Frank

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.

Outstanding!

oltoot; Thanks for the insight on that and thanks for the compliments Henry.

The maker is a good friend of mine in Missouri. He doesn't make many tools, usually just fixed blade western style knives. Frank

I have done touch-ups on stocks and grips with Fiebing's Oil dyes. They seem to hold up relatively well.

Bump....just one left. He will not be making any after these.

This has been sold, pending arrival of funds.

very nice

Thanks for all of the great compliments. This was the first fully floral carved belt and holster that I have had a request for. I have not had the chance to complete one before and I was extremely pleased with the end result. Frank

Thanks very much Lobo. That definitely means a lot coming from you. I do appreciate it. Frank

Thanks Josh and JackD. At least hearing from my fellow leather workers, lets me know I am doing something right. And since you're both from Missouri, I'll let you in on a little secret....I'm originally from Missouri as well. Love the area and have a lot of friends there. As far as needing an apprentice, I really do not have enough work or space here for 2 people. Where are you located? I might be able to do a 1 on 1 when time permits. You can PM me if that suits you. Frank

I'm glad everyone likes it. It's a style I have not seen in a while. mlapaglia; Thanks for taking the time to notice and comment on my nice backside Yes, it is Wickett & Craig. Unless it's a split, they generally are pretty smooth and easy to seal. Frank

Thanks Eaglestroker and Pappy. I appreciate it. Pappy; I used distilled water simply because I have no idea what they put in the city water supply, so I would rather that not sit stewing in my gum trag, bag kote, etc. Frank

Thanks everyone. No problem at all Rudi. Hopefully you have better luck with it. I forgot to mention that I also cut mine with about 40% distilled water. One gallon of gum trag makes almost 2 gallons for me. The finish is Fiebings Bag Kote. I rarely use anything else. I just like the depth that it gives.

Thanks very much. I use gum trag as well for my unlined items. I use 4-5 coats (let dry in between) and rub it briskly with a piece of cloth. I've never had any issues with it cracking when it's being flexed. Frank

I just finished up this one for a customer. He wanted the old style SD Myers type jockstrap Lawman rig for an N Frame Smith. He also wanted the tooling to match the era of the holster. Frank

Ron's does have a large selection of french edges, round edge edgers, Montana edgers, horn trimmers, and stuff like that. As far as I know, they do not have stamping, carving, or any modeling tools but that may have changed in recent months. Frank