MoRoadglide11

That is an AWESOME briefcase!....especially the Sheridan carving and tooling!

Hey Biker, I've made quite a few items out of cowboy boot top leather....a knife sheath would be interesting to say the least. I'm also tempted to make a dog collar, another guitar strap, spur straps,....who knows?...I'll come up with something different for the next project. Right now I'm contemplating a new tooled belt for myself...just so I can show off my carving and tooling skills....then it's off to work on more cowboy boot holsters!

Hey All! Well?....this project is done. I had to cut away the old watchband to get to the pins for the new watchband but, it was worth doing. No more buying watchbands for me....making one was much better. Thank you all for stopping by to have a look.

Hey Alpha, You mean like this? I made a holster set (holster and matching magazine holder for my 1911)for myself from the same pair of boots....there was enough boot top scrap left over to make my watchband too. Call me a "slave to fashion"!

Hey All!!, I had some boot top scraps from a Tony Lama Black Label pair made from Kangaroo hide....so I figured it was time to test my nerves and making such a small project. I've got one side of the watchband made. I coated the edges with Fiebing's Dura Edge in brown. I lined the backside with saddle smooth ostrich. I used size 138 brown thread and hand stitched this first half of the watchband. I'll finish the other side of the watchband and post photos of the completed project. Let me know what you all think. Mark

Coming from a guy who hasn't done a basket weave project yet....you've done beautiful work! I think your husband's friend will be sorely impressed with your work! Just be careful of your work....the more your husband's friends see your work...the more your husband will complain of starvation...you'll be too busy pounding out wallets. knife sheaths, etc, etc. Oh!...and don't let the other wives see what you are doing either...they'll all want a floral carved and tooled purse...people are funny like that! In all of my 40+ years of doing leather work....there is nothing more satisfying than producing a work of art with your own two hands and watching others making a big fuss about your talent...it still blows me away when it happens to me.

Hey Biker!...thank you....these bags should last him for another 25 years. Hey KingsCountyLeather...I used a veg tanned 10 oz. black dyed hide that appeared to be water repellent. I'm not sure if it was the exact hide used on the original bags. After what I learned...I could make this set within a week. I added a strip of leather to the inside top edge of the bag opening (front panel) to help hold it's shape and did not add similar marine trim piping like the original had. There are no pockets inside each bag...they're just open. I heard from him today and he tells me that all of his friends (other Harley owners) made a big fuss over them and he received a lot of compliments...so I guess I did good....he's happy.

Thank you Dave and Regis....my buddy really liked them too. I just delivered them to him and he couldn't say enough about them. Here is his Harley with his new bags installed.

Hey All!, Sorry about all the misspells....I fat-fingered the latest posting above. Mark

Hey All!, I've been quiet for a little while because of a project I've been working on for a friend of mine. He has a 1985 Harley Davidson FXR that he bought from a friend some years ago before his friend past away. The bike came new from H-D with these bags installed. The photo of the older bag is all that's left of the pair because I used the other one as a pattern after I disassembled it. I made one change from the original set...I installed a H-D concho in place of the original because it didn't have what it took to be re-used. Some of the work I did on my machine using size 346 bonded nylon thread. I hand stitched the front and back panel, of each bag, by hand...then closed the corners of each lid with hand stitching. Fit the hand stitching, I used a waxed Nyltex thread and a couple of harness needles. T re-used all of the original hardware except for the conchos This is the first set of saddle bags I've built...my hands are sore. Any comments and critiques are welcome. Mark

As a Harley owner myself....I can most certainly appreciate "making it yours"......very nice!!!!!

I would be very interested in seeing a knife sheath covered in cowboy boot top! I bet it'll look cool!

Hey Jeff, If you peel off the cowboy boot top material...you'll find a 6-7 oz layer of Herman Oak leather making up the entire holster. In other words...imagine the same holster you see...minus the cowboy boot material....you'll still have a pretty strong holster. The cowboy boot material just adds an extra layer on the part of the holster you see in the photos.

Those are as nice as they come!...very nice work!

Hey All!, Just finished a holster made with a Nocona boot from a pair. These boots are tall and yielded plenty of boot top for this holster. It's built for a Ruger Super Blackhawk with a 7 1/2 inch barrel. I have one more boot in this pair so I'll be able to produce another holster identical to this one. This holster goes out to a long time friend of mine.

