Pred8tr Hoods

[SakerJack]

I have never said much on the IFF about one of my BEST selling Hoods. Based on the Maynes Hawk Hood pattern, this hood is blocked and has an Anglo Feel and look to it, but has a supporting back tongue. I have sold well over 300 hoods over the past 4 and continues to e a very popular style for falcons, hawks and eagles.
Here are a few pictures of some of my styles offered.
First tooled field hood

[SakerJack]

Tooled Pred hood with Horse Hair top knot

[SakerJack]

3 colored tooled Pred8tr hood.

[OutFlying]

Nice display of skill Ken.

Jim.

[SakerJack]

I have made the Pred8tr for all sizes of falcons, hawks, African Crowned eagles, Stellars, Goldies, Bonellis, the Pred8tr hood is a proven top quality hood..

[Berkut]

Ken,
They look very nice, and practical at the same time.

Neil.

[SakerJack]

Ken,
They look very nice, and practical at the same time.

Neil.

Hey thank you Neil,, this is a great hood,, for any bird..

[SakerJack]

Nice display of skill Ken.

Jim.

Thank you Jim,,

[SakerJack]

Here is an EAGLE Pred8tr hood called Showgirls,, it is at the Archives of falconry.. Showing the "Tongue"

[SakerJack]

Top View showing the Gals!!

[SakerJack]

The Original Maynes Hawk Hood, I shared this pattern with a few UK hood makers. Some have changed the name but it still is the Maynes Hawk Hood..This hood you will NEVER LOSE IN THE FEILD!!

[SakerJack]

From the back showing the back tongue,,

[SakerJack]

You may or may not like the colors etc but I sell lots of them and have had many replies saying the color of hood and or braces spared the hood from being lost..

[Dorset Shortwing]

fantastic ,,i only aspire to such craftmanship as ive just started making them again for fun and to help out friends ,,ive never done a blocked hood though have made dutch hoods to the point of blocking them, would you be willing to tell me what thickness leather you would advise for most indian hood 's any advise would be helpfull but i understand if this is not a fair request on an open forum (but you could always p,m me :yawinkle:)

[SakerJack]

fantastic ,,i only aspire to such craftmanship as ive just started making them again for fun and to help out friends ,,ive never done a blocked hood though have made dutch hoods to the point of blocking them, would you be willing to tell me what thickness leather you would advise for most indian hood 's any advise would be helpfull but i understand if this is not a fair request on an open forum (but you could always p,m me :yawinkle:)

Thank you DS,, great to hear you are back in the saddle so to speak!! No problem,,This might be a long post.. You will find many Block hoods differently,, some VERY differently,, but the end result is what it is all about.. I BLOCK ALL my hoods. ALL OF MY HOODS!!
Leather Thickness??, I do not gauge( in mm's) how thick a leather is but more importantly how it FEELS.. I have spoken to some of the Greatest hood makers EVER, and they ALL have their own opinions, likes and dislikes.. Me ,,I like a leather that is 3-4 oz for MOST HOODS with a rather stiff feel to it..I cannot get Kangaroo so have not much to say on the matter, but friend and fellow hood maker Clayton Smith who is in my opinion the top three of all time uses it for almost all his hoods. Others use 2-3 oz while others use 4-5... I think it really depends on the quality and types of leathers you can obtain on a regular basis and what you personally like..
I have many different Indian hoods in my collection,, some use stiff hard like leather but most are very soft,,Is one better? I doubt it,, just really depends on personal opinion. But to say one is Superior to the other I say BS,, ask the bird! If you like a soft leather hood expertly sewn in Pakistan or the Middle east,, GREAT,, if you prefer a stiffer style hood made in the UK or North America then great.. One may not last as long as the other, or it may. I have seen both economical and expensive hoods look like hell after a year..
Hope this helps and answers your ? if not please feel free to ask on the forum or PM me..

[Turumti]

Top class stuff Ken. I got my hood maker to make me some Anglo Indian hoods, based on a design I had tweaked some years ago. That tweaking is far from complete, and I feel it will go on as long as I live. I will soon put up some photos of these hoods.

[SakerJack]

Top class stuff Ken. I got my hood maker to make me some Anglo Indian hoods, based on a design I had tweaked some years ago. That tweaking is far from complete, and I feel it will go on as long as I live. I will soon put up some photos of these hoods.

Look forward to the pictures,, I have SEEN many great hoods made in your part of the world and they are very good.. Keep at it,, I have had to 'Tweek" a pattern 30 times before I got it to where I liked it. Do we ever get it Perfect? DOUBT IT,, many can say all they want but we can ALWAYS get better!!

