I'm glad to see a good old-time saddle maker using Channel Locks on conchos. Sometimes you have to use whatever will get the job done. When I'm cleaning up and detailing a customer's saddle, I often find where the saddlemaker or someone after him has put the conchos in with more force than necessary or has tried to make a new hole where it shouldn't be. I've seen the screws come back out with an almost "S" bend in them. NOTHING will get that concho out except Channel Locks. Whenever I have to use Channel Lock pliers I pay more attention to protecting the silver than I do the leather. The leather underneath the concho is usually a simple rosette which can be replaced if necessary for less than a buck a piece. Sometimes the concho is put in at such a bad angle that it's already chewed into the leather on the bottom while the top of the concho is still 1/8 of an inch away. I always have to correct that situation by filling the hole with wood putty and then redrilling. You always want your concho to be in contact with the leather on all edges. You never want a 1/8 inch gap. That's where clothing and other tack can get hung up and cause an accident/injury.
Thank you for this! My rosette and concho came off of my old Billy Cook. There are 2 holes, one still has the nail sticking out. Do I need the pain in the @$$ type concho you mentioned or is the other hole to secure the rosette?
If there’s enough screw sticking out of the leather to grab, I use an end cutting pliers like you’d cut nail ends off when you’re shoeing a horse. I grab the exposed end and only squeeze enough to barely bite the metal. I turn it enough to get it started and when I can, I switch to a regular plier. If it’s buried down in the leather, I remove the leather rosette , and that will give me more exposed screw. Thanks!
If there is enough left to grab, VISE-GRIP pliers - they come in many different sizes and styles and are available at any hardware dept. They have a locking mechanism so that you do not have grab and regrab and they do not slip if you get them tight enough. If there is not enough above the surface of the leather, most hardware stores sell screw retractor bits for electric and cordless drills and they're not too expensive. If you need to remove a lot of broken screws, it would be a good investment.
I'm glad to see a good old-time saddle maker using Channel Locks on conchos. Sometimes you have to use whatever will get the job done. When I'm cleaning up and detailing a customer's saddle, I often find where the saddlemaker or someone after him has put the conchos in with more force than necessary or has tried to make a new hole where it shouldn't be. I've seen the screws come back out with an almost "S" bend in them. NOTHING will get that concho out except Channel Locks. Whenever I have to use Channel Lock pliers I pay more attention to protecting the silver than I do the leather. The leather underneath the concho is usually a simple rosette which can be replaced if necessary for less than a buck a piece. Sometimes the concho is put in at such a bad angle that it's already chewed into the leather on the bottom while the top of the concho is still 1/8 of an inch away. I always have to correct that situation by filling the hole with wood putty and then redrilling. You always want your concho to be in contact with the leather on all edges. You never want a 1/8 inch gap. That's where clothing and other tack can get hung up and cause an accident/injury.
Thanks you this was very helpful!
Thank you for this! My rosette and concho came off of my old Billy Cook. There are 2 holes, one still has the nail sticking out. Do I need the pain in the @$$ type concho you mentioned or is the other hole to secure the rosette?
How do I add strings where the conchos are? Help! I need strings!
Hello. Can you please show how to replace metal conchos with leather buttons with strings.
Thanks
Any ideas for removing screw in conchos that have lost the actually concho but the threaded stem remains sticking out of the saddle ?
If there’s enough screw sticking out of the leather to grab, I use an end cutting pliers like you’d cut nail ends off when you’re shoeing a horse. I grab the exposed end and only squeeze enough to barely bite the metal. I turn it enough to get it started and when I can, I switch to a regular plier. If it’s buried down in the leather, I remove the leather rosette , and that will give me more exposed screw. Thanks!
If there is enough left to grab, VISE-GRIP pliers - they come in many different sizes and styles and are available at any hardware dept. They have a locking mechanism so that you do not have grab and regrab and they do not slip if you get them tight enough. If there is not enough above the surface of the leather, most hardware stores sell screw retractor bits for electric and cordless drills and they're not too expensive. If you need to remove a lot of broken screws, it would be a good investment.
What do you on one that always comes loose
First I put contact cement in the hole and screw it back in. If it still loosens, I’d put part of a toothpick in the hole as well. Hope this helps!
Trivia: Bento the shop cat costars in this video.