Josh Ashman

100% agree with that Jeff and will add that no straight cut pants (or carry) belt stays straight after it's worn for any period of time. And since this thread is wildly off the rails, I'll continue it's decline Here's my no longer straight pants belt after I stripped it off to help pull a calf when I was feeding the other day. I couldn't hold the legs without having my hands slip off and had to make do with what I had on me at the time. As you can see from the smile on my face, I was wildly happy with my ingenuity and the results. Maybe after this goes to the "fitness" section it can be moved to the "leather goods for veterinary services" section. Have a good day folks!

Hey guys, I'll chime in on the secondary topic of curved belts and how to make them. I think the "what makes it a buscadero" has been pretty well answered with the drop slot for holster attachment. I agree with Dwight that a curved cartridge belt is preferable to a straight one. However, I don't bother to cut my belt blanks on a curve because I think the hides yield better and are easier to cut straight with a strap cutter and it's easy enough to make them curve after you cut them. This isn't a buscarero but it works the same if it were. Leather is 10/11 HO cut @ 2-3/4" wide. (which is what I do for a tooled cartridge belt, if they aren't tooled I'll go with 2-1/2" wide). Here is the straight cut blank before I started the 2nd session of tooling. After I took this picture I ran it through my bucket of water and let it sit and "case" for approximately 1 cup of coffee; And here it is with some more tooling and formed into a curve. Simple as holding the leather flat on your work surface and forcing the ends up into the curve; Here's the finished belt, still in curve. Not a ton of curve, but enough as far as I'm concerned; And just for fun the finished rig complete; As always, there's more than 1 way to do something. All the best, Josh

Hello Ray, Lots of variables in your question that make it difficult to give you an answer that seems like it'll be helpful. How you hang your holster or mag pouch will make a difference. How you make the center back piece will make a large difference. That said, I'm wearing a "jackass" type rig today so here you go. FYI, this fits me and I'm 185 lbs. and just over 6'. Good luck, Josh

Hello Mocivnik! I made a post on this rig when I built it which you can find in the link below. sorry I don't have a more scientific description of the dye. As for the 2nd question, the belt loop straps are connected over the D's in the holster and mag pouch with Chicago screws and they have line 24 snaps to attach them around the belt. Sorry for hijacking this thread! Have a great day and Happy New Year everybody!

Everything Chief Jason said! I'll also add the the Stohlman pattern is good, I've built one of the vertical 1911 ones he shows and like it quite a bit. It is a "retro" look and you should plan on it fitting a guy that weighs 150 lbs. just fine. If you're over 150 lbs, plan on making the "harness" bigger. I also recommend making one for yourself and wearing it around for a while so you know whether they're a workable design, All the best, Josh

Thanks Ray! Hope retirement is treating you well sir! Thanks! Nice of you to say I will note that my first tries were not great, at all!. I'll also note that when doing any tooling I only see my mistakes. I think we're all more critical of ourselves than we are of anyone else. Have a great day everybody!

Like everything, different people have different opinions based on their own experiences. I don't use them a lot, but I do use them from time to time and can say with certainty they they work just fine for what I use them for. I've gone so far as to use 2 screws to replace the "mainseam" in small revolver holsters. I also made a similar type holster for myself for a full size steel frame 1911. I don't often wear it, but it does work just fine. By all means, give them a try if you like, or don't if you'd rather not. I'm just advocating for giving them a try before you decide they don't work because someone else on the internet says they don't. Pictures aren't proof but I can assure I've built enough of these and the guys that have them have used them enough that I can say with confidence they work just fine. The T nuts are buried under the belt slot overlay. You can see how the rest are assembled. All the best, Josh

As for a specific answer to your question, #8 machine screw, #8 T nut, a finish washer and a piece of fuel line just big enough for the screw to pass through and cut to the appropriate length for the "rubber washer". I get stainless or black oxide screws, T nuts (always stainless as they don't have black oxide ones) and finishing washers from McMaster-Carr by ordering online. They are fairly pricey but they deliver quick and have everything you need when it comes to fasteners. A decently stocked hardware store shoudl also have everything needed but you might have to settle for zinc plated in lieu of stainless. I generally agree with Dwight and Lobo as to whether retention screws are needed. At the same time there are cases where they are nice and I do put them in some holster types. I generally put mine in down at the end of the barrel for whatever that's worth. The pic below shows a screw at the bottom of the holster and 2 used to separate the mags in a double pouch. And as you have noted a number of times, it's for a personal holster so you can learn what you like and what works for you by experimenting. All the best, Josh