[Fly]

very well made i like them

[Dan Paradis]

That is clearly my favorite type of hood, fit and style :supz:

Oh yes.. and the Kazhak field hood too !

Dan

[SakerJack]

Made these Maynes Hawk Hoods in Dec 2007, nice field hood, although I prefer the Pred8tr . Thanks Dan..
Side Profile

[SakerJack]

From the back showing the tongue again..

[DeadDogs]

As usual up to your high standards Ken

[SakerJack]

As usual up to your high standards Ken

Thank you kind sir!!

[Pearl]

3 colored tooled Pred8tr hood.i realy do like this one ken

http://www.falconryforum.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=78161&d=1245879031

[SakerJack]

i realy do like this one ken

http://www.falconryforum.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=78161&d=1245879031

Thank you Mark,,

[SakerJack]

i realy do like this one ken

http://www.falconryforum.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=78161&d=1245879031

Mark here is that hood from a different view.

[SakerJack]

Or how about an El Tigre Pred8Tr..

[Pearl]

its very well tooled mate i can see why they sell well credit to you mate :supz:
http://www.falconryforum.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=78203&d=1245956241

[SakerJack]

its very well tooled mate i can see why they sell well credit to you mate :supz:
http://www.falconryforum.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=78203&d=1245956241

Thanks the hood is 100% tooled..

[Pearl]

i do own a hood from you ken it was given to me by a friend and stands in a glass door corner unit on show :supz:also very well tooled :supz:

[SakerJack]

i do own a hood from you ken it was given to me by a friend and stands in a glass door corner unit on show :supz:also very well tooled :supz:

That is good to hear, Problem is Mark , it will never get damaged that way and you won't need another, how can a hood maker survive? Use it and hopefully lose it and order more..LOL..
Thanks for sharing..

[SakerJack]

Say,, found your African gift, I will mail it to you tomorrow..

[Pearl]

That is good to hear, Problem is Mark , it will never get damaged that way and you won't need another, how can a hood maker survive? Use it and hopefully lose it and order more..LOL..
Thanks for sharing..lol i see your point mate , here are a few pics for you of mine

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee233/stoop09/PICT0437.jpg
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee233/stoop09/PICT0436.jpg
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee233/stoop09/PICT0438.jpg

[Pearl]

Say,, found your African gift, I will mail it to you tomorrow..great stuff mate :yawinkle:

[SakerJack]

lol i see your point mate , here are a few pics for you of mine

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee233/stoop09/PICT0437.jpg
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee233/stoop09/PICT0436.jpg
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee233/stoop09/PICT0438.jpg

AHHH, so that is where that hood went,, thanks for the pictures, I will save them.. The gift is a big damn thing ,,forgot how big they are compared to saker sized ones.

[Pearl]

AHHH, so that is where that hood went,, thanks for the pictures, I will save them.. The gift is a big damn thing ,,forgot how big they are compared to saker sized ones.it takes pride of place in the front room with my others from a friend who makes them in the uk , female red tail size mate that one :yawinkle:

[SakerJack]

Rocky here is your hood in the mail today..

[SakerJack]

From the top

[SakerJack]

Back of the hood..

[Pearl]

top marks ken ill have a closer look when im at rockys again :supz:

[LongVVing]

Ken,

do you make your predator hoods on the chinook blocks?
I still like the diablo pattern as easier for me to stitch up. The falcon has gone for a breeding project but am toying with the idea of a cast of tiercels so made need a block for that. I have 14 15 16 and 17 blocks. Will the 14 be ok for a tiercel or would I need a smaller?

Mark.

[SakerJack]

Ken,

do you make your predator hoods on the chinook blocks?
I still like the diablo pattern as easier for me to stitch up. The falcon has gone for a breeding project but am toying with the idea of a cast of tiercels so made need a block for that. I have 14 15 16 and 17 blocks. Will the 14 be ok for a tiercel or would I need a smaller?

Mark.

Hey Mark,,, all the medium to large hawks and eagles are on Chinook blocks, BUT the Pred8tr patterns are MADE for the Chinook blocks but when I first started making them I did not have Chinook blocks so made them on Rollins earlier set of blocks and just continue that way. Old habits..I am making two eagle hoods at the moment on Chinook blocks I will post pictures of them tomorrow.
14 would be for a real large male I would say you would need 11, 12 13 , depending on the style of pattern you wish to make ..
Good to hear from you..

[SakerJack]

top marks ken ill have a closer look when im at rockys again :supz:

Thanks Mark, the pictures do not do it justice it is a real pretty hood..

[SakerJack]

Mark here are two eagle Pred8tr hoods on Chinook blocks.. The finished Eagle hoods are on my Eagle Pred8tr Hoods thread.

