle for sale

2010-01-01T23:21:00.004-07:00

used wade saddle for sale, I made this saddle a couple years ago, I have been riding it since it was new so it has not seen a lot of use since I spend a lot more time in the saddle shop than I do in a saddle. It is made on a wade tree from warren wright, 16" seat, 5" finished horn cap, 4" X 93* bars. 1/4 breed water lilly flower carved. $4000 can funds. If you have any questions give me a call.Steve

SOLD

Xmas gifts

2009-12-05T11:06:00.004-07:00

Howdy;

A few items for sale that would make great Christmas gifts.

1 pair of chinks with crazy stamed waist and thigh plates.
Xmas special $350 save $75

2 pair of spur straps, one pair crazy stamped and the other basket stamped.

Some flower carved straps with white bronze conchos

wrist cuffs

Thanks much, have a great Christmas

Steve

Custom Saddle

2009-08-24T12:10:00.005-06:00

Howdy;

This is a saddle I finished a little while back for a good friend and customer. The Tree was made by Rod Nikkel (http://www.rodnikkel.com/), this saddle was made on a High Country tree with a Guadalajara wood post horn. It has an inlaid padded seat with water buffalo, 1/2 breed flower carved with San Carlos border accents and ruff out seat, skirts and fenders. 7/8 flat plate riggin and a short Cheyenne roll. This is a real classy looking cowboy saddle that is getting put to use in the pasture every day.

Thanks for the opportunity to build a good looking rig like this Kurt.
Much appreciated.

saddle bags

2009-08-24T12:04:00.003-06:00

Howdy;

Here is a set of anquero style saddle bags that I just finished, they are flower carved with Tibetan lamb on the flaps. The bags are 8" X 8 1/2".

Thanks Mert.

Chink Chaps

2009-06-24T07:32:00.004-06:00

Howdy;

some photos of some chinks that I just finished.

These are a base pair of chinks, they have snap & ring legs, made from 5 oz chap leather.
They are for sale at the special price of $300, reg price $350.

The chinks below are my K style chinks with basket stamped belts and sewn on fringe.

This is the comment from the customer who just recieved the chaps

"Steve, Those chinks you made me are absolutely kick ass!!! There're almost too nice to wear.... I said almost. haha. The detail and workmanship are awesome. Perfect fit too. Thanks again!!. Look forward to getting more gear from you in the future. Take care, -Brad "

wade saddle

2009-06-24T07:26:00.003-06:00

Howdy;

here are a couple photos of a wade saddle I finished recently.

The saddle specs are as follows
wade tree made by Glen Ghristman
16" seat
3"X 4" wood post horn
12"X 4 1/2" cantle
water buffalo inlaid seat and buck rolls
1/4 breed water lilly flower carved
hamley wade roll

ps; E. A. thanks much for the order, I appreciate you business.

Saddle for Sale

2009-04-28T16:34:00.002-06:00

Howdy;

I have recently finished this saddle which I am putting up for sale, if you are interested or have any questions please contact me.

saddle specs;
wade tree made by Ben Swanke
16" seat
ruff out 1/4 breed flower carved
4" brass bound webber stirrups (not in photo)
short cheyenne roll

armitas & chinks

2009-03-05T22:17:00.002-07:00

Howdy;

A few photos of some chinks and armitas that I have recently made. These will available for sale at the Mane Event show in Red Deer, Alberta, April 24-26 http://www.maneeventexpo.com/ab/default.asp

wade saddle

2009-03-05T22:08:00.002-07:00

Howdy;

here are a few photos of a saddle order that I have just completed. the specs of this saddle are as follows:

wade tree from Rod Nikkel, wood post horn, 3/4 water lilly flower carved, shark inlaid seat and buck rolls, 4" weber stirrups, flat plate ring riggin

ruff out saddle

2008-11-26T07:32:00.003-07:00

Howdy;

This is a saddle I just finished a couple weeks back for the Trade show at the Buck Brannaman clinic in High River. The saddle is made on a Ray Hunt tree which was made by Glenn Christman. It has a 16" seat, 4" X 90* bars, 3" X 5" horn, 4 1/2" X 12" cantle. This saddle a ruff out with carved horn cap and frog.

this saddle is currently for sale.

this saddle in now sold

Thanks much

New spurs

2008-11-06T10:48:00.004-07:00

Howdy;

I just did some trading with Richard Brooks for these fine looking spurs, Richard sure does some awsome work.

more armitas

2008-11-06T10:44:00.003-07:00

Howdy;

Here is another pair of armitas that I have just made, they have a pocket and a mecate loop, also notice the trim around the chap body.

armitas

2008-08-13T16:28:00.001-06:00

Howdy;

here are a couple pair of armitas that I just finished.

