Professor

I saw these advertised on ebay at very low prices, around $60 USD at the cheapest site, but now I can't find them at all. That's such a ridiculously low price for these I suspect they were mass produced as motion picture props for a period film and those offered for sale are surplus to the contract. I don't have a 1911 at this time, due to a hand injury and post op infection i couldn't fire a pistol with a grip safety for many years. I do have a Umarex CO2 powered replica 1911 which is extremely realistic. I've been using it to practice on my hold so i can use a grip safety once more, though I've had mixed results with my FN 1922 because of its smaller grip frame. Anyway next time I run across these at any reasonable price I'll order one and PM you a link.

Thanks I'll check them out. Someone in India is manufacturing a very nice looking replica of the old pre ww1 calvary swivel holster and garrison belt for the 1911, along with a leather double magazine pouch. prices were cheap for this sort of replica.

Nice and very useful pouch for a multi tool. PS This reminds me of an article by a policeman who encouraged cops to carry a good knife on their gunbelt. he had answered a call and found a man hanging from a rafter. He held him up by the legs as well as he could but had nothing to cut the rope with. He said it made him feel so helpless. As it turned out the guy was past saving before the cop ever got there but the lesson learned as of value. awhile back a construction worker near the factory i worked in was caught by the hand in a bulldozer track. The worker with him fainted so this guy had to cut away the crushed part of his own hand and bandage it ,otherwise he'd have bled to death before help arrived. I always carry a substantial folder that can be opened with one hand, generally clipped inside a pocket but a pouch on a belt is a better idea as its easier to reach.

Also a vintage watch collector in a small way. mainly medium quality watches from the 20's through the 60's with a few later mechanicals. been meaning to start making my own bands as well.

I'd like to know a source for the swivels. been thinking of making a "The Phantom" "Ghost Who Walks" type double swivel rig. Looks like they used a standard Calvary swivel holster and a mirror image of it for the left hand side.

If you don't mind the wait you can find a 100 pc pack with five different lengths on Ebay for less that 15 USD ordered from China, free shipping. Ordered one awhile back and it got here quicker than I expected. PS I only use these as temporary stand ins for rivets, when working out a design for a belt or gunbelt. Finish product will have whatever regular or decorative permanent rivets are best suited to the design and color.

Something I've been meaning to try. There's a ball tipped stylus used in ceramics work that should work very well in marking leather without breaking the surface. Don't have one handy to test the idea yet though. https://www.dickblick.com/products/kemper-double-ball-stylus-embossing-tools/

Don't remember the name offhand (Serta?), its been years, but I once tried out a chair at a store and told them to not bothering with delivery they could just wheel me out to the parking lot and call a moving truck to pick me and the chair up and carry us into the house. It was that comfortable.

A beautiful saddle. Love the design and carving is fantastic. Makes me want to buy a horse just so I'd have an excuse to order a saddle from you. I have a nephew who is a highly trained and highly skilled farrier. Maybe I'll PM you his addy one day. He specialized in difficult projects for vets, custom shoes to compensate for various problems caused by injuries or diseases of valuable horses. Not sure if he still operates that part of his business, he is a very wealthy young man now with his own stables and millions in the bank.

You could check with Tandy , I'm sure I've seen some on their site in the past. Since pebble grain leather is commonly used in making handbags and shoes it shouldn't be hard to find. natural pebble grain is produced by tumbling the leather sides in a drum, but I wouldn't know how you could do that at home. Printed or stamped sides should be available from Tandy and probably many other wholesalers and retailers. You can start here. https://www.tandyleather.com/en/leather-buying-guide.html PS Theres a type of leather called "Shagreen" you might look into. its a leather treated to make the grain stand up in bumps similar to pebble grain but then the tops of the bumps are cut off leaving a odd interlocking pattern. Its been used for sword hilts and scabbards among other things. I've seen wristwatch bands made of it in recent years so it may be available in quantity somewhere. https://kickshawproductions.com/blog/?p=837

Something with a prominent pebble grain might do the trick. Last PC chair I had before this one was covered in a very bold pebble grain that is probably just what your would want. it seemed very water resistant as well. Pigskin perhaps? There are also cow hides available with pressed in crocodile or lizard scale patterns.

