TSII #454: Base Assembly

Like so many other TSII saddles, this Parade set is having its share of pioneering tricks and features.  I thought I was reasonably through with complete new ideas, so it was a surprise when the pommel of this set evolved so much that it will have its own post!  Meanwhile, take a look at where "The Gold-Tipped" stands right now.
Above are the tapaderos, remarkable in having one type of silver for the outsides and another for the fronts.  It's not perfect -- those fronts don't bend well, and the offside one's tip is not centered -- but I'm content that they are the best I can make right now.  For one thing, they are tooled on their backs!!  This is indeed rare for me -- it's only happened twice before -- and it doesn't happen with the full scale solid silver 1950s ones.

Here are the fenders:

With the second skirt finished, I could thus lay out everything:

Finally, progress!
One of the things I've learned which I didn't know before (it's truly embarrassing how much I didn't know before!) was that the ring for the hip drops emerges from between the skirts.  This really helps in a model context!  more space for the snaphook!  But, sheesh, one hundred silver saddles hadn't taught me that yet...

The horn took some work.  It has been some time since I've used Galaxy lace.  It has to be hand-cut into long strips for silver braiding, and is notoriously difficult to work with.

I tried to completely silver-tape the neck.  It worked, except there is a triangle of uncovered leather right underneath the cap.  It is still there!  I may have to turn to paint for this particular hole-goof...

As I said, this pommel, or shoulder, was so complex that I took lots of pictures.  I'd never done anything quite like it before.  The silver ovals on the right are aluminum blanks for the pommel caps.
Even now, as usual!  the saddle is advanced from what these pictures show.  To wit, one pommel cap is completed -- shaped, engraved, pinned in place -- and the other one is not!!

Basically the new trick was to eliminate leather for the pommel altogether, except for the underneath and the gullet braiding (the front rim).  No one was going to see it...
This picture shows the pins underneath the front rim.

The wires underneath are structural elements.  In this picture you can see my attempt to patch over that little triangle-hole-goof under the horn cap.  Didn't work!! -- it later fell off.

This is the most recent picture of TSII #454.  Still to go: seat, hip drops, bridle...  Slowly, slowly, we are getting there...