badger

They produced a box set of DVDs of the entire run of the show, all 14 episodes, plus extras such as interviews and the like. Sold almost three quarters of a milllion sets........... A few people watched it Karl

Firefly was a sci-fi show; Space Western We never got the show here in the UK. It ran only 14 episodes before cancellation in 2002. I thought you guys might like to see the leatherwork, though. Here's a pic of the gun, complete fantasy weapon, never existed in the real world. It was made by a company in LA called 'Applied Effects' and was built around a Taurus 85 snub so it could fire blanks. It's a whole other story. Ray, I do love that Craftool oval punch, but it's a sod to keep the holes aligned. I scored a groove in the top of the stem to help me, plus I laid a piece of masking tape on the surface of the belt and marked it with a pencil for hole placement. Cheers, Karl

Great stuff! Classic and clean. Cheers, Karl

Just for fun, This is a replica of Mal Reynolds' pistol and holster rig from the TV show 'Firefly'. It's a commission job for a client. The holster bears all the errors of the original used on the show; The poor fit, the wide shank loop, the useless little strap around the middle. Although I did flip the strap the other way so it doesn't catch on things. The appearance of it being lined is a cheat (as on the original), the shank is reversed so there's no 'rough' showing out. The brass buckle is cast off the original. I didn't hit it with the sandpaper like they did on the show.............. Tasha should recognise this beastie Cheers, Karl

It was actually created as a field dressing for the military, which is why it sticks skin so well. 'Zap-a-gap' is the best brand. Karl

That's lovely, really nice design. Congratulations. Did you supply the artwork yourself? Cheers, Karl

Ray, Sorry to hear about the crappy welding. Send me a pic of what you got back..... you never know. Try Dixon's for a new handle, I think they still make their tools on the premesis. They might see you a handle. What does the tang look like on the new (old) knife? Cheers, Karl

Ray, Give me a call, I might be able to weld it for you, depends where the break is. Karl

Thanks, It is cold out in the Black, Tasha The dye is pretty simple. There's no right and wrong. If it looks right to you then it is. Start with a quantity of neatsfoot oil and add your darkest stain, Walnut in my case. You need to add more than you'd think, as it looks dark in the bottle, but remember you're only adding microns of dye to the leather surface. Add yellow and red tones to the dark brown base as your personal taste dictates. I used Golden Oak and Cherry stains to adjust the colour. Small amounts at a time. If you add too much dye, stick some more oil in to thin the mix and adjust from there. Keep testing on scraps until the colour is correct and the saturation is what you want. It will go on patchy and weird, but as the oil penetrates it'll even out. Keep a small bottle of the mix aside for touch ups. It heals a scratch in the finish colour really well. Cheers, Karl

Thanks Luke, I would take the hat off, but it's bloody freezing here! Karl

This is a simple sheath I made today for a large Damascus Bowie knife. I'm not after praise here, I wanted to show something made from the leather I bought on the trip, with UKRay and Celticleather, to the Baker Tannery at Colyton, Devon. This is 2mm Oak Tanned 'Toe Puff Belly', usually used for the front part of shoes. Isn't that the cutest name? It's a lovely leather, full of character. The smell is amazing. The colour is Fiebings leather stains (Walnut, Golden Oak and Cherry) in neatsfoot oil. The oil carries the colour deep into the leather and leaves a transparent finish which still shows all the grain and markings. Top coat is Skidmore's Restoration Cream. Gunbelt next! Cheers, Karl

Skip, When striking the tool with the maul, look at the tool's business end where it meets the leather and not at the tool striking point. If you look at the striking point, you can miss-hit with a maul. Relax and let your natural co-ordiantion work for you. use the Force......... Cheers, Karl

Thanks Steve, We'll be going again, fear not It might be good to get a bigger group together for next time. Any other leatherworkers interested in a visit? Cheers, Karl

Here are some pictures from the Baker Tannery at Colyton. It's the last Oak Bark Tannery in operation in the UK, to my knowledge (someone please, please tell me they know of another). It has a strange, haunted quality and is like stepping out of time. Enjoy the pics. Cheers, Karl

The trip was great fun. Ray and Terry are good company, we laughed a lot. Steve was so friendly and patient with us. It was a great pleasure to look around his wonderful workshop as he showed us what all the different machines did. Steve's work is so beautiful and well made, it was a great afternoon. I'll post later about the trip to Baker's Tannery in Colyton. Here are a few atmospheric pics of stuff from around Steve's shop. Cheers, Karl

Raven, I buy a lot of veg tan from LePrevo. Ask for Ben or Jez and they'll help you select what you need. Be particular and ask for what you want. If you want very clean hides say so and they will root around for you. They do all the weights in veg tan, plus a lovely kip leather for lining and also some through-dyed veg tan in black and brown. They are pretty reasonably priced, but delivery can be a little slow. Allow a week. Good place for buckles and fittings too. They have a section on their site for end-of-run hides and odd sizes and finishes which is always worth a look....... If you want the very best in the UK, then J&FJ Baker and sons in Colyton is the place. Expensive, but soooooooo worth it. Hope this helps, Karl

Hey Sam, The Pony Express arrived today. It's a great little hoss. Thank you so much for your gift, it's much appreciated. Cheers, Karl

Hello and welcome. Good people here, ask anything you like and you'll always get a friendly answer....... might not be right, (if you ask me for example) but it'll be friendly A belt is a really good first project.......... Cheers, Karl

Hi Mitch, Welcome to the board. Lots of good poeple here, even us Poms! Cheers, Karl

Andy, Nice job! I really like it. Where did you find that closure? The rotating hook clasp? Very nice. Cheers, Karl

I was following this lead, inspired by Greybeard's comment on another thread, Thanks Greybeard! He mentioned using old barrel staves to make the clamp arms of a stitching horse. I found a guy here in the UK who makes furniture from old Oak barrels. This is his email address: David Geary-Aston <sales@oakbarrel-furniture.co.uk> He can supply individual barrel staves, up to 140mm wide, for around GBP£8.50 a piece plus shipping. I realize shipping costs would probably make this unrealistic for our brothers and sisters across the pond, but it might be OK for members in the UK and Europe, possibly Scandinavia too. Cheers, Karl

I agree Ray, he knows too much............... Karl

Sweet! Karl

Sam, Thank you again. I've got two lined belts already hole-punched and ready to stitch! Cheers, Karl

Thank you Chuck! I just finished watching your holster making DVD. I highly recommend these to anyone interested in making gunleather of the Old West. My head is spinning! You make it look so easy...... Karl