Wade D

Hey there, Heiney, I was a Nuke in the Navy, also (and I'm also from AZ!). I started boot camp 18 years ago tomorrow, and Boot Camp was solely in Great Lakes, IL by then. Our A-School and Power School was down in Orlando, FL. How long your A-School takes will depend on whether you're an EM, MM, or ET. When I went through, I requested the ET rating, and they gave me the EM rating. Anybody that asked for MM pretty much got it. I started A-School down there in January '97 (it's 16 weeks, finished May '97), and I finished Power School (24 weeks) around January of '98. When I Went through, Prototype was either in Ballston Spa, NY, or Charleston, SC. Apparently everything's down in Charleston now: A-School, Power School, Prototype. I finished Prototype July 31, '98, and when we filled out our dream sheet for where we wanted our first assignment, I requested a sub out of San Diego (my dad was a retired bubblehead, and he was west coast his whole career). Well, they sent me to the IKE out of Virginia (opposite coast, opposite side of the water). The training is extremely rigorous and intense, to be sure! I Wont' go into the gory details (don't want to dissuade you from following your chosen path), but the studying is rough. You'll learn come March or April what 30-5 study hours are... If you want some advice on it, hit me up with a PM. As to a design for your journal, you could try the nuclear trefoil symbol that they use on radiation warnings.It looks something like this: Other than that, you could just make the design something personal. If you want to include a fouled anchor, you could do one of these: or these: Maybe they could overlap, or one could be the front of the journal, one the back, or something like that. Hope those ideas help somewhat. gain, if you want any advice regarding boot camp or the Nuke program, hit me up with a PM (though keep in mind I went through it well over 15 years ago now). ~Wade Oh, I didn't even realize you'd already tooled up the design. And it looks awesome, by the way!

Wow. I would love to see more photos of this close up to see the details, it looks incredible!

Indeed, it's the first complete holster - I chucked its predecessor in the bin because I messed up the stitching (started going at it without having practice on any scrap whatsoever). I'd like to see what patterns you come up with on photoshop. I usually get mine from whatever pattern I'm working with. I can imitate what's there somewhat fair, but I can't come up with any on my own, really. The abbreviated backflap was on the design - I was thinking if/when I do the next, I'd make the the length of the holster. In answer to your question, the loop was riveted on separate. Looking at the loops cut from the same back, it seems as though the flaps tend to roll around and hug the holster a bit, a look that I'm not sure I like.. Thank you, and I'm trying! Thanks!!

Thank you!

Ah, I see. I've read that many of the actors hired for the roles in the early days of film were actual cowboys, and that that's how they wore theirs? Thanks! Technically it's my first complete holster, but it sure is. And thank you! I definitely should have lined it. I got all sorts of very fine bits of leather on my gun and it needed cleaned. I made another, for a .38 spl, and I lined that one and I think it looks pretty good. Thank you, that really ups my confidence in making these! ~Wade

Thanks Robert and Rohn! I plan on making another, though I may go with heavier leather. Or I may line it, I'm not sure.

Have you finished this up yet with the lacing? If so I'd like to see the overall end product, it looks pretty good!

So, I've just finished my first holster. I haven't really done any other pieces, just practice pieces from scraps and coasters and that's really about it. This holster was from the Will Ghormley Hand of God rig pattern pack, and sized for my 1858 Remington. I left out the hammer thong (when did we start using those, anyway?) and the toe plug, since I didn't want to ruin what I'd made trying to sew it in (I completely ruined another holster I had tooled/colored when I tried stitching it before practicing stitching at all). I still need to do the belt and what-have-you, but I think the holster looks pretty nice. It isn't slam-bang creative or anything, nothing out of the ordinary, but I feel pretty good about it.