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I Forge Iron

sidesaddle queen

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Everything posted by sidesaddle queen

  1. yes! they come up in antique saddles on eBay sometimes i love the old kentucky rolled saddles.. with tufted seats so comfortable and soft rolled front and back,, those rolled areas are hard to duplicate ..
  2. glenn, that is the one!!!! thank you!!! yes, the search button didn't help at all..lol!!!! glenn found the header i was looking for!! perfect.. i only need 4 sizes in one.. i am not looking for a new source of rivet material just a river header to use the left over nail after i used the top 1" or so,, i do not use any heat on my old trees.. i work on english trees .. they are as different from western trees an apples an oranges ..lol!! i use to rebuild 100 yr western saddles but i like sidesaddles better steele still makes a sidesaddle tree on western bars,,,
  3. can't get anything... lol!! bad typing,,, glenn, i found a list on an old post!!
  4. thanks i will go look at them!! most people take pride in their work and do a good job but there are shabby craftsmen in every field,, i am not one of them .. i have a good reputation and a waiting list of saddles,, more than i can do in my lifetime,, lol!!! glenn, i can get anything about rivet header plans to come up.. what do i put in search??
  5. yes there a cruel people everywhere .. it amazes me that people want horses at all when they think they have to be harsh to make them work,, you have some wonderful memories, frosty!! i use common nails of various sizes.. buy them by the pound at the last old time hardware store in town, they are closest i have found the the originals . on some of the saddles i think nails were used. they look just like the nails i put back in..lol!! i only use the head and a little of the nail so i have a lot of metal left over,, i found info on a rivet header in a 1907 book that i am going to make so i don't waste all those headless shanks,, lol!!! i have to drill thru metal, wood, metal .. right now i use a hand drill but just got a drill press .. it will save my shoulder!! i just have to take the time and put it together,, i have a saddle and a saddle tree i am trying to get out next week, then i have students coming to work on their trees and saddles for 2 weeks... then back to being a hermit so i can work on my shop an my saddles,, lol!!
  6. actually no saddle is guaranteed safe.. if you buy a billy cook and the cinch ring tears out when you horse bucks ..if you fall off they will not take responsibility, they might replace the saddle or ring but that is all . nothing with horses is guaranteed safe,, lol!! no implied warranty pen antique saddles .. buyer beware.. i have bought many saddles said to be safe to ride.. one tree had been rolled on and was in 25 pieces when i took it apart to repair it,, you have to know the seller, check the tree, and leather , or buy with no guarantee. now if i say it has new billets.. and it does not.. then i can be held accountable for that..
  7. sidesaddles are sold buyer beware,, no one can guarantee they are 100% safe.. they over 100 yrs old and made mostly of wood and leather. lol!! we are kinda like parachute jumpers,, thrilled when the ride ends well.. .. the over lapping ironworks will keep the tree from falling apart but wood and leather do break,,
  8. okay!! this was the kind of imput i was looking for!! thank you.. i will stick with my normal rivets..
  9. lol!! i have not been on here long.. i tend to visit when i have a question .. i do look at some of the other topics when i have time,, there is very little movement in the areas where most rivets go,,, in the critical areas i will use my normal rivets and larger sizes.. the bolts would just save me time. i have done quite a few saddles now and the results are good . the old girls are back in use and good for another 100 yrs,, lol!!
  10. glad, you found it interesting..lol! i am afraid i have taken things off topic though.
  11. i trained and rode dressage for yrs. but can't do it anymore. i raised lipizzaner horse for yrs. my stallion and favorite horse ever dies in 2010 he was 32. i sold my lipis and rescued a few racking horses and saddlebreds. i started collecting sidesaddles in the 70s because they are so sculptural. didn't ride them just liked them. used to rebuild old western saddles first, i starts fixing sidesaddle trees because no one in the usa was doing it right. i had some that need repair. i ride and train sidesaddle so i understand the asymmetrical balance they have. i rebuild using the same methods they were build with. no fiberglass copper rivets. wood putty. omg!! lol!! i don't cut corners and when i am done you cannot tell where they were broken. i can widen the old trees also and make them fit modern horses. then i can fit it to your horse. make a riding habit for the same time period and teach you how to ride in it. lol!! not many people doing what i do anymore. it is a dying trade. not one is making a sidesaddle tree anymore. that is my next step. i have 2 women that come 3 times a yr to study with me and learn how to do everything i do. 1 from Tuscan and the other from Alabama. riding a sidesaddle that fits the horse and you is pure pleasure but hard to find a saddle that fits the modern woman and horse. i am short so i can ride the old ones. lol!
