Mungo

Will the hand presses sold by Tandy, Springfield, et al, set tubular (hollow rivets)? After making the bandolier in the Show off section by using a ball peen hammer, section I now have a painful case of bursitis and would like to avoid this in the future. Thanks

We were discussing authentic old west bandoliers in the holster section, and I decided to make one. It’s not perfect by any means, but it is at least serviceable. It is 66” in length with fifty .44-.40 loops. I used a buckle on it because at least some bandoliers had them. I saw some that did not. Some were short and some were long in the period photos I saw. I did go ahead and use hollow rivets, but I used two between each loop instead of one. I incised a simple botanical pattern rather than fully carved -and- stamped designs because many of the old holsters and leather goods used similar techniques. Most of the period bandoliers appeared to have had no decoration at all. I didn’t spend a lot of time on the edges because I just wasn’t interested in that for this project. The dye is the Tandy antique gel and sealed with Sno-Seal. Mods; if my photo sizes are too large, just delete or whatever else you need to do. I could not figure out how to make them smaller.

It looks like a rivet base between the loops just to the left of the left-most bullet. I think. The photo in the book is slightly clearer than the posted photo.

How much of the rivet (hollow type) should be protrude through the leather pieces? Using a 5/16” rivet leaves a little less rhan 2/16” coming through to be peened over. I should probably use a 7/16” rivet, yes? BTW Sinpac, those are beautiful California holsters.

Sorry, but I’m not sure I should do that due to copywrite laws. Maybe someone with access to the book can take a look.

I’m wanting to make a bandolier or cartridge belt, and be as authentic as possible. I’ve been researching old west gear and noticed in the book, Packing Iron, that the bullet loops on one belt(dated 1875-1880), page 93, appear to be attached with hollow rivets. I thought hollow rivets were a modern innovation, but apparently not. If any of you have the book have a look and tell me what you think. I’m seriously considering using these instead of sewing the loops.

Does anyone have any info on historical ammo bandoliers from the old west? I have seen photos of Pancho Villa wearing them. His carriers had buckles on them so I’m wondering if they were just extra long gun belts or dedicated ammo carriers meant to be worn over the shoulders. Thanks.

I’m going to compare models and get one.Thanks fot the input folks.

Thank you for the reply. I think the linen thread would be better for historical leather goods and I’m definately going to try it.

When and on what projects do you use it? Advantages? Disadvanteges? Also, is Niltex the best thread for holsters? thanks

Anyone have one of these? I don’t have the woodworking equipment to build one. I also don’t have room for the full sized bench horse and don’t need one very often, so this looks like it might fit my needs.

Beautiful, it belongs in a movie. I like that dark dye and serpentine border.

There's a walnut tree near me. Think I'll go collect some shells after deer season. Thanks.

I have just finished tooling a picture frame mat. The frame is a dark antique looking frame, and I'm thinking of just using neatsfoot oil to finish the mat. Maybe letting it darken some in the sunlight for a more "olden" look. What did leather crafters use, say, a hundred years ago to dye and finish their products?

Thank you for the response. I've only completed small tooling projects before so I want to get this right.

I'm planning a picture frame mat that may take several days to finish. Is it correct to case all of the leather, even the completed tooling portions, when beginning a new work session? Won't the stamping start to raise up again with each succesive wetting? Also, do you keep the piece damp by putting it in a plastic bag and stored in the fridge?

Thank you! That gives me a starting reference. I'll get a frame and go from there.

What weight leather would be good to use when carving and stamping a mat? I'll be using a 4x6 photo in a 8x10 frame. That size mat gives me a nice wide area to tool.

I'm using the Craftool D607 66607. thanks

How do you terminate a border stamp design? I want to stamp a border on the fold-over flap of an old style pistol mag carrier. Do you stamp it all the way around, even the backside that will be against the persons body? I thought about just fading it to nothing once the stamping reaches the non-viewable backside. Or getting a couple of extra tools and grinding about half of the design off, creating a half stamp, to make the design come out even. Or do you just stop when the design reaches the back? Thanks.

Thanks folks. I think I'll practice on scrap pieces some more before trying it on a project.

Will any of the presses set copper rivets? When i set them by hand using a hammer they tend to get beat up, and look unprofessional.

Thanks for the replies. I had not thought about the corresponding thread, needle, and hole sizes. That's something I definitely need to address. I'm going to check out those recommended posts too. Lots to learn. I've been using a round awl, so I probably need to use a diamond awl. Trying to force the large eye through the small round hole is likely the problem.

Thanks for the replies. I had not thought about the corresponding thread, needle, and hole sizes. That's something I definitely need to address. I'm going to check out those recommended posts too. Lots to learn.

I'm using a hand awl in a drill press chuck to make holes for stitching. When sewing, I have to use pliers to pull the second needle through. should the holes be this tight?