DaltonMasterson

I got an email from him today in regards to the punches he had listed. I had requested his address last week so I could send payment and he sent me an email today stating they are sold. Not sure how to take that and am now awaiting an email of explanation. At least I havent sent payment yet. Dm

I have an old saddle that I have been posting about down in the saddle restoration forum. Anyway, I was wondering if any of the history folks have any info, catalogs, or photos of the Makers mark for J. H. Haney & Co. -- Omaha so I can compare my hard to read mark to a good one? Any other info other than the easily found internet info would also be appreciated. Thanks, DM

Howdy all. I think I have it figured out. I agree that Collins was wishful thinking, and did stumble across another Omaha maker. I am 98% sure that it is a J. H. Haney & Co. from Omaha. Now, does anyone have any info on Haney saddles? There is not a lot on the internet about them, other than company information like how they formed into Dutton-Lainson eventually. I would really like to see a photo or two of another Haney saddle, or at least the Makers mark to compare to be 100% on this ID. Thanks, DM

Ok folks. I bought the saddle today for a song. I have had it sitting in the backyard this afternoon, and keep looking at the stamp. I do believe it says OMAHA at the bottom of it. So, I am thinking it might be a Collins & Co maybe.. Can someone post some pics of a similar Collins & Co. stamp? Also, at the bottom of the stirrup leathers, there is a sewn portion right at the roll at the very bottom. It does not appear to have a purpose, unless it was fleeced on the backside right there or something. Its just a patch on both leathers about 4" tall or so. I will take a pic tomorrow and show this. I wonder if it can help ID it. Thanks. DM

Why thank you, Eaglestroker! I realized that I needed more little .22 holsters on my show table, and I think this will fit the bill for most, stylewise. Now to figure out some different barrel lengths for it... DM

Here is one for my little EASA .22 and another Menea style holster and belt for a 7.5" Colt SAA. The black one has antiqued spots and concho. DM

I think that is pretty cool as well. I like the idea. I would probably handsew the ribbon myself, but I am not that good with my machine yet either... DM

Well, I finally got back and got some good pics of this saddle and mark with a real camera instead of an Ipod. Lets see if we can ID this now with these pics. To me, it almost looks like it begins with a JH, then some indistinguishible marks, then & Co. MAKERS across the middle portion. Then the bottom portion looks to be upside down, but that might just be me. Thanks, DM

I have not heard a thing back yet. Still waiting.

Thanks for the help folks!!

Thanks folks. At least it wasnt my ASB maul. I will try some sunshine, but I have doubts that it will smell much better. It flat stinks... DM

I was in the garage today cleaning up for a garage sale, and notice that the lid was off of one of my totes that I take to shows. I keep some scrap pieces of leather, some tools, etc in it and only take it along if I have the truck and extra room. Well, it seems that a stray kitty wandered in and decided the open box was an invitation to use it as a litter box. So, the scrap leather is toast, and the salvageable is salvaged (not much lost, but...), but my Garland rawhide mallet is very smelly to the point that I have thrown it in the trash twice today. Is there any solutions to get rid of the smell of urine in rawhide? I rinsed it, but that seems to just have reactivated the smell, and now it is in a bag of baking soda to hopefully help absorb some of it. Or should I just spend the extra bucks on a new maul and a cat trap..... Thanks, DM PS. Anyone want a soon to be missing stray cat???

If its 10 for all of them I will take them.