Steve

www.stevemasonsaddles.com

2008-04-18T09:23:00.002-06:00

Howdy;

I have a new website, www.stevemasonsaddles.com please check it out and let us know what you think. There still may be a couple bugs to work out and more content to add, so keep checking and please forward the site to anyone that may be interested.

Thanks Much
Steve

Gear Bags

2008-04-02T08:10:00.003-06:00

Howdy;

A few gear bags that I have just made up. These bags are typically made up with an apron split leather that will last you a lifetime (this is the same stuff we make shoeing chaps out of), they can be made out of a much softer chap leather also.
The bags have latigo handles and brass zippers. They can be made in three sizes, Large-12"h X 12"w X 25.5" l, medium-12"h X 10.5"w X 20"l, small 10"h X 9"w X 17.5"l. Depending on the size of gear bag they can be used as soft luggage, an all around duffel bag, the smallest size makes a perfect airline carry on bag with a little cowboy class. The bags can be personalized with your brand,initials, monogram etc. and accented with flower carving or basket stamping.

Step through's

2008-04-02T07:34:00.003-06:00

Howdy;

A couple pair of step through Armitas and Chinks, the Armitas are made from a some of the best feeling glove tan chap I have seen in a long time, and the chinks are made from an oiltan chap leather.

new saddle

2008-02-29T10:26:00.004-07:00

Howdy;

Here are some photos of a new saddle that I just made for myself. This saddle is made on a Warren Wright wade tree, ruff out with water lily flower carved horn, rigs, back cantle, gullet and flank cinch. It has a 7/8 flat plate ring riggin and an inlaid seat.

more armitas

2008-02-13T17:53:00.002-07:00

Howdy;

I have made up a few pair of armitas in the last week or so.

These are a more traditional pair of no hardware armtias, the waist is a wrap & tie and the legs are done up with rolled leather buttons.

Here is a pair of shotguns with an armita apron, the waist is a strap & buckle, the zipper is laced in on the outside of the legs. This can keep the zipper away from the fringe and make them a little easier to do up.

These armtias are a little more modern in style, the apron does not fold over, the waist is strap & buckle and the legs are done up with snaps and rings.

Just a close up photo to illustrate how the apron is made.

Some new gear

2007-09-11T07:42:00.000-06:00

Howdy;
I have just finished up some new gear,

A pair of basket/flower wrist cuffs.

Here are the kind comments I recieved from the cuffs new owners.
"Hi Steve,
The cuffs have arrived,and have been gifted, and we both love them. Henry already has shit on them, and claims they saved him from a broken wrist today!
Your skill and craftsmanship are amazing and we are proud to own some of your work. We will be very good advertisers for you out in this part of the world!
It was a pleasure doing business with you, I sent your check on Tuesday, so it should be there soon.
Have a great fall and winter.
Wendi "
and an apron split rope bag.

Fly Fishing

2007-08-09T06:53:00.000-06:00

Howdy:
I have had a busy summer so far, between guiding fly fisherman, showing a few ranch rodeos and ranch roping some. It has been a good summer so far. Below are a few photos of some fishing trips this year.

This is me hard at work on the Bow River(what a tough job I've got in the summer), this was a real nice rainbow caught on a hopper pattern. Take notice the pink reel, this was the first client fish caught on this reel, couldn't have been a better guy to catch the first fish on this reel also. I have had the pleasure of guiding Paul a few times and it is always a great day. Anyways back to the reel, this is a breast cancer reel, a portion of the cost of the reel is donated to support breast cancer, which is a cause we all should support in some way, and as I have said before I am a BIG supporter of breasts!!

