Mike Craw

Hey Steve! That's a beautiful job, and I'm sure your customer will be rightly impressed. Mike Traveller, As one who's shop sometimes looks a little like that, we prefer to think of it as "lived-in"...

Hey John! Not that you don't have enough to do running a business, but a DVD of Bobcat working, a discussion of his philosophy, or of his clinic if he does one, would be of great interest to many of us on this board! Mike

Wow, it seems like anybody who ordered a full carved Troy West saddle would have some idea of what it was going to end up looking like! I don't guess you had any trouble selling it. Thanks for the info on antiquing a working saddle. I wondered why many of the custom saddles appeared to have been antiqued, and now I know. I appreciate you sharing your experience. Mike

Hey Ed! As usual, the bag looks fantastic. In this case, the leather looks almost broken-in already. Is that the latigo you mentioned in another post? I'm sure your customer will be delighted. Mike

One more question Troy, This saddle looks to have been antiqued. If it was, didn't it require a resist of some kind (Neat Lac, Sheridan Resist...)? Would that be done only on a saddle for display, or is that not a problem on a working saddle? Mike

Hey Tim! What I'm trying to describe (and not very well - I wish I could draw the explanation) is called a "thumb break." As it shows in your photo, the strap from the back goes over the tip of the hammer with the snap pointing up. The strap from the front of the holster has the other half of the snap facing down, and it snaps on top of the hammer. The user must find his shooting grip, and then bring his thumb back up and brush the flap of the front strap up and out, to unsnap the strap. He must then, as he draws the weapon, move his thumb back down the left side of the frame to his shooting grip position. With a thumb-break, the snaps are in the opposite relative position (as though the back strap was on top in the arrangement you have now) only the rear strap is shorter and the front longer. This moves the secured strap around the left side of the hammer, between the hammer and the wearer's body. I usually double the leather on the rear strap to stiffen it. When the officer draws the weapon, as his hand moves to his shooting grip, his thumb goes between the two straps as it starts down the left side of the frame and unsnaps the straps. As his four fingers tighten around the grip and pull the weapon up out of the holster, his thumb is on the left side of the frame, where it should be. I hope this helps. Mike Tim, if you search in this thread for a post "New Holster for my Makarov" by ArtS, he has some great close-up shots of a thumb-break. Thanks Art!!!

Hey Tim! The holster looks good. The shaping looks good and the stitching is excellent. The thing that jumps out at me is the safety strap. Carrying a concealed firearm, especially for a peace officer, is an intensely personal thing and your customer may have specified that configuration. If he did, then disregard my next statement. The holster configuration requires that the drawing motion move from obtaining a shooting grip to sweeping the thumb up and over the top of the hammer to unsnap the strap. A "thumb-break" style would have the leather behind the hammer go straight up with the snap half facing the hammer. The strap in the front would have the other snap half facing "out" or the fastening shaft coming from inside the holster. That way, the strap from the front goes over the tip of the hammer and down between the hammer and the rear strap. When it is snapped in that configuration, obtaining the shooting grip would allow the officer's thumb to go down between the two straps, unsnapping the snap and continuing down into the proper grip position. The weapon can then be drawn in one motion. I hope the explanation is clear. If not, then maybe one of the other holster makers can explain my explantaion Mike

Troy, Thanks for the quick answer, and I know what you mean about needing a kid to help. Groucho Marx had a line about being so simple a five year old child could do it... I can see from a couple of areas in the photo you included that it was done with a bar grounder. I got a bar grounder in a set of tools from Ellis Barnes, and it's the first bar grounder I've ever actually been able to make work, so they may not be as hatefull as I always thought they were. Thanks again for posting your saddle, and for being so willing to share your process. Mike

Hey Troy! Once again, you have produced a beautiful work in all aspects. I have a question about the background. It appears to be a pebble surface, but not lined up in rows like a bar grounder. Could you tell us what tool you used? Mike

I saw one station at Georgia Exit #3 on I-95 (3 miles north of the Florida line) at $2.09. At Exit #29, it's $2.13. Guess the truck has to come from Florida...? Mike

In the "Sheridan Style Carving" book by Bob Likewise, there are photos of a fully carved saddle by Chester Hape that should put your doubts to rest. Go for it!! Mike

