Daggrim

Thanks for the input folks. Dag Thanks Mike. I've found plenty of online stuff since the email i sent. No need for your friend to bother, but I appreciate the offer. Dag

Lots of large old style metal buttons at http://pillagedvillage.com. Note: the Fancy Buttons are metal, but the Economy Buttons are mostly plastic ones. They don't tell ya that. Daggrim

Aulus...I only just now noticed your post. Really nice themed look to all the items. Nice antique effect. The buckle is especially clever. Gotta remember how you did that. Dag

Oh, sorry. I've only been to one living history group event, and they were very friendly, but they just bypassed my seaxes without comment. For Renfaires, they're considered very accurate. I would like to learn to make wooden handles for these. Are there tutorials here? I ask without checking first. Dag

Aah, I've only had two things stolen that I know of...so do the math Dag

Well, Ray, I've never heard a word from anybody anywhere who had a problem. But I don't attend lots of living history events. I assume most people leave their long blades in the car when at gas stations and restaurants. I've wondered about the legality of carrying the blades in public, but even when I did, I never got a word. Nothing in any forum I've read. Seems like a non issue here. What kinds of hassles do you get in the UK? 'Course, it's a very different mindset regarding firearms, too. Second Amendment rights...hooyah! Dag oh, and as for selling blades, I've inquired many times about the legality and everybody just shrugs and there's never been a problem. Seems like there are lax restrictions on that. Anybody else have an answer to that? Dag

I'm somewhat hesitant to post this picture because the quality of the pieces is Renaissance Faire quality...which in this case means very affordable. But for what they are, I like them. Note that the first sheath is made from just one piece of leather folded over a couple of times. No muss, no fuss, and fast to make. Well, didn't John Browning once make a rifle with only three moving parts, just to see if he could do it? I used rivets because they're fast and I don't need to use a welt. So, I'm not posting these as examples of fine work, but as examples of clever work (IMHO). The daggers are throwing daggers I buy for $3 apiece, the handles are wrapped leather, and I sell the whole assembly for $24. They've gotta be good, they're my most stolen item! Daggrim

I thought I'd post a couple pictures of a recent project. I don't have the skills to do the tooled sheath, and a wooden handled, patterned blade, so I wanted a more primitive, handmade look, like something a Norseman could've made during a trading voyage, with the materials at hand. The leather is bison...call it Auroch hide. There's a welt inside the sheath...just a waxed linen cord glued in there. I left some edges natural. The handle is all leather, wrapped over a full tang. The blade is hand forged high carbon steel, not made by me. The horizontal carry was the standard method in Medieval ages Europe. It ended up looking kind've American Indian, but it's fun to give up needing to have complete control, and take chances. Daggrim

Those Jiffy rivets can be difficult. They're just pressure fit, and the shaft doesn't peen over inside the cap. They're not very secure. Maybe practice would make perfect, but I gave up on them after 50% of the rivets I put in a helmet failed the fingernail pull test. Just my experience. Daggrim

Hello, Lee, from a fellow Minnesotan. Go Vikes! Doug

I'm baaack, inquiring again about long rapid rivets. The only place I could find for 15 mm rapid rivets was Birdsall in AU. I'm in the USA, so shipping on 400 of them was $24! I searched the internet for a couple of hours , and couldn't find them anywhere else. I needed to have some asap, and I needed to be really sure they'd work. I don't think many of you use rapid rivets, but maybe somebody can helllp meeee. Dag

Screw posts (Chicago screws) would be much tougher than the rapid rivets, but more time consuming to install, and more expensive. Dag

I'm very reluctant to add anything here, because I feel so inadequate to help. But this time I won't remain silent. I spent 15 years in a cult, and I brought along my wife and kids. When the thing finally fell apart, everything we'd believed in and sacrificed for was gone. Not long afterward, my wife divorced me, and my grown up kids left for their own lives. It was like coming up out of a bomb shelter and finding the whole world flattened and lifeless. I didn't know anything for sure anymore. There was only one thing I could do, and that was to stick around. No matter what else was gone, I knew I was alive, and I planned on staying that way. God was just going to have to be patientfor awhile, because I didn't know who he was anymore. "I'm still here", was all I could pray. So, time passed, and everything finally was mostly healed, and it's much better now. And one last thing, I've noticed that when people fight, it's mostly because they don't feel they're being treated fairly. Like when you feel astounded that someone else could be so unfair to you. It's about not being given the respect we deserve. The first criticism I always level at someone who makes me mad, is that they're an a**hole. Why? Because they're not giving me common courtesy. So, anyway, both sides dig in and express their outrage. I try to give patience then, and just ignore the insults and misunderstandings. That's all. Doug

Oops, that was supposed to say...You guys DON'T have dancing girls? This is what happens in front of my tent at a show. Included is a pic of me watching...the guy with the big grin. Dag

Aulus, welcome to the forum from another middle ages reenactor. I make helmets like the one on my avatar, and medieval turnshoes, and sell at various faires. You'll get lots of help around here. I've slowly widened my interest and experience in leatherwork because of this forum. Looking forward to finding out more about you. Got any bigger pictures of your kit? Daggrim (Doug)

Bearman, I love that primitive stuff, and your sheaths are great. I like the neck knife and sheath especially. No need for a bowie knife when a couple inches of razor sharp edge will do. I carry a small neck knife whenever I'm backpacking, and I find it's very natural and convenient. So, is the lacing on the first one sinew? Dag

Kfiretwo, good points about transfer of pressure, but my die requirements would be 8x8" max. I think the Weaver press is just 6 tons? Seems light compared to what the other posters on the forum use. Most of my leather will be 12-13 oz. Dag

Thanks Bruce. I just found the Search feature on the forum, and that's got it all. Never used it before. Slow learner. But thorough. Doug

This topic started on another thread, but it's kinda run dry. I'm shopping for a shop press to use as a clicker, and thanks to a lot of help, I've found a good possibility. But, before i make the jump, I'd like to know about the cost of the dies. Weaver has dies that seem spendy to me. Are those typical prices? Thanks to the people on this forum, I've been slowly advancing into new areas. I even had a tooling lesson recently! I'll show you some kind of first project soon. But for now I'm hot on the clicker press idea. Doug

Dudes! I found a shop just a mile away that carries a whole line of these shop presses at a competitive price, and they're made in the US. So, I see that the dies are rather expensive in the Weaver catalog. Where do you buy them? Just gathering info right now. Doug

Bruce, thanks for the help. Who's the manufacturer of your press? That'd help me narrow down the search. Doug

Okay, well, I checked into Harbor F. locations and found one in Minneapolis, just about 1.5 hrs away. I need to make a trip up there to Tandy anyway, so... What can you say about the quality of their presses? I got a trailer from them that I was quite pleased with, but I know their general reputation isn't real high. But, would their press do an acceptable job, do you think? I mean, if it's all you could find, would you skip it, and go for something five times more expensive? Doug

Bruce, thanks for the reply. That looks like a good choice for my level of production. I've seen the ones in the Harbor Freight mailers. Mind if I ask where you got it? Also, I looked at your website. Very sharp, and your work is way beyond what I'll ever get to in the years I have left to me. But that's okay...I'll bet there are no dancing gypsys at those rodeos you attend Doug

I was reading the Lucris story of how they developed their press, and they started out with a modified hydraulic arbor press. They said it was painfully slow to cut with, and to load / unload. I s'pose so, but still, you could save a bundle with a homemade rig. Doug

Great stuff. I checked the Lucris website, and browsed google. Now I suppose it's a matter of shopping for the best price for one in the USA. Doug