A photo of my good friend Rob stalking some rising fish, I was doing a little relaxing in the boat taking my vitamins, vitamin P that is.

Myself with Fluffy fishing in a mountain stream for cutthroats

A nice cutthroat

A few hail stones from a storm a couple weeks back.

Some new gear

2007-06-27T18:18:00.001-06:00

Howdy;

Here are some items I have made up this week, this finishes up the last of the saddle/leather work I will be doing for the summer, I start guiding fly-fisherman next week and will be doing so until the start of Oct. I do have a couple items and one saddle to get finished over the summer on my days off from the river which will be few.

This is a flower carved belt with a buckle set by Olsen's silver.

A Small photo album,

A pair of flower carved spurstraps with 2" conchos handmade by Richard Brooks, these spursraps will be donated by Richard and myself to the Medicine Tree Ranch Rodeo and sold by auction there.

Some crazy stamped spur straps

A set of basket stamped bib style spur straps with conchos by Richard Brooks

new saddle

2007-05-28T20:20:00.000-06:00

Howdy;

I just thought I would post some pics of a saddle I finished recently, it is a wade, with a flat plate riggin, inlaid seat, 1/2 breed San Carlos border stamped.

frank p

2007-04-24T07:15:00.000-06:00

frank; please email me again, I could not reply to the email address I have for you

flower carving

2007-04-12T16:31:00.000-06:00

Howdy;

These photos will give you a look at the process of flower carving in the order that I do things.

The first step is to draw the pattern, I draw on paper first, then once I am happy with the pattern it is traced on to tracing film.

Then the leather is cut to pattern and the borders are layed out and cut with a double cut swivel knife.

Now the tracing film is placed on the cased leather and traced onto the leather.

Then the pattern is cut with a swivel knife

the next step is to undercut bevel the entire piece

Now the flowers are beveled, then the leaves and then the vine's and stems

then the piece is back grounded

now the flowers are stamped

now the leaves are stamped

now the vines and stems are stamped

then the entire piece is dress cut with the swivel knife

Once I have finished carving the item I will allow it to dry, then it will be edged and slicked, oiled and the finish will be applied. I will post photos of the finished project. The carved pieces are the tops on a pair of anqueros.

Armitas

2007-04-11T09:24:00.001-06:00

Howdy;

Armitas are the traditional leggins of the vaquero, the traditional armtias are made with no hardware, they have a wrap and tie waist belt and made with either rolled buttons or step through legs. The armitas I have pictured here are a modern twist on the traditional style. These armitas have straps and buckles for the legs and a rear buckle style waist. This will make it a little easier to get into and out of the chaps. I can also make the traditional no hardware style of armitas is requested to do so.
These armitas are made out of glove tanned soft cow hide. This hide is ideal for this style of chap, it is nice and soft, will hang well and has enough weight to the hide that it will wear good.

finished saddle

2007-04-11T09:16:00.000-06:00

Howdy;

The next step is the process is to oil the saddle with 100% neatsfoot oil, I do not use neatsfoot compound because it is full of petroleum products, nor do I use olive oil, I save that for supper.
When the oiling is done it is time for the final assembly. Then take a few photos and call the customer.

Thanks for the order, I hope you enjoy the rig for many years to come

Steve

Little Shit

2007-04-05T12:46:00.000-06:00

Howdy;

I'm not trying to be crude by calling this "little shit" but that's what I call this process, it is even written on my order list that I print up for each saddle. This is the process of making all the small parts of a saddle :buttons, latigo, cinch and hobble Carry's, hobble straps, rope straps, breast collar or martingale dees, billets and flank cinch, breast collars, latigos etc. Some of these are made during the downtime of building the saddle (like when the glue is drying) some of these parts are cut out in bulk to save time, and some are made when I finish all the other work on the saddle. Once all the little shit is done then it is on to oiling and assembling the saddle.

Lining Skirts

2007-04-05T12:30:00.000-06:00

Howdy:

the strings and hangers are put in the skirts, then the blocking and bark tanned shearling are glued into place, then the skirts are stitched, trimmed, edged, and the shearling is given a nice hair cut.