Hey All!, Just thought I would come on in and show off a holster that I just finished. It still has one or two items to add like a leg tie down and hammer tie down. This holster is made for a right hand draw. I had one cowboy boot left over from a pair of Dan post boots and thought it was time to do something different. I made this one to fit a Ruger Blackhawk with a 6.5 inch barrel but, I'm sure something similar will fit. I'll begin adding more holsters, like this one and cross-draw style, to my holster line up in the near future. Holsters will be made for 5.5, 6.5, and 7.5 inch barrel lengths Any comments or critiques are more than welcome. You are welcome to see all of my holster work on my Etsy.com page. https://www.etsy.com/shop/BoothillLeatherCo?ref=search_shop_redirect Mark

Hi James, Very impressive back pack...there is something good to be said about anything "hand made" that keeps me intensely in leather work. Your hand stitching is very nice...your attention to detail is what makes your work impressive. A suggestion would be to invest in a few Angelus Dye Liner pens. I use them when I need to dye edges just prior to edge slicking. They prevent the use of q-tips being dunked continuously into a bottle of dye. This in turn, prevents turning over a bottle of dye on your work or your work surface. These dye liners come empty...you simply place the cylindrical dye sponge (located inside to pen body) into a bottle of dye until saturated. Place (carefully with a pair of needle-nose pliers) the dye sponge back into the pen body and close it off with the included cap. Once to dye begins saturating the pen tip...you are ready to apply the dye, of your choice, onto the work piece. No more risking tipping over a bottle of dye on yourself, your work surface, or your work. I would suggest to purchase 3 - 4 pens so you can use different dye colors. I have one of black dye, one for brown dye, and one for saddle tan dye...and I have labeled all of the pens to indicate what dye each pen will apply when used. You'll be amazed at how fast you can dye the edges of your work piece with the Angelus pens. There are two tip sizes available. I, personally, use the "broad" tip.

I'm still looking for the perfect cowboy boot to make myself a watchband....the search continues....

Thanks Rockoboy!!!, I was trying to not be obvious. I call my little holster business "Boot Hill Leather Co."..but again...not trying to be obvious.....well maybe just a little.

Hey Guys! Today is a monumental day in that I'm introducing the first "Cowboy Boot Top" cross draw holster set to my holster set line-up. I just added this set to my Etsy.com page and I'm excited that I'm now set up and able to offer a variation of my mainstay holster to those who prefer a cross draw instead of a side carry. This set is made from a vintage Nocona boot with Teju Lizard accents. I'm pretty happy how it turned out considering, this is only the second set I'm made. I'll add 3 more sets, in different boot top colors, in this style and then I'll begin adding several holsters for revolvers such as the Ruger Single-Six, Ruger Vaquero, and Ruger Blackhawk. Time to get cranking and plus up my inventory! I'll gladly take your input to include criticisms so fire away...give me your best shot!...no pun intended

Hey Guys and Gals, I couldn't help myself....I'm having dies made for, what I hope are, long term projects and felt the need to gear up for them. Bought the Dake 10 ton press last week at Grainger (great price!) and picked up this Kolbalt rolling tool cabinet tonight. I'll be able to store my dies in the cabinet...along with anything else needed for the press. A modest $550 investment so I will be able to, finally, click out pieces of my holster sets and guitar straps. I'll be investing more in dies this year so I'll need a place to store them as they come in.

Absolutely!....and I was just putting out there how I prep my boots for holster building because...for a moment there....I was feeling guilty. Most of the time I am able to build a holster and a magazine case from one boot....it depends on whether or not there is enough damage to the pair that I cannot see in photos. I buy most of my boots from shopgoodwill.com. I rely on photos of cowboy boots they post on their site to visually describe boots. I bid on them based on what I see. No need to apologize Alpha....we all need a little comic relief now and then....and your comment made me chuckle.

Hey Biker, No worries...I removed all of the interior lining...any part that was against the skin...then saddle soaped the remaining part of the boot that was used to make this set. I do that to all of the boots I use for holster building. Thank you for the compliment too!

Hey Guys, My little brother found this pair of Boulets in Arizona at a local internet swap. He decided that he needed a holster set made, so of course, he enlisted the only holster maker he knows that would do the job for "free". I made him a deal that he couldn't resist by laying claim to the other boot that would be left over from the build as payment for my services. It wasn't completely free on his part but, it turned out to be a win-win for both of us. I'll make a set for myself at a later time. This set is custom built for a Smith & Wesson M&P Shield 40 with laser. I posted the remaining boot , in the photo, to give the set some perspective. Have a look and let me know what you all think.

Hey K5HEP, You can always go to www.shopgoodwill.com and bid on a pair if you're unable to find any boots locally. I get most of my boot pairs from this site. Just be careful....scrutinize the photos to make sure you're not buying a pair that have damage. When you get into the site....type into the site search bar "cowboy boots" or "western boots". You see all of the cowboy boots or western boots they are offering up for bid and the auction end dates. Let me know if I can help you further on this. Mark