Professor

IIRC Native American troops during WW1 had a shoulder patch that had a Swastika. I first learned of the American Indian use of this symbol when my brother got a paint by numbers set of a Indian Princess holding a clay pot with the Swastika painted on the side.

Soldiers were issued three shoes. The spare was to be used if a shoe wore out or became damaged. I guess if another shoe wore out you were out of luck till a comrade with the same approximate shoe size got whacked or lost a leg. There were probably guys with one bare foot hanging out at the surgeons tent hoping to score. IIRC symetrical shoes were commonplace up till the US Civil War. PS Gloves with separate fingers were also a surprisingly late development, as was the fork.

Glad I found this. I just started cutting out the patterns from a Tandy holster