Handmade bits

Talk about Horses and Mules.
pegleg
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Handmade bits

Postby pegleg » Mon Oct 19, 2015 5:04 pm

So i m hunting in mexico and this cowboy ask if I can fix his bridle. I didn't know exactly what he needed but told him I'd look at it. The mouth piece had separated from the the cheekpiece. So I said yeah I'll just have to take it home and tossed it in with my stuff. Well today I dug it out to start work on it. Well its hand made. Which in its self wasn't surprising the surprising thing to me is that its chromed. So I really started looking at it to figure out how a guy who used a hacksaw and file to cut it out managed to chrome the thing? Well I finally figured it out. There's a few places on each side its been heated up a little and has hammer marks . its cut out of a old truck bumper. And the roller is a piece of smoothed out rebar that's been regrooved with a hacksaw blade and drilled or filed out and rolls on a single strand of wire . the mouth piece was heated and worked a lot but seems to be mild steel bar stock. Then the mouth piece was filed to square points on each side and fitted into square holes in the cheekpieces split heated and mushroomed out. This was covered on each side by handmade pewter conchos.
Its not the most delicate bit. But I have to give him credit for ingenuity and pure determination.
BAR BAR 2
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Re: Handmade bits

Postby BAR BAR 2 » Mon Oct 19, 2015 5:30 pm

Can you post some pictures? I would be interested in seeing it.



Tex
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pegleg
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Re: Handmade bits

Postby pegleg » Mon Oct 19, 2015 11:37 pm

Well I'm not real technically inclined. But pm me your number or email and I'll sure send them. For some reason bgh has always been beyond my abilities to post pics.
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Re: Handmade bits

Postby BAR BAR 2 » Tue Oct 20, 2015 2:32 am

Sent.

That sort of thing is very interesting to me.

Thanks
Tex
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Mike Leonard
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Re: Handmade bits

Postby Mike Leonard » Tue Oct 20, 2015 11:34 am

Nathan,

That is very interesting, and true ingenuity abounds when there is no tack store close by. I have referred back to Randy Steffan's wonderful book the Horseman's Scrapbook that was offered by Western Horseman for many year. It is wonderful to see the things that som many western folks came up with when they were living off the grid. things that still work very well today I might add.


Once I was on a lion hunt in the Little Burro Mountains of SW New Mexico. I had taken one of my horses down there and he was a very nice up and coming gray that I was working in the (Two-rein) . This is a transisitioon process of taking a hackamore horse over into a straight up bridle horse. This horse was carring a Garcia Santa Barbra loose cheeked spoon spade bit and was also wearing a bosal of the thinner bosalita type. He was working well in the hackamore and just learning the feel of the bit and carrying it. The fellow I was hunting with saw that bit and he said. My Dad use to use them spade bits on his horses, but his were not all that pretty he built them himself out in the ranch shop. After the hunt he offered to give me one of those bit and I still have it today. a bit crude and not ornate but by golly it works well and has enough movement to really send a signal to a bridle horse. I asked if his Dad ever had any formal lessons or blacksmithing? He said no he would just get out there and go to beating on things and before long he had somthing. LOL!
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pegleg
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Re: Handmade bits

Postby pegleg » Tue Oct 20, 2015 11:24 pm

Did you get the pictures TeX?
Mike its true folks can make a scrap pile go along ways with a little thought and some hard work. Some things make you shake your head in wonder while others are just plain humorous. They're pretty good braiders too. There's a 30-30 down there I'll try and remember to get a picture of. It looks like it just kinda grew out of a seep hole somewhere. I know every time they sight in on something I quickly put something sold between it And my tender hide just in case! They have full faith in it.
For around $300 you get a full years training feed included. Horse comes back a broke bridle/rope/cowhorse no rough edges left. I stopped by the local bronc stompers rancho and its one of the prettiest cleanest places within miles. Its the endeavor of the whole clan to break horses. They have two studs of their own but nothing else except steers they fatten along the river. But they hire out to do round ups. The whole group load up in a two ton truck with a cattle box and trailer on the back. Its a gooseneck that's got dually axles under it and a old two horse trailer welded to the front under the overhang. They all load their gear in the little trailer and people in the cab and a area right behind the cab and remaining spaces are loaded with horses in training.they get free grass, chuck and paid extra for bringing their "own" horses. Multitasking at its best. The old man is probably over eighty and there's a pile of them. They had sixteen horses under saddle when I stopped and who knows how many more out being worked but it was a steady stream in and out of there. Happy bunch too.
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Re: Handmade bits