Not sure if its relevant but recently when marking out a belt blank on a double shoulder of 8-9 ounce cowhide, my belt stripper being unusable due to a missing bolt, I used a metal straight edge and a metal marking scribe with carbide tip. I was surprised at how neatly and deeply the scribe cut into the surface of the leather. I've been thinking of using this scribe rather than a swivel knife to layout the pattern for some floral carving. I figure to use a French curve drawing implement as a guide for smooth even curves.

For Nylon webbing a soldering iron should do the trick. I have a wood burning /soldering iron outfit with a number of different replaceable heads in various shapes. Perhaps a piece of tubing of the proper size can be fitted to make a cleaner hole with less mess. Otherwise just punch the hole first then run the point of the hot iron around the circumference.

IIRC The Colt Cobra or Detective Special has the same frame as the Police Positive. The later Diamondback and Viper revolvers are also based on this frame size though the top strap of the Diamondback is very different due to the adjustable rear sight.

Mighty nice. The owner will be as proud of the scabbard as of the rifle inside.

Looks to be a buscadero type design.

A really beautiful and well thought out design, and perfectly executed.

You should look on EBay for some of the cheap watch bands. the material of the band is usually weak PU leather/plastic mix or even nylon strapping but the buckles are most often high grade. A cheap band costing a dollar or less can have a buckle you'd pay several times that amount for if bought anywhere else. I'm planing on using a couple of buckles salvaged from this sort of band to make fancy straps for a buscadero type holster. As a plus the nylon straps have matching plated metal keepers.

Very nice looking pouches and other stuff. I'm ordering a side of 4-5 oz leather for another purpose and was just thinking about smaller projects I could make with the left overs. I've been carrying my Mini DVD camera in a canvas ammunition pouch, a nice leather belt pouch would suit it much better. Need one for my Starlite monocular as well. Expect a new customer after Christmas.

I was looking at a set of screw driver heads today and your idea came to mind. Some of the heads in that set could pass for stars or suns and might be combined with others.

I've read that to avoid a purple or reddish highlight look to worn black dyed leather they used to first dye the leather blue then apply the black dye. Could something about the color of the leather itself have caused the greenish tint and could this be dealt with by using a color killer coat first before the brown dye is applied? PS To get an even coloring of leather that isn't quite consistent in its absorbtion rate I thin the dye with 91% alcohol. I then brush on a layer and let it become almost dry the apply another coat and repeat as many times as necessary. The softer part of the leather absorbs more of the first application of thinned dye and holds moisture longer, mainly the 9% of water in the alcohol mixture and so that area absorbs less of the following applications. I use the same method when staining wood that has been banged up and had dents steamed out leaving the surface uneven in its ability to absorb the stain.

Reminds me of a skit on Saturday night Live many years ago, when they were still funny. They had an Infomercial introducing the Chinchilla - Matic. To avoid the mess of skinning Chinchilla you placed the little fellow in the top, closed the lid and turned it on. The machine made a grinding noise and a roller ejected the perfectly done skin in one piece. to avoid wastage a spout on the side ejected a lump of ground Chinchilla-burger. There is a Invasive rodent in California that has in recent years been hunted for its hide, which is very much like beaver pelt. I forget the name but I remember it has bright orange or red teeth.

Very nice. Did you use a "Blue gun" if that is the proper term? I have a Tanfoglio Witness CO2 powered replica 1911 that I'm considering using to mold a holster as a test. If it works out I can test the fit using a friend's milspec 1911. I carried a Remington Rand WW2 production 1911 for many years, but due to a hand injury I have a lingering problem with grip safeties. The Tanfoglio replica gun has the grip safety so I'm using it mainly to practice my hold before investing in another 1911. PS It just occurred to me that one of the replica guns could be a safe substitute when showing your holsters to a prospective customer. They could test how a particular design rides on their hip and try a few test draws. The only criticism I have is the way the molding at the trigger guard appears to go deep enough that there might be contact with the trigger on re holstering. I'd prefer to leave that part blank or else fully cut away. Even if there's no contact with a standard trigger there might be if a trigger shoe is installed.

I salvaged leather from my old PC chair, the cats had been using it as a scratching post so there wasn't much useable leather left. I found the flesh side was tacky, perhaps sprayed with something to hold the hair padding in place. The surfaces also turned out to be more fragile than I'd expected. Only thing I plan to use this for is a padded lace on cheek piece for a friend's scoped FN FAL.