Fenders & leathers

2007-04-04T07:59:00.000-06:00

Howdy;

The fenders and leathers are next. This process is more than just simply cutting out the parts and assembling them. The stirrup leathers must be stretched, the process of this is to wet the leathers, then glass or rub them, then spike them on a board and allow them to dry completely. This will help minimize the stretch in the leathers when you ride the saddle. If this process is not done somewhere down the road the leathers may stretch some from one side to the other creating uneven stirrups. This will help solve that problem before it is created. Another thing to take in account is your leather selection, Stirrup leathers are taken from the very best part of the hide, you should also select the best of the two leathers for the near side since it will take most of the abuse with you getting on and off your horse.

Once the leathers are properly stretched, then you can assemble the fenders and leathers. The the fenders and leathers go on the twisting and stretching devise. This will again help with taking some of the stretch out of the fenders and leathers, it also shapes the fenders and leathers so the stirrup is always hanging in the proper position. If you are building a custom saddle and you do not shape the fenders and leathers so the stirrups hang proper...shame on you!!!
As a custom saddle maker we are paid and expected to do the little extras like this on a saddle. There is much more to building a saddle than just the simple assembly.

Inlaid Seat & cantle bind

2007-04-04T07:45:00.000-06:00

Howdy;

Once the seat has dried, the inlaid seat process is underway, the plug is cut out of the seat, then a piece of high density foam is fit to the seat, a piece of oil tan boot leather is then fit to the plug and the foam is glued to the leather. Now the inlaid seat is sewn to the saddle seat.

Then the seat is glued in place on the saddle, the cantle is trimmed and shaped, then the bind is fit/stretched/glued in place, the stitch mark is put in and the stitch length is marked. Now the hand sewing begins.

ps; the horn has also been covered.

swell cover, skirts, jockeys & seat

2007-03-28T15:23:00.000-06:00

Howdy;

Once the ground work is done everything really starts to look like a saddle.

The swell cover is fit and sweat on the tree, I try not to put a slit down the back of the swell or use welts, this does take a little more time and effort when sweating the swell cover on but it is worth it in the long run. This style of tree takes quite a lot more effort to sweat a swell cover than a wade style tree would. When picking the leather for a swell you want leather that fairly thick, the reason for this is when a rope is packed on the saddle, the friction caused by the rope will wear the leather, the best or thickest/firmest side of the swell cover will go on the side the rope is being packed on.

After the swell is finished then it is onto the skirts, as with just about everything on a custom made saddle there are not set patterns, the skirt pattern is fit the each individual tree, once the skirts are cut the are laced together and blocked on the tree, then the skirts must completely dry before they are taken off the tree to be lined, if the skirts are taken off while they are still damp they will shrink.

Then the rear housing or jockeys are fit and installed on the saddle, again there is no standard pattern, they are fit to this tree. When the jockeys are installed they are spiked forward so that they fit the saddle very tight.

Now it is on the the seat, the leather is cased to the proper moisture content, then the fitting process is under way. Fitting the seat can take a fair bit of time also, no patterns are used as the seat is fit a little at a time until you have a nice line from the handhole around to the ear. once one side is fit and cut the that line is transferred to the other side. Then the seat is put back on the saddle and allowed to dry.

Ground seat & cantle filler

2007-03-28T15:07:00.000-06:00

Howdy;

After the top ground seat piece has dried, it is then glued in place. Once glued in the process of shaping or shaving the ground seat is underway. There are no short cuts when shaping a ground seat, it can take many hours of shaving to get the shape you want, there are no flat spots or straight lines on a ground seat, between the cantle points there is a slight rise or pole to the seat, it is not made flat between the points. The rise in the seat is also not a straight line, it rises up in a valley or a concave line going to the front of the seat. The ground seat is also made to be as narrow as possible within reason.
Once the ground seat have the proper shape and is glass smooth then it is onto the cantle filler. The cantle filler will smooth out the cantle and will also aid in making the cantle bind firmer. The same process of shaving is used as when shaping the ground seat. The filler will also be glass smooth.
Then the handhole and stirrup leather slots are cut into the seat.

riggings and ground seat

2007-03-22T09:24:00.000-06:00

The rigs are then installed on the saddle, and the ground seat is the next step on the saddle.