Postby BAR BAR 2 » Tue Oct 20, 2015 11:42 pm

I did get the pictures. Thanks.

Whereabouts are these folks located. I might be interested in taking them some horses. I don't bounce as good as I used to and I sure as heck don't want to mangle any of the hardware I have in my back. It would suit me just fine for someone else to get the edge off of them and line'em out. Once they are to where I can saddle them and not have to worry about too much stupidity, I am good. There comes a time though when I fellow is man enough to admit he would just as soon someone else get'em going. The thought of busting some of that hardware out of my spine scares the hell out of me.

Pegleg, don't be surprised to see me sitting out in the yard some morning. LOL.


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pegleg
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Re: Handmade bits

Postby pegleg » Wed Oct 21, 2015 12:53 am

Well if you get here just holler we ll let you in. I thought about the whole training thing myself. Having ridden half a dozen horses and a mule broke by them they sure know how to do it. The bad thing is the import fees. And its nearly impossible to legally take a horse from here to there and back. I know plenty make the trip but with the fence getting longer every day the number goes down. I'm not sure why they are so hard on horses crossing either way. Steers do it all the time. Not to long ago hazing cows across was pretty common. But for a cut or spayed horse coming in I believe its about $1200 . however checking different crossings might turn up different options. I've found that while the official rules are the same those in practice seem to vary. Might just be perception though. Yeah I'm not much on rank or half broke horses much anymore myself. I like them to be pretty much finished out and gentle.
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Re: Handmade bits

Postby Mike Leonard » Wed Oct 21, 2015 1:09 pm

Nathan,

I remember Jeck OConner writing one time about one of his many coues deer hunts into old Mexico. He said the rancho had an old 94 30-30 setting in the corner and checking the seriel on it it was made in the early teens. He said the guys told him it had been in the family all that ime. He asked them if they ever cleaned it, and they laughed and said what for? He said well they get fouling and dirt in them and they shoot better if you clean them. They said this one shoots good as it is, and never fails to bring home a deer or a turkey with a single cartridge. He said they had several of the old Blue/Yellow Super X boxes from the old half jacketed early cartridges, and only about 5 rounds left. He talked them out of the boxes as collectors, and took them down about 4 new boxes of Silvertips when he returned. Now that's a using gun!

Jack told another story about a 30-30 in British Colombia. He said he was on a sheep hunt and he and his guide Field Johnson were packing in deep for a big ram. He said on the trail they met an old indian man with a little camp set up. Field being a native of the area stopped and talked to him and told Jack the old man was out there hunting for a big grizzley bear that had been seen in the area. Jack noticed the beat up model 94 leaning against the tree, and said I think he is a little light on firepower for a big bear. Field said Oh I bet he will be ok. Well they went on and had early good luck on a nice ram and packing back out they came right back by that old guy's camp, and there he sat on the ground fleshing the fresh hide of an extra big moutain griz. Jack got off to inspect the bear and he asked Field to ask him how many times he had to shoot it? Field replied, just one time. He said dang that was lucky you got him with one shot. The old boy replied, had to only had one bullet. LOL!

I guess that fits the old saying. ( Any gun good, shootem good!) LOL!
MIKE LEONARD
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pegleg
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Re: Handmade bits

Postby pegleg » Wed Oct 21, 2015 3:11 pm

I have more ammo rolling around loose in my glove box then they have total. I have found some old brass laying around up there. But only three cases. Brass can be reworked to!

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