[Pearl]

Mark here are two eagle Pred8tr hoods on Chinook blocks..very nice mate , you need to start modeling them on birds mate :supz:

[SakerJack]

very nice mate , you need to start modeling them on birds mate :supz:

Mark the finished hoods are on my Eagle pred8tr hoods thread. I would like to model them but have no eagle. Hopefully the gent that gets these will post photos up for me, that is up to him..

[ChrisWilson]

how do you get those patterns into the hood sj, if it's top secret i don't mind and completely understand as i am aware off your post from a few weeks back. all the best.

[LongVVing]

Mark here are two eagle Pred8tr hoods on Chinook blocks.. The finished Eagle hoods are on my Eagle Pred8tr Hoods thread.

Looking good Ken, is the predator a single piece pattern or do you have to sew a number of pieces. Just looking at the stitching on the hoods in the pic.

Mark.

[SakerJack]

how do you get those patterns into the hood sj, if it's top secret i don't mind and completely understand as i am aware off your post from a few weeks back. all the best.

Hey Chris,, the post a few weeks back was to let of steam that had been building for awhile, The patterns are carved and or tooled into the leather then dyed. I do not use acrylics so the designs will not crack or peel, they are there permanently.

[SakerJack]

Looking good Ken, is the predator a single piece pattern or do you have to sew a number of pieces. Just looking at the stitching on the hoods in the pic.

Mark.

The Pred8tr is a one piece like the Diablo pattern I sent you.

[ChrisWilson]

Hey Chris,, the post a few weeks back was to let of steam that had been building for awhile, The patterns are carved and or tooled into the leather then dyed. I do not use acrylics so the designs will not crack or peel, they are there permanently.

1st class work mate, so do you actuallt carve the pattern into the leather by hand ? if so i'm even more impressed.

[SakerJack]

1st class work mate, so do you actuallt carve the pattern into the leather by hand ? if so i'm even more impressed.

Thanks Chris Any straight lines you see is carved, when you see my hoods with birds, and or the Strippers that I posted awhile back they are all carved by hand into the leather..

[ChrisWilson]

nice one sj, but forgive me when i ask what are strippers ' i only know of one type and there might be children reading so i will say no more. I bought grovesy's hood making kit of him and i'm dabbling with a bit of hood making myself, i'm not bad at the straight forward blocked dutch hood but i've got to the point where i'm becoming a bit more adventuress.

[SakerJack]

nice one sj, but forgive me when i ask what are strippers ' i only know of one type and there might be children reading so i will say no more. I bought grovesy's hood making kit of him and i'm dabbling with a bit of hood making myself, i'm not bad at the straight forward blocked dutch hood but i've got to the point where i'm becoming a bit more adventuress.

Chris you are correct in your assumption,, hear is the hood I called Cowgirls with "Strippers" on the eye panels..

[SakerJack]

Other side,

[SakerJack]

Another view showing the tooling

[SakerJack]

Here is another with a hand carved Mexican Raven. Both the Cowgirls and this hood are now at the Archives of Falconry in Boise Idaho..
I heard Grovsey was selling everything, I was shocked as he looked like he was enjoying it and was making some nice looking hoods..

[ChrisWilson]

very nice, must be time consuming to do all that carving though, which would then bump up the price i assume. anyway back to strippers of the less adult variety, can i get one from tandy leather as i have just got there catalogue. all the best.:supz:

[SakerJack]

very nice, must be time consuming to do all that carving though, which would then bump up the price i assume. anyway back to strippers of the less adult variety, can i get one from tandy leather as i have just got there catalogue. all the best.:supz:

Chris it can take along time to carve and make a hood as shown, the biggest problem is if you screw up ONCE ,, your hood is usually ruined. Yes I guage the prices of my hoods on how much time(man hours ) etc it takes to make a hood.
Good luck with your hood making.

[ChrisWilson]

thanks sj, if i can get a pic on this thing i will show you what stage i'm at. let me know what you think with no holds bared mate, i won't be offended.:supz:

[SakerJack]

thanks sj, if i can get a pic on this thing i will show you what stage i'm at. let me know what you think with no holds bared mate, i won't be offended.:supz:

Chris no problem that is the only way to learn and get better. I made almost 100 hoods before I thought I was good enough to offer them for sale. Give them to friends, try them on your birds etc and listen to what they and the birds say. I donated many to local rehabbers to see what fit and what didn't. I see so many beginner hoodmakers make three hoods and then offer them for sale.. Take your time, perfect your craft and a certain style of hood etc and then progress,,
It takes time and patience. A hood is a very important piece of equipment..