The rigs are sewn, then the threads need to be knotted and melted, then the edges are trimmed flush, edged and slicked.

The riggins are next, these rigs were sewn on a Pearson machine, I just purchased this machine, which has great sentimental value for me, this Pearson was my Great Grandfather and Grandfathers machine.

gullet and back cantle

2007-03-22T09:20:00.000-06:00

The gullet and back cantle are the first things I build on a saddle. This saddle will have a Cheyenne Roll. There is a filler on the back side of the cantle to firm up the bind, I do not want soft cantle bind, they should be nice and firm with no movement in them.

ruff out High country

2007-03-22T09:13:00.000-06:00

Howdy;

Starting another saddle here, the tree was made by Rod Nikkel; it is a High Country Tree.

The leather used to make this saddle is from Hearman Oak, It takes two sides of leather to build one saddle, I try to use a left and a right side for each saddle, this is not necessary but it does make things a little more efficient. So basically you use one cow to build one saddle.

Martingale/Choker

2007-03-22T09:07:00.000-06:00

Howdy ;

Here is a Martingale or Choker (depending where you are from) that I just finished.

cuffs

2007-03-22T09:01:00.000-06:00

Howdy;

Here are the cuffs when they are finished.

Stamping Leather

2007-02-28T11:16:00.000-07:00

Howdy;

Here is a series of photos that will help explain the process of stamping leather, I am making a pair of wrist cuffs.

The tools used for this project are:
-small stamping maul made by Don King
-med stamping maul made by Barry King
-wing dividers made by C.S. Osborne(very old)
-San Carlos border stamp by craftool
-geometric stamp by Don King
-Beveler made by me out of a bolt
-seeder by craftool
-two border stamps by Don King
-double cut border swivel knife(or beader blade) by craftool
-bag full of lead shot used as a weight

The leather needs moisture to take the impression of the stamp, but there is more to it than that. If you simply wet the leather then immediately stamp it, the leather will take the impression of the stamp, but the impression will have no color and will not be a very clean crisp impression. To get the best out of your stamp the leather must be "cased". To do this the leather is wet, then dried back some and placed in a bag, an airtight container, or between some wool blankets. You leave the leather for a day or two until the moisture content is even throughout the leather. Then your leather is "cased", once cased the leather is not wet nor dry, it is damp throughout. Now your stamp will leave a very clean and crisp impression on the leather, and if and only if your leather is "cased" properly the stamping tool will not only leave a crisp impression in the leather but the tool will also burnish the leather giving you much more depth and color to your stamping.

Once the leather is cased the double line borders are layed out and cut into the leather.

Then the first row of San Carlos border is stamped

Then the second row of the San Carlos Border.

Now the geometric stamp is layed out and stamped into the leather, each impression is meticulously placed.

Continue stamping until you filled in the whole piece.

Then the outsides of the double line border are beveled, the seeder is used in all corners, next the smaller outside border is stamped.

Then the inside border is stamped.

Now that the stamping is done, the leather allowed to dry completely at room temp. Once dried it is edged, oiled, the finish is applied and assembled.
Once I have finished all these steps I will post a photo of the wrist cuffs when they are complete.

In the near future I will also show the process of flower carving.

ruff out saddle

2007-02-26T15:54:00.000-07:00

Howdy;

I just finished a saddle which is for sale at this time. The saddle is all ruffout out, with an inlaid seat that is buckstitched in. Flat plate rigging, a hamley style Cheyenne roll. The tree was made by Rod Nikkel, it is a Ray Hunt tree(which is exactly the same as a wade except the stock thickness is 4 1/2" instead of 5") the seat length is 15 1/2", 4" X 12" cantle, wood post horn 3" X 4 1/2" finished cap and a 4"handhole width and a 90*spread on the bars.

finished saddle

2007-02-07T06:58:00.000-07:00

The saddle is finally complete, between buying and selling a truck, feeding cows, trade shows, moving family, building chaps and doing repairs, then getting the flu, I got it done and if I do say so myself it looks damn good.

