Eaglestroker

Thank you! I really can't carve well I've tried, and have no interest in trying again. This rig came together nicely.

Hi Particle, thanks for the compliments. My mixes literally change every time I mix but I can usually force any shade of the color that I want. Some customers want it 'just like this' and some, like this one, just say make it how you'd make it. Allows me to play. That miix is around 20% dye, I think you should try cutting it you can go down to around 30-40% and get the same colors using less dye. Who doesn't like a little less cost? Worth a try. I market this color as a 'triple dipped antique dark brown' and it gets a premium because of the labor involved. I usually dip one to two coats depending on 'look', then bath the grain on the lighter colors to match the darkest. Hope that helps!

There aren't many times I'd just say I agree, but this is one Thank you Craig! You got it, obviously everyone cuts their dyes a little differently. I've been able to get this color semi-consistently. I call it 'triple dipped antique dk brown.' Thank you!

Thank you! Thanks Matt! Know the feeling Frank Thank you David! Hey Dwight, rigs like this make me apprecite plain ones. I still lke doing both though. Thank you! Thank you Josh!

Kevin, I keep a chart of widths for calibers, width for stitching, widths for bullet, etc. Pick the area I'll allow for loops and figure out how many I am going to do. When the number is decided I center it, and mark the start/stop line with a right angle ruler and a pencil.Then I use the stitch width number and set my calipers, and 'walk' it all the way down. Then I center the actual loop strip and mark top/bottom, and draw that in pencil. When your finished you can slide your 90* right angle down and finish each loops border, I take an awl and mark each intersection with it usually going back and hitting it with a maul so it's easy to see and for the needle to find.I draw a line connecting top to bottom in the interior of each loop and that's where I stitch down. Hopefully that wasn't to complicated there just isn't really a way I can 'rush' the process.

Lately I've been posting a lot of ammo belt style rigs and they've all been building up to this one project I've been working on for about 5 weeks. I finally finished it today and to my buddy Joe, if you don't like it I can't do you any better Enjoy it buddy. It's a 3" wide lined plains styled ammo belt, arrowhead basket weave with a custom border and antique finish over top with accessories to match. It's the first of its kind that I have done and while I may do one 'better' in the future I'll never be more tickled by it. I had a problem I don't usually have - I couldn't pick what photos I liked best. Hopefully ya'll like my selection.

Hey Frank, I like it a lot!

So I traded two ammo belt rigs for a little Ruger I posted way back. This is the second of my trade, he told me he wanted something 'fancy' and new I didn't carve. I had one rule and that was "no black, I don't need ANOTHER pair of boots." The belt is a plains style ammo belt that is lined, 3" wide in the body tapered to 1.5" in the front. It's for a Ruger Old Model 357 Mag Vaquero with a 4 3/4" barrel. The color is feibings dk brown under a dk brown antique, the holster and sheath are both lined as well. I can't say if he will be happy with it but I know I can say to my old buddy Joe, "I can't do you any better than this." Comments welcome - I don't really care if you have a critique on this one

Thank you Josh! Matt, I'll send you a PM. Thank you! Thanks! Much appreciated Thanks! Thank you for the compliments, I'm pretty proud of the quality I'm starting to achieve

Josh, I'd say you knocked that one out of the park. Good job!

Thank you! Thank you Dwight. Thanks! Thanks David! It's only some dead cow away I'd never tried it but it worked well. If it was a dyed liner it wouldn't. I oiled the whole rig, then sealed the entire 'face' of each piece. I'm trying this on another antiqued rig I'm working on as well. I use a bees wax resist from SLC, it work better than resolene for that purpose in my opinion.

I tend to be a bit of a sucker when someone contacts me about a project near and dear to them, not in what I bite off but how I work with them on the price. I probably shouldn't but a lot of times it just means I get to try something I've never done before. This rig is a 2.25" wide lined 44 caliber ammo belt, that in itself isn't anything crazy. What caught me off guard is when he requested it for his 3" 24-3 S&W. I own one myself and it's probably my favorite handgun. This was the Sergeant's retirement gift to himself - since he lives in Texas I hope this finds its way onto an open carry or two. In any case it's done. If it were 3" bigger I probably couldn't let it go. The color is Feibings Pro Dark Chocolate, I edged it and applied a resist before stitching so that I could keep the white clean and that worked really well. Shame I struck my makers mark upside down on the belt

Looks great Josh!

I can't wait to see the case, I really like the combination of that border with the Mules foot. Wish I got more requests for it!

Josh, that's SWEET! Color is spot on I like that a ton.

I only ship Fed Ex and have a label PC. Small packages run around $8, large boxes/rigs/gun belts can run up to $15. I take a lot of care in the presentation of my packaging so that opening it is like opening a well wrapped present. I ask a flat $8 for single items unless it's something very small and then it goes into a bubble mailer. I have strongly considered adding shipping into the price, and reducing the price accordingly on multi-piece items. Dirtclod put it like if you want to save your customer money you go the extra mile. The dollar amount isn't the issue for me - I care about my customer picking up the package itself and knowing right then I take pride in my work. I hate spending $400 on a blue gun order and it showing up in a USPS box that's falling apart. So why would I send the same thing to someone else?

I'm working on a 2.25 ammo belt and the customer requested a full width, single bar heel/bar style buckle. Thing is I can't find anything from my normal sources that will accommodate a strap this large. Can anyone help me out and point me in the right direction? Thanks in advance!

Hey folks, I have a return customer requesting a full width buckle instead of a tapered tongue. Problem is I can't source a buckle this wide from any of my usual places. Don't need any frills, Nickel plated preferred in a heel & bar style, and thanks for any help in advance!

Josh, looks pretty dang near perfect! Good job.

That's a good eye Josh, it sure is. They make a good lookin' combo for sure! -Robert

Thank you both!

I think I'm more excited about the new colors than I am the rigs themselves. How about an ammo belt Ruger rig and a couple of other odds and ends. The Dark Chocolate on the ammo belt is a fantastic color, the other is the double black stitched/black edged belt which was dyed in a Walnut. Another good weekend. Critiques/comments welcomed as always. -Robert More photos. More photos

Nice work!