badger

Steve, Beautiful case! It looks beautifully made. Knowing your materials and machines and your personal standards, I wouldn't expect anything else! I do wonder if Ray has a point with the rugged nature of the case, it certainly looks built to last. When I saw it, my first impression was 'Camera case!' I think this kind of thing would be ideal for the travelling photographer. If you are going to consider making camera bags, let me know and I'll gladly buy one and road test it for you. It would be great to have a modular divider system in the interior so you could revamp the space according to what you're carrying that day. It's certainly something I would like for my cameras.......... Cheers, Karl

Jordan, Can't help threadwise, as you guys number your thread differently over there. I use an 18/4 thread for almost everything. I use both rivets and Chicago screws in conjunction with thread to secure billets, loops and straps. I use them for both looks and strength. It's possible to make a thick enough holster shank to hold a wet formed curve, so you could shape the shank of the holster wet and have it hold the shape after it dries out. Some 'Quickdraw' rigs of the Fifties had specially formed sheet metal pieces in the holster shank and holster to hold the gun absolutely steady. A fiberglass or vacuum formed plastic piece would do the same thing. I think a resourceful chap should be able to devise a heavy leather backing piece which would do the job. Spots and Conchos are a matter of personal taste, as is the use of end plugs. My personal opinion is that an open-toed holster is better, as dirt and moisture can escape. Hope this helps. Cheers, Karl

I agree with Ian. I've used the Fiebings oil dye and never had a problem with the black. My only beef with it is that it tends to have a slightly blue/purple sheen in certain lighting conditions. But, I've never had a problem with uneven coverage. I have seen the streaking you have on the holster with other colours, though. It's usually because the user hasn't got enough dye on the job fast enough. I find with the pro oil dye you need to get a good amount on quick and then start to rub it around with your dauber or whatever. I would have another go at the holster. If it hasn't been surface coated with anything else, deglaze with plenty of 99% alcohol (hate the fiebings deglazer. Ethyl acetate isn't a nice smell) and go on with another coat or two of the black. Something that size I would take a large dauber and do two coats each side with the dauber saturated, actually almost dripping with dye. Hope this helps, Karl

Wow, Great work Steve. The hand stitching is beautiful. Cheers, Karl

Terry, I think I remember seeing a buckle like that on a plough harness. Might be worth checking Ebay? If you get one, send it to me and I can have copies cast. Cheers, Karl

Thank you very much you guys, I appreciate the help. Joe, I've answered your PM, thank you very much indeed. Cheers, Karl

I would love to find an old cartridge belt buckle like the one in the picture. Does anyone have an old cartridge belt like this, or an old buckle laying around that they want to sell? They used buckles like this on all kinds of leather goods back in the day, it may not be on a cartridge belt. I want to reproduce the buckle for use on my leather goods and need it to copy. I know various companies produce modern copies, Tandy, Cody, etc. But I want to go to the source and use an original. I need one to fit a 1.5 inch belt. email me: karl@karlderrick.com Thanks! Karl

Hi, You can use lemon juice if you want to go the all natural, no chemical route. Fiebings deglazer is ethyl acetate, which smells pretty strong. Naptha (lighter fluid) is good. Alcohol (99%) is probably the best. There are considerable flammability risks with anything but the lemon juice Cheers, Karl

Really nice job, Crystal. Nice clean desgin, sharp lines. Lovely stitching and molding. Cheers, Karl

Des, Gum Tragacanth. I apply with a finger and smooth it, always in the same direction. When dry you can burnish with a piece of rag. Alternatively, acrylic Resolene dabbed on with a damp sponge and allowed to air dry. Cheers, Karl

The method Jordan decribes works very well indeed. I use it often...... Cheers, Karl

Des, Listen to the guys. Please don't sell your tools. I'm sure everyone here will help in any way they can. Many of us know what you're going through. Cheers, Karl

Go for it, Lobo! Cheers, Karl

Tell you what........ PM me your adress and I'll send you a new Stanley knife and a bunch of blades for it! Cheers, Karl

UK members, The Tandy store is having their usual brochure based sale, but there are some deals to be had. Here are some bits that might interest you that I thought were good prices, considering they're a hobby outlet. 1.5 to 2 Ounce through dyed Pigskin lining leather £1.49 Sq/ft (any good to you, UKRay?) 7-8 Ounce black finished veg tan sides £4.49 Sq/ft 2.5 to 3 Ounce Kip tooling sides £3.79 Sq/ft 6-7 Ounce Craftsman Oak double shoulders £2.99 Sq/ft 100 pack Medium wool daubers £14.99 pack 'Old West Collection' holster pattern packs (4 different) £1.50 each or all for for 4 Quid! Call Roy Fisher on 01604 647 910 Cheers, Karl

When I started making Vinegaroon, I only left the solution for a day or so. I tried soaking a piece of veg tan in it and it turned a really nice gunmetal blue/grey. Try searching the Vinegaroon threads..... Cheers, Karl

Sorry Patric, Housecleaning isn't my strong point Email me: karl@karlderrick.com Cheers, Karl

One from me, too! Karl

The international nature of the board means there are bound to be issues of nomenclature and semantics. We, here in the UK have been 'Hoovered' and 'Fridged' and 'Xeroxed' into using the term 'Stanley knife' to mean any utility knife. I am aware of other countries having different names for these. To me, a Stanley Knife is one of those in the pic below. I'm assuming Razor knife and box cutter are variants of the same thing. Might be worth clearing this up. Oh yeah, what Chuck Burrows said. Nice one Chuck. I use Irwin blades, reground, resharpened and stropped to a mirror finish. I'm still on my first one.............. Cheers, Karl

Chuck, got your email, thanks, I'll respond later today. I'm a fan of Ojala's work myself. I that it does indeed nod to the fast draw, Buscadero rigs of Hollywood's Golden Age, the strap, the tie-down, the low ride, etc. It does have some interesting design features though. A thumb-break on a Western rig is a little unusual The holster was originally designed and made by a guy called Brennan Byers, a custom leathercrafter in LA. The middle strap was was added by the costume department when the two holsters were delivered to the Studio. In some scenes you can see the edge of the strip of double-sided tape holding it on. It's great that so many of you guys know and appreciate the show. Keep Flyin' Karl

Thanks Tasha, I appreciate the appreciation Cheers, Karl

Steve, I use nothing but a razor knife to cut my leather. If the 'right tool' is one that will perform the task required of it safely, accurately and reliably in my hands then I'm using the right tool for the job already. Different strokes........ Karl

Hi Pat, I'm happy to help with questions about photography, if that will help you. Cheers, Karl

Thanks Mike, Nice of you to say . I got those shots in-camera, no photoshop. I deliberately pushed the ISO right up to 3200 so it was really noisy and grainy, then pushed the white balance to a very rosy yellow/red. I wanted an almost sepia tone to it. The lens is a Nikon 12-24mm wide angle zoom. I was only 24 inches from the holster on the wide shot. Photonerd speak ends here........... Cheers, Karl

Yep, that works. Functional and attractive. Nice. Karl