Here are a few photos

oiling

2007-01-31T13:32:00.000-07:00

The saddle is oiled with 100% neatsfoot oil and only 100% neatsfoot oil. I will use some saddle butter on the back of the fenders so sweat does not bleed though. Oiling the saddle can takes a couple days to finish. One heavy coat is applied, the oil is heated to help penetrate the leather. Then another coat or two to even the color out. Once the oiling is done the final assemble is done. Not to far away and this saddle will be done.

cantle bind

2007-01-31T13:25:00.000-07:00

Next the top seat is glued to ground seat, once the glued into place the cantle bind area is trimmed and shaped. Then the bind is fit, glued in place and hand sewn. Now that the bind is sewn the double cut border is carved into the swell.

This is the last job of the saddle construction, next is oiling and assembling the saddle.

inlaid seat

2007-01-31T13:20:00.000-07:00

The inlaid seat plug is cut out, then the high density foam insert is fit to match the plug, the foam is then covered with oiltan chap leather and it is glued to the seat, then sewn and trimmed.

small parts

2007-01-27T07:27:00.000-07:00

Now is the time to finish all the small parts for the saddle,

: flank cinch and gobetween, billets, latigos, hobble straps, rope strap and buckle, string buttons, martingale dees, latigo and cinch Carry's, swell protector, bucking rolls, and tread the stirrups.

lining skirts

2007-01-27T07:07:00.000-07:00

To finish the skirts the blocking leather leather is installed and they are lined with 100%Genuine Bark Tanned Shearling. The saddle strings and lace skirt hangers are installed. Then the skirts are sewn by machine. Once the sewing is done the skirts are trimmed flush, the shearling is trimmed for a nice clean look and edged round. Then the edges are slicked or rubbed with a canvas rag. The process of slicking edges can be done with many different ways. But the best way to get a nice smooth burnished edge that will stay smooth or slicked is elbow grease, if your slicking an edge and the canvas rag doesn't get hot you are not working hard enough.

A little side note on saddle strings, I drill string holes through the tree, I do not just screw the strings to the saddle with a wood screw like all factory saddles are done, even many current custom makers do this also. If the strings are only screwed to the tree and the saddle is cowboyed out of, somewheres down the road the strings will rip out. Drilling through the tree does not affect the integrity of the saddle tree if done properly, this method has been is use for over a 100 years, that is because it works.

horn

2007-01-26T09:09:00.000-07:00

The horn is covered after the swell cover has been put on the saddle because a horn cover can take a lot of abuse. Roping, horses flipping over backwards, jumping in a trailer while the horse is saddled( a great way to break a tree) are all very hard on a horn cap, So the horn cover may need to be replaced years down the road, this will make that an easier repair.

The horn cover is fit and stamped then hand stitched.

fenders and leathers

2007-01-26T08:58:00.000-07:00

The fenders and stirrup leathers are made to length for this customer. The stirrup leathers are prestretched to minimize stretch once the saddle is made. The heavier of the two stirrup leathers is used on the near side, since that stirrup leather will be stressed more by getting on and off the saddle. Next the fenders are cut and stamped, they are assembled using blevins buckles, holes are punched in the leathers. Then the fenders and leathers are put on this stetching and shaping devise. It will stretch the leathers and fenders minimize stretch and it also will train the fenders so the stirrups will always hang in the proper position.

fitting seat

2007-01-26T08:30:00.000-07:00

6;the seat is spiked in place and the drawdown stand is used to get the seat as tight as possible on the saddle. The spikes are removed and the seat temporarily screwed into place and left to dry. once the seat is dry the inlaid padded seat will be fit and then the seat will be glued into place and the cantle will be sewn.

5;Then the drawdown stand is used again to fit the top seat to the ground seat,

4;The double line border is cut in, if the seat was stamped this is when that would be done. When stamping the seat you must take the shape out of the seat so it can be laid flat on the stamping bench, once you have finished stamping the seat, it must be shaped again to fit the contours of the saddle, as you can see in the photo below the seat is not shaped to fit the ground seat yet. The next couple photos above will show a brief look at the process of shaping the seat with the drawdown stand.

3;the seat is spiked on and the rest of the seat is fit. This is not done by using a set pattern, each seat must be fit to each individual saddle.