  12. sidesaddle is interesting for certain people. like old cars or tractors. lol!! i grew up around western riders. I rode bareback until I was 18.. hated saddles they never fit me and i could tell my horse didn't like them, he moved different. I would put 30 miles a day on my old appy riding the roads.. bet I have 200k miles on hwy 69, lol!! the western riders around her in the 60 and 70s were mean. I was not going to ride like that so i went looking for something else. found jumping, first then dressage and now speed racking. and sidesaddle. lol!! never did like a arena full of people but dressage was fun. like dancing, I had lipizzaners. lived my dream for a while. love your appy!! I have nothing against guns but hated the atmosphere that made me feel like I needed one. I use a shotgun on varmints. 2 legged or 4. no you don't see the tree in a finished saddle so no reason the decorate, except the Mexican sidesaddles, they are very ornate and pretty. I have only been without horse a few times in my life. pretty much gave up everything else to have them. lol!! addict?? maybe, I have 10 right now, 2 new foals. crazy but fun. it is cheap to keep horses here if you own land. why alaska??
  13. English sidesaddle have a wool stuffed panels on them fitted to the horse, if done right, no hots spots. harder fit than western saddle in some ways but better for the horse back,, my blankets and pads do not get dirty enough to cause issues.. I clean everything after I use it. lol!! retired dressage queen, only my house is dirty, never my tack,, I didn't mean no metal on the saddle just that I don't mix metals in tree repairs. modern western sidesaddles one can be gaudy but saddles from the time period i work in were not decorated with metal but with quilted leather, very pretty !!! and then after the 1890s no decoration at all, just fine leather and workmanship. lol!! pushy cowboys are why i ride english now. i was going to have to start carries a sidearm.. lol!!
  14. i know heat makes it softer and i use heat when needed. my methods work great for what i am doing.. .. cold forging allows me to works fast and end up with metal the correct hardness for what i need.. if it gets too stiff i anneal it,,, the thin metals work in do not need much heat,, thank all of you for your input!! it is so nice to talk to people have similar interests ...
  15. no, the nuts are just on them tighten down the metal and holdout together while i get all the pieces on. many of the straps overlap they are nearly flush when i am done.. look at the back cantle those are finished rivets.. i have a forge i understand working metal hot, i can work faster if i do not have to wait for the metal to cool.. i use heat if needed. my forge is in the garage, along many other metal working tools.. i am building a shop in my garage. moving the woodwork and metal out. lol!! my living room is my saddle shop i do all facets of saddle work. metal, wood upholstery, leather, . i am a jacklass of all trades,,, lol! mixing metals in art is normal but i don't mix them in saddle work. lol!! sidesaddle queen was for fun. plum crazy originals is my farm / studio name. you can call me plum. lol!!
  16. thank you. i have been visiting here for a while and decided to join. i have a forge now and i am learning to use it. i can use a oxy/acet torch. i am a sculptor, or used to be before sidesaddles took over my life. lol worked in bronze and steel. and porcelain, wood and fabric i cold forge because it i am better at it and i rarely work on any metal thicker than 1/8" right now. i will not get heat near the old wood trees. i do heat some pieces if cold forging will not get the shape i want, lol!! the bolts i have are mild steel.. they rivet easily and look great just wondering if there are any disadvantages using them. some of these saddles will be fox hunted in and need to be safe. as safe as you can be flying over fences chasing crazy dogs. i do realize Thomas Powers, that you deal with older items too. that is why i told what i was working on. lol!! i am in the usa, i didn't realize i could put my location.. i will do that now i live in east Texas!!
  17. okay , lol!! that is what i was thinking but wanted to ask , i rebuild antique sidesaddles and have been doing it for a yrs. common nails work well and match the old mild steel i am working with. some of the saddles are 150 yrs old. i am doing a re build on a newer saddle now , replacing the cheap aluminum, and using 11 and 14 gauge steel metal for the straps on this one i used the bolts to pull the metal straps tight against the wood, then planned take them out and rivet. today i got to thinking why not just rivet the bolts.
  18. hi, can i use a bolt for a rivet?? i am cold setting mild steel rivets in a sidesaddle tree with wood between 2 pieces of mild steel. i usually use common nails for rivets but would like to to use 10-24 bolts i have peened a couple of the bolts to see if i can form a head and i can. any thoughts on the disadvantages??
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