Frank

Thanks Tim and CountryStyle. Most of my time spent on a project is from doing my edges. I really think that is what makes a custom item really pop. It's the first thing that I look at when I see someone's work. All of my edges are done by hand with canvas. All edges are burnished twice as well. I have a callous the size of Texas on my right thumb and fore finger.

Very nice rifle Chris. I have a model 92 with the large loop in .44. I also have the same style grips he had, for my original Great Western. I swap them out every once in a while for the good old walnut grips. A lot of people do not know that he used the original Great Westerns in the Shootist, not Colts. As a matter of fact, they were not just a pair, there were 3 of them! If you ever want photos of his stuff, PM me with your email address and I can send you good close-up photos from the museum. Frank

Thanks Chris. I'm a big fan here too. I studied that rig for a couple of years and went through a lot of patterns making it. I went down to the National Cowboy Heritage Museum to see one of his rigs. I took a lot of photos and just stared at the darn thing for more than an hour. I changed a few things just to make the belt a little nicer and stronger, but no one seems to think it detracts from the originality at all. Frank

Bill, I am very humbled when I hear such words from people. A great many of my customers have said words on the same lines as yours. I'm always humbled but I don't see it the same way as everyone else. I have seen very few holsters and belts made by large companies so I have nothing to compare my work to except the next job gets compared to the last. My heartfelt thanks for the sincere compliments. Chris, The outer layer is a 6.25" wide piece of 4-5 ounce suede and the inner layer is a 3" wide 4-5 ounce veg tan. I fold and glue the suede over the veg tan and it gives the belt enough meat that it doesn't roll the edge over while you are wearing it. I only use rubber cement when doing this, in case a I have a little issue with the suede stretching. Most of the time I cut the suede wider and glue the veg tan on one edge of the suede and then glue the back side and roll it over. This way, if the fold is a little off (not as tight) in one area, I won't run off the edge of the suede when it's folded. I just cut the excess off after stitching. I hope I explained that well enough. Frank

Thanks everyone. Yeah, it's a few more than 10 rounds Jon. Imagine if it was a 50 inch belt instead of a 36 inch belt!! With 45 rounds on there, it is definitely a brute of a belt. I saw one in an old photo and thought it would be neat to add to the website. Mototech7; I appreciate the compliments and glad that I could help at least inspire people a little bit. I just consider myself and "average" leather worker. The day we stop bettering ourselves, is the day we either die or are put into the history books. I hope neither is in my near future!! We have some of the best leather workers on this site. I won't mention any names but they have inspired me a lot. Frank

Thanks for the compliments, I really appreciate it.

I guess I read the thread wrong....typical me. Yes, only use Tan kote to thin antique since Tan Kote is not water based.

I just got these finished up. Another one of my Duke rigs, a 4.5" Arizona Ranger style cartridge Belt with antiqued hardware, and a old style half flap holster. Frank

If you Google the stuff you are looking for, the original specs with photos will show up. You can download them and re-size them to the specs. That is what I did for a few things.

Tan Kote is resin based and Bag Kote is water based. I prefer Bag Kote as a finish since you have a little more time to work with it before it gets tacky. Bag Kote can be thinned with water and I believe (don't quote me) that Tan Kote has to be thinned with alcohol??

Very nice scenery on that one. Too nice to use!

I always like the jockstrap styled holster. Nice rig.

Thanks for all of the compliments. Sorry I didn't get back sooner. I have been swamped since recovering from that nasty flu. First time in years that I have had the flu. I have been getting ready for a show in March plus doing my regular orders. I'll have some new stuff posted next week. As far as the spring clips, you can buy them for $15.00 a piece at River Junction Trade Co. They are the only ones I know of that carry them....after doing extensive research. At the moment, I am having a friend attempting to make some out of spring steel. If they are cost effective, I should be able to sell them for quite a bit less than what River Junction offers them and they will have nicer edges. I will keep you all posted on that endeavor. The pattern itself is a 3 piece pattern (minus toe plug and barrel keeper). A front panel, a back panel and the shoulder attachment is a partial panel that is skived down and sewn in between the front and back panel. At this time, I am not offering up the pattern since I have not fully "perfected" it. Frank

Wow, looks like you've been as busy lately as I have. Great work for just starting out.

Thanks everyone for the compliments. Most of these original holsters were destroyed over the years. The ones that do exist are in private collections or museums. I just found an original one for sale tonight. I thought that $275.00 was pretty fair, all things considered. Frank

As par for the course, I have been off the grid again for a while. The flu took me down for a couple of weeks. A friend of mine has been after me to build him a spring clip style shoulder holster for a single action. This is my first one so now I know what changes I need to make. I still think it turned out fairly well for the first attempt. Those spring clips are a bugger to hand stitch! Frank

Diluted gun bluing does the trick as well and very quickly I might add. I dilute it with alcohol or use the gun bluing paste applied with a Q-tip