2;the ears are fit

1;the ruff seat leather

Howdy;

here are some of the steps to fitting a seat.

chink chaps

2007-01-22T15:00:00.000-07:00

howdy;

A little break on this saddle build to fill a chink order that was long over due.

skirts and jockeys

2007-01-21T13:17:00.000-07:00

The skirts are fit to this particular saddle tree using my lines (or my patterns), the skirts are stitched grooved and carved, then blocked on the tree, blocking the skirts is a process of wetting the skirts and then blocking or pounding the skirt around the shape of the bars, then nailing them in place, the nails are not left on the saddle, they are left there only untill the skirts have completely dryed.

Then the back jockeys are fit and installed. They are spiked in place and left to dry.

swell cover

2007-01-21T13:16:00.000-07:00

The swell cover is fit and installed on the saddle

cantle filler

2007-01-21T13:10:00.000-07:00

The cantle filler is next. The filler is cut to pattern for this cantle height and width. the leather is ruffed or scratched on the grain side to glue better to the rawhide, the the bottom edge is skived to paper thin. then the filler is then glued in place and shaved with the same process as the rest of the ground work.

ground seat

2007-01-21T12:53:00.000-07:00

the next steps on the saddle are installing the riggins, the rigs are measures 8 ways from sunday to ensure that they are each dead on accurate both up and down as well as rigging position.

Then the ground seat is installed. I did not get photos of the ground seat process simply because a lot of the ground seat techniques I use have been shown to me by other saddle makers, so the process is not mine to give out to the public. In a couple of the photos you can see the tools used to shave the ground seat as well as a profile gauge which will aid in keeping the seat even from one side to the other. The gauge is just a little help in the shaving process, most of the ground work is done by feel. Making the ground seat takes many hours or even days of work, the ground seat must have no high or low spots, it must be even from one side to the other as well as maintaining the proper seat shape to keep the rider in balance and giving him a good seat to sit in all day. Basically to make his bum smile.

Once the ground seat is finished with the proper rise and shape for the customer the seat is finished to a glass smooth surface, then we are ready to install the cantle filler.

2007-01-21T12:43:00.000-07:00

Now that the riggins are dry, they are riveted and sewn. Notice in the second photo how the edges are tapered and notice on the top riggin how the stitches are not only recessed in the stitch groove but they are also pounded over to help protect against wear from the stirrup leathers(the bottom rig was pounded after the photo was taken)

then I edge the riggins and slick the edges, you can see in the photo the tools used to edge and slick.

riggins

2007-01-12T05:53:00.000-07:00

howdy;

the riggins are the next thing to work on. they are cut out to pattern according to the riggin position. then they are stitch grooved and skived. Next they are glued together and hung to dry. Once dry I will rivet the rigs and then sew them. The reason I wait for them to dry is so the tracks left by the sewing machine are left to a minimum. I want the saddle to look as clean as possible when I am done, it is up to the customer to make it look used not me.

cantle back

2007-01-11T12:53:00.000-07:00

A couple photos of the cantle back, the brand is carved in the leather then dyed, there is also a double cut border on this saddle.

gullet

2007-01-11T12:47:00.000-07:00

Howdy; here are a couple photos of the gullet going in, notice how smooth the blend is on the edges, the leather is shaved to a paper thin edge so not sore the horse, the bottom edges of the gullet do not go past the rawhide stitch line.

2007-01-11T07:36:00.000-07:00

This is the tree I will be building this saddle on. It was made by Rod Nikkel, Rods builds some of the best trees made. These are true custom handmade trees. This tree is a wade, with a 4 1/2" cantle, 15 1/2" seat, with a 3" X 3 1/2" horn cap with a pitch of 27*. The bars have a 4" handhole with a 90* spread.

first post

2007-01-11T07:27:00.000-07:00

Howdy; this blog will show you some the steps of making a saddle. I will not be showing every single step in the saddle making process for a number of reasons. One reason is simply a matter of time, I can not afford to spend all the time it would take to take all the needed photos and write all the text. I am not trying to write a book here, just show some of my customers what goes into making their saddle. I also will not show some of the techniques I use because those methods were shown to me by others and are not mine to give out to the world.

If you would like to have a look at my online photo album click on this link
http://ca.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/flynsaddle/my_photos