Thanks everybody, I appreciate the kind words! Hope all is well with all of you! Chuck, you sir are an awesome craftsman! I'm loving the elk grips you made me! All the best folks, Josh

Looking good! Thanks for sharing! All the best, Josh

Thank you sir! All the best, Josh

Thanks Toxo! Thank you Joon! Thanks Chris! Building them is half the fun of owning them, I'd hate to take that fun away from you All the best guys! Josh

Thanks Gary! it took a little while for sure Thanks folks, I sure appreciate the kind words.

Made me laugh, and I'm about the same, I use my run around truck. On nice days I'll put stuff on the hood. If it looks like it might rain they go on the dash and I try to park in the sun. Thanks Scoutmom! It is a superb rifle! I worked pretty hard to try and keep the scabbard up to it's standard.

Just finished up. 10/11 HO craftsman for the body and straps. 6 oz latigo for the edge lacing. Finished with several coats of NF oil and some time in the sun then a good coat of Aussie Wax. Then a little liquid glycerin saddle soap to make it glow. This took an embarrassing amount of time! Seems like I worked on it for a month of Sundays All the best, Josh

I use the Fiebings liquid acrylic antique for brown, black and mahogany and really like all of them. I use Fiebings Hi-Liter for a lighter brown or tan and it works well for that. I generally don't use a resist but when I do I use some Neat-Lac that I've had for years, I know they don't make it anymore and haven't tried the "new" eco-flow kind so I'm not sure if it works. As for process, if resisting I put on a light coat of Neat-Lac with a paper towel. I do not saturate the leather, just a 1 pass wipe over the top. Then I let that dry. Overnight is best but I've been known to shorten up the dry time. If not using a resist I go straight to the antique which I apply with a scrap of shearling and make sure to work it into the tooling. I'll let that dry for several minutes. Then I wipe it off with a slightly damp paper towel trying to not get into the tooling too much. Let that all dry. Overnight is again best but I've shortened it up without too much issue. I top coat with Mop and Glo cut 50/50 with water and generally dip it to help avoid streaks. I've also used liquid glycerin saddle soap and scraps of shearling to "pre-clean" the item prior to top coating to further reduce the possibility of streaking. I do not recommend double hitting your stamps when tooling. If your impressions aren't deep enough case your leather better or hit the stamp harder the first time. Also make sure you're working on a solid surface with a marble slab (or steel or whatever) under your work. I don't like "plastic" looking leather either so I try to minimize the amount of sealers and top coats that I put on. Remember it's an art so it takes some doing to get the process down. Good luck figuring out what works best for you! All the best, Josh

Craig, I would feel fine with using a SAA mold for the "birdshead" Vaquero, shouldn't be any issue at all. Yes, I have used longer barrel molds/pistols to make holsters for shorter barreled models. I basically do just as you have noted. If I'm using a 5-1/2" SAA to make a holster for a 4-3/4" one I'll stuff the pistol in all the way and "form" around the frame and upper barrel then pull it our 3/4" and "form" around the end of the barrel. I put "form" in quotations as most all holsters I make for SAA's are "western" style ones without much forming to speak of. Certainly no detailed boning although I have done a little of that with full sized 1911's when making Commander size holsters and G17's when making G19 holsters. My experience is that you can get pretty far by being creative. You can also make a mess, but when that happens you gain experience which isn't all bad. Good luck on your holster! Josh

Hello Craig, The "old model" Ruger Vaqueros are slightly larger than a SAA and the "new model" is the exact same. I use a Cimarron arms SAA clone as a "mold" and have build numerous holsters for the older model Rugers without having any issues. If you were concerned you could stuff a SAA mold or pistol in a boot sock to ensure your holster had enough room. Good luck with your project! Josh

Very nice Jesse! Thanks for sharing! All the best, Josh

Outstanding job Blue62! Thanks for sharing! All the best, Josh

Great job Chief! Thanks for sharing! All the best, Josh

Great job JWheeler! Thanks for sharing! All the best, Josh

Thanks Battlemunky! Have a great day!

That's a great looking sheath! Nicely done!! All the best, Josh

Thanks Tom! I'm so bad at light tans that they often come out blotchy even when I dip dye. It's a super talent, but sadly not a good one