Frank

Very nice. I second what Bruce said.

Check their Facebook page. I believe they posted the missing portion on there, if I'm not mistaken.

Thanks Josh, I appreciate it. Your rigs have been looking really great too. Bob, I forgot to mention that I can return the favor too. If you need anything cryogenically frozen then brought back to life at a later date, just send it my way! Frank

I might have to take you up on that offer Bob...at least for a couple years anyways. I plan on moving my shop down to Sierra Vista area, not that far from you. I am wintered out!

Thanks very much Robert. The bullet pouch is my modified version of one of Al Stohlman's pouches. I have the PDF for that entire pattern pack. You're more than welcome to it if you PM me with your email address. As far as the toe plugs, I have been extremely lucky with them. The first one I ever did, made me really nervous. After that, they were a breeze to do. Send some of your weather up my way. It's supposed to be -20 tonight without the wind chill! Frank

Thanks everyone. I'm figuring (relentlessly hoping) that since we had such an early cold Winter, that Spring might follow suit and come early. If so, you can darn well guarantee that these rigs will be soaking up some rays before the show. I haven't seen a Winter this cold in 20 or so years. High for Monday is -8 without the wind chill. I was joking with a customer the other day about the weather. He had mentioned that the temps were in the upper 60's by him in Texas and that he couldn't imagine what this kind of cold is like. I told him that if there weren't 70 degree temps enclosed in the envelope with the payment he sent, he wouldn't get his rig. Frank

Getting ready for a show here in March. I made up some aged rigs and a couple 1881 pattern holsters. Finished it all in just 2 weeks. I'm exhausted but ready for the show. I just need a couple really sunny 60 degree days here in Wisconsin (wishful thinking) to get some more good color in them before the show. Hopefully by the end of February or middle of March, I can make that happen. Frank

Welcome Ron. In Milwaukee here, so I feel your pain. There are quite a few people on here from "Southern Canada." Where are you located? Frank

Another nice one Josh. Not a fan of the buscadero either but you did very well on it.

Very cool rig. That really sets it off. Very nice.

No problem Josh. You could say I learned from my mistakes!

I'm shocked, saddened, and upset about this whole ordeal. Were you the one who contacted me mid to late summer about his course? If so, I replied to your original email and would very much like to talk outside of the forum. Frank

Very nice Josh. I like making those belts as they are quick to make....not a lot of burnishing or finishing to them. You just need to make sure you put paper down on the bench or your bench is really clean as they pick up dirt easy. Keep a gum eraser on hand just in case.

I used barge and crumb rubber that they use for bed liners. The crumb rubber I found comes in black and brown. It works very well. I poured enough barge into it that it would apply rather easily without being too thick. You want it somewhat more on the liquid side so the barge will set down into the leather fibers. Not really an exact measurement, I just went with what seemed right at the time.

Thanks very much. You had me laughing with that comment. I'm usually the same way and I really lucked out with it. My Sister said she had gone in the same store a few months ago and it was sitting in there then but she didn't know what it was. What's the chance that it would remain there for months and I still end up getting it?

Try searching for it (google) in the Military TM's (technical manuals) if you know the stock number for them. They will usually show the parts exploded view with dimensions and just print them to size, cut your pieces and assemble.

My experience with them is limited, as I have only made a couple pair. I just used thick wool felt insoles ($6-$8) and trimmed them to fit.

Thanks for the insight on that. It's good info to have. For now, with the new shims added, everything has tightened up well. Thanks again.

Thanks everyone. I'm pretty happy with it. I'll end up using it for the first time next week. Hopefully I can keep it in good enough shape to last another 40-50 years, If it could only talk.

While cleaning it up and sealing it, I ran across some random letters stamped into the wood in random places. Not much to go by. I figure the age to be somewhere between the 1880's/1890's to very early 1900's. The cross members are all slotted and pinned to the legs with wooden pegs. The pegs are a bit loose with age but nothing that will fall out.

The total came to $160 with tax.

Hey All, I was visiting my Sister in Southern Indiana for Christmas. A day or two after Christmas she came up with the idea of hitting a few antique stores in a neighboring town. Since I'm always on the lookout for old tools, I thought it was a pretty good idea. Well, the second store I walked into, I ended up walking out with this nice old stitching horse. It's in pretty good shape. I just needed to add a few shims to the legs and 6-7 coats of boiled linseed oil to restore a finish. All of it seems original except for the second half of the leather strap. I've been holding out for 5-6 years on buying a stitching horse in hopes that I would find a nice old one. Well, I can check that off my list now. Frank

Wow, I am in total shock. I really don't have the words to spill out what is rattling around in my head. I went to his school in 2008 and never had an issue. I sincerely hope it all gets resolved as quickly as possible. Frank

Since I gave the pattern to Dwight, I made a few changes to it as well. I do like the holster for daily carry but it can be a bit of a pain in the vehicle. Frank

The customer chose not to spend the extra money on a lined belt, so the leather is a single layer 10-12 oz.