Just came back from looking at it. Outstanding job! Mike

Tashabear, I think the term is "follow up"...not "poke at them." If, after a week or two and a polite follow up call, you still get, "I'll let you know" then you have, in all likelyhood, been brushed of. I would then agree with your first option and just decide that he didn't want to pay for quality...and let it go. Just my two cents worth. Mike

In another post, there was a discussion about how to contact Kevin, and I posted this from the previous (pre-hack) discussion about helping him: "The last word I got was "pre-hack" when we were getting up a raffle for one of his wallets. Anyone who wanted to kick in $10-$20 for a chance on a custom KK wallet could send a PayPal message to hdwiseguy@cableone.net. I assume that is his email address. The only thing I can suggest is that you try him at that address." I hope this helps. Mike

Hey Marcel! The email address at the tool factory in Arizona is: lon_von@hotmail.com Lonnie Height is working with Ellis Barnes and takes care of the emails. I've talked to both of them on the phone, and they're great to deal with. Mike

What ever happened to my all-time favorite, "Bless Me Father"??? Mike

I think Last of the Summer Wine is hysterical!! That old guy in the Wellis with the knit hat puts me on the floor! Sharon and I try never to miss "As Time Goes By." On our local PBS station in Jacksonville, FL, Saturday night is called "Brit-Com" night, and they have two ATGB from 9:00 - 10:00. Sharon's Mom was of English stock, and when we watch Are You Being Served, I get tickled at some of the expressions she used to use. Great stuff, Ray! Keep them coming!! Mike Edit for spelling. Johanna - we really need to work on the "Auto - speller"...I don't think it's working!

Daniel, I'm pretty sure Weaver sells one for their embossing machine, but you have to be a dealer with a tax number to order from them. Hidecrafter's might, but I'm not sure. The only problem with them is, while they will put a basketweave impression on a belt really quick, the pointed end of the belt will have the impression all the way off the end, rather than being edged around the point. Mike

Hey Tom! Besides being addicted to leather, I also have a thing for wood and my wife and I go to an 18th Century Woodworking symposium every January at Colonial Williamsburg. We have access to craftspeople, conservators, and areas of the property that the public seldom gets to see. I have never met a more knowledgable or helpful gorup of folks anywhere outside this site we all belong to. I'm sure that a call to CW would provide a wealth of information, not only on conservation, but also the time period during which your ancestor served. Mike

Hey Marlon! Thanks for the photos. I envy you being able to go and see all that stuff in person. It was nice to see photos of folks I've heard of but never had a chance to meet. Mike

That appears to be an "in-skirt" rig with the tooled flap over top to allow the stirrup leatheres to swing freely. Mike

This is the side saddle in the photo in the "Let's See You" section of Carlos and me. It was the customer's great-grandmother's saddle, and he figures it is about 200 years old. The before photo is how we got it. I'm guessing this was a restore job done about 75-100 years ago, probably not by a really experienced saddle maker. I say that mostly because of how the seat was covered and the material was bunched and nailed around the bottom of the tree under the skirts. The saddle still has its original horse-hair and straw padding, and we were able to salvage most of that. Unfortunately, the tree is bone dry and was not rawhided, so this one's for display only now. Mike

OK, we'll call this one "The Three Antiques." That's me on the left with Carlos in the shop with a side saddle we just finished. I'll put a few other photos of the saddle, before and after, in the "Saddle" section, but this is the only way I could get him to take a photo. The man who owns the saddle says it was his great-grandmother's, and he figures it's about 200 years old. Carlos is a couple years younger than that, and I'm 8 or 9 years younger than he is...so there you go. Mike

Hey Matt! Who's head knife are you talking about, Hackbarth or Seigel? It wasn't clear in your post. rickeyfro, I can't answer about membership to order from Seigel. I know Carlos has a tax number and can order from Weaver's, but I don't think that Seigel requires one. If you would rather, you can call Ellis Barnes at the number in my first post and talk directly to him. From his note he sounds like quite a character. Mike

Hey rickeyfro! Gomph-Hackbarth doesn't have a website, just an email address. I sent them an email the other day and I haven't heard back, so I'd call and talk to somebody so you know that your order was received. The Seigel offer came on a printed form when Carlos got his shipment of leather. I can garantee Carlos didn't do anything with their website! Carrier pigeon maybe, but a website...not so much Mike