Jim

Sure it would . . . if he had given me one.

Well folks I have to sadly say the drawings have been lost to the wind and being 20 years ago when I did these, my memory is faded a bit. That being said, I figured this stuff on the fly and you can do it as well. Step one is to get the foam head from a craft shop and enlarge the size by either wrapping it with a towel or laying the towels over it to better size it to you head. Place the critters fur on the foam head FUR SIDE DOWN and the pinch up the areas necessary to form it to the head. These "pleats" can then be held with clothes pins or spring clips. Once the "inverted" fur is fitted to your liking, mark the lower edges of the pleats on both sides, leaving room for the stitching. A little extra can't hurt, you can always trim it off. When the fur is laid out flat, these pleats will be triangular shaped. Cut out the excess and then starting at the "V", use a whip stitch to sew it out to the edge. With a little effort and fore thought, this process will not be complicated. Hope this helps. Jim

That's the whole idea pardner. Wasted time and resources are two things I despise. Jim

Just my humble opinion, but being of Cherokee decent, if Wilma Mankiller became the new face on the $20 over Andrew Jackson, it would be poetic justice. Never forget the Trail of Tears. Jim

Fellers, I cannot find the drawings and I'm madder than a wet hen in a hail storm! However, I have a shotgun, and I do have the where withal to draw another one. So, I'm sorry to let you guys down, but I'll be in touch. I would say "I'll be back" but that line is copyrighted. Jim

Keith hit the nail on the head as to how that hat went together. It's a very simple method. The hat also has a blanket wool liner that keeps it on the head. I'll try to find the drawings or make some new ones. Jim

Ah, found a photo. This is the style I was talking about in the PM. If your interested, I'll dig out the drawings I have and add some text and post it for you. Yeah, that's me back when I was younger and had all my hair. Jim

When I find them (somewhere in my files) I will post them in the pattern and template section. As for making them, trust me; if you can read, they'll be just as good as mine. On the open position of the shotgun, the shotgun scabbard is designed to hold the scatter gun in both open and closed condition. Anyone who read Shoot Magazine might have caught the article on it a few years ago. I tied prompting the idea to sell patterns but it never got off the ground and was all but forgotten. Jim

Camano is speaking of the Free Tapper hat pattern. It's a good and have used it myself. The photo you posted is that type of hat. The one I mention in my PM is different but typical of the mountain man. Jim

Red Bear, I do believe I still have it with the rifle scabbards I destined for CAS. Unless things have changed, when I was active in SASS and CAS one could carry the shotgun barrel down IF the gun was broken open. Same with rifles if the lever was in the open position. Is this still the case? Jim.

Hey fellers, here are some Walker / Dragoon holster patterns I've had sitting on the shelf. Remember: if prompted set the Page Scaling to NONE. These are on 11 x 17 Tabloid sheets. Enjoy, Jim California Patterns Walker- Dragoon.pdf

Well Alex, I have to say that two layers of 8/9 ounce is overkill. But that's just me. I know shooters who want a gun belt thick enough to stop a bullet while others are happy with a single layer 8/9 ounce belt. With that said you're going get about 101 different opinions on that matter. So, it will all come down to what the customer wants. Go with that and you can't miss. As for sewing machines - can't help you there -never used one and never will. Jim

SASS (Single Action Shooting Society) and Cowboy Action Shooting is a really good place to start. Now, you have folks that will stick to brand names even though they gun leather is mass produced, wet molded. and all looks the same. These folks have more dollars than they do cents . . . .uh, sense. But then there are those who want the high end gun leather and accessories. There's your target customer. You will need to be able to meet any and all needs of the Shooter as far as Cowboy Action Gear goes. Seems a little mind boggling, but it's a something that can get done. Jim

Welcome Tommy. You might want to try to locate a saddle maker who will sell you his scrap leather. Lots cheaper than EBay. If you need some help with sheaths and holsters, holler at me. Glad to help. Jim

Wow, talk about a blast from the past! When I was in school they had one of those and it was a high tech gadget at the time. Well, it was 1973 whend I used it to scale up a drawing I made for a P-39 Airacobra so I could make a flying model with balsa wood. By golly, it worked like a charm. You might be on to something. Jim

Greetings from Texas. Glad to have you aboard Kevin. Take a look around, if you can't find what you're needing, just ask anyone. Jim

Reckon you could make a Fast Draw version of that?

Can't get anything by you Camano. He also got the bucket and the Dino Soda at CaveMart. Oh man, we could do this all day. Thanks guys.

Alrighty then, this is the final posting for the chapters from my unfinished book. The title was "From Bags to Britches" and was to cover everything from making buckskin, to bags, gear, and finally clothing. Due to circumstances, I never got to complete the work but it has set on the shelf for twelve years and it's time to release what I do have. The attached text is a fun to read tutorial of the methods I have used to tan my own hides. It covers the basics of Brain Tanning as well as Alum Tanning. I hope you enjoy reading it. Sincerely, Jim R. SImmons Making Buckskin.pdf

WOW! I'm giggling like a school kid with a ice cream cone. That came out far past my expectation of what the design would look like on leather. You do amazing work. Thank you so much for sharing this. WOW! Jim

This is the second of the two sections I wrote for all you Rendezvous folks. This will take you through the steps for making the patters and shows some assembly tips for the "Accouterments" of the Mountain Man. Everything here is Tried and True. Enjoy! Jim Making Accouterments.pdf

Howdy folks, Some years ago I began writing a fifth book on the How To's for making your own gear for Mountain Man Rendezvous. I never finished the book, but I took a couple of sections and made them into useful tutorials for anyone interested in that era. This particular tutorial deals with methods for making patterns for, as well as some assembly tips on making various pouches for Historical Reenactment. Enjoy! Jim R. Simmons Etowah River Productions Making Pouches.pdf

Oops, my goof. When you said "not changing the tension" I assumed sewing machine. Now, if it's something you would like to do, you might try the "stitch under the overlap" as shown in the drawing. It's just my humble opinion but it gives the final sewn item a very neat look. Hope it helps. Jim

Looks real good Pardner. The thickness is key to make the knife slide in and out without the hand guard binding up with the belt loop. Looks like you nailed it. Great work as always. Jim