I found this old saddle today, and unfortunately forgot to take pics of the whole saddle. I did take some shots of the Maker Mark though. Can anyone ID this maker? Its hard to make out, but I took it from several angles. The only part I can make out is the letters CO at the 2:00 position, and the word MAKER across the bottom 1/3rd. Thanks, DM

On my bottle of Satin Shene it says that it works as a resist. I have tried it on the last 2 projects, and it didnt resist anything. I am using the Antique Gel over the top of 2 coats of Satin Shene. Does anyone here use Satin Shene with any luck? THe only other things I have on the shelf to try are some ancient cans of NeatLac, and some BagKote. Which resist should I order to replace the Satin Shene that will still give me a satin finish? Thanks, DM

Hi. I am new to sewing machines, and just got a Cobra Class 4 delivered this week. With some practice the last couple of days, I can make a pretty decent stitch on top. I am having problems with the back stitch though, but am figuring it out with practice. It seems to snag the thread once in awhile, and leaves a large knot on the bobbin side of the piece. My real question... I build holsters, and with my handsewing, I can pull the stitching tight enough that I dont need to groove the stitching that would contact the gun. Using the machine, the stitching all lays on top of the leather, and will definately snag on a firearm eventually. This would be on the bottom/bobbin side of the piece while I am sewing. Do I need to tighten the bobbin tension to get this to suck in more, or am I expecting too much from the machine? With handstitching, I can get away with wetting the inside of the holster some to help the thread pull in flush. Is this what I need to do in this case? I groove the outside stitch lines of course. Some background that might help. I am using 14 oz of W&C with contact cement to glue. Thread is 277 bonded with an Organ 24/180 needle. Thanks! DM

I got the tools and tried them out on a project. They are amazing. I cant believe how much crisper they are than the Crafttool stuff I have. I am sure looking forward to using these tools and downsizing my Crafttool collection.. Thanks again, and I will get some patterns heading your way shortly. DM

Yep. I ordered a sample of it to try, and had the same results. I am sticking with the Wickett and Craig as well. DM

I use a double boiler on my bbq grill outside, and melt about 1/2 pine pitch to 1/2 beeswax together, and pour it into cupcake papers to be used later. I am still using my first batch, but it is a bit soft, so will end up cutting the pitch down some more and going with more beeswax. It does have the andvantage of making the fingertips sticky when you wax the thread, which makes the needles very easy to grab and pull through the leather. I am not sure if the hoof type pitch would work or not. What I have I ordered online somewhere a year or two ago. I cant remember where now, but a simple search should find it for you. As far as the twist, I dont think it matters for hand stitching, but machine work it probably does. I think mine is left hand 5 cord linen. Good luck, and remember that the wax and pitch is very flammable and to be careful. EDIT::: Here is a link to Chuck Burrows stitching tutorial with his recipe and method for making your own wax. See #8.. http://www.wrtcleath...therstitch.html DM

All of my sewing is hand sewn with the Barbours/Campbell Bosworth linen thread. I melt my own mix of beeswax and pine pitch, and rub it into the thread for each project. Once in awhile, I will get some dirty looking thread, and have had pretty decent luck cleaning it up by running my overstitch wheel over it a few times. I prefer the linen thread as the synthetic stuff has always slipped on me some, creating loose stitches later. I have not had that problem with the linen. I presume that the fibers lock to each other some in the linen, whereas the nylon is smooth and slides over itself. I have used up about half of one of those Barbours rolls of white. I dont do much with any other colors, but the few rolls I have are the small predyed spools. DM

It all depends on the look you are going for. Lots of Old nice holsters were grooved and not cut. I would think that most old shops would have used a groover, as its faster than cutting and beveling, and time is money... DM

Who got em?

Most of the time, I use a wing divider to mark the lines, then cut with a swivel knife and bevel as well. I tried the ceramic double blade, and it didnt give me near as nice a result as cutting them separately. I have used my groover tools instead of cutting them, but its a pretty rare occasion when I do. DM

I switched to Wicket and Craig about a year ago, and havent looked back. I have tried Hermann Oak, but didn't see much difference in the piece I had. I had made lots of holsters from Tandy leather, but wont go back to it now. I rarely buy anything there now, unless I happen to need something and they have a deal on it. DM

Drat, the wife unit said no on the whole deal... I would be interested in a few if you split them up as well. Ruger SP101 Ruger Old Vaquero Ruger New Vaquero Ruger MkIII Colt SAA 4 3/4" Walther PPS Springfield XD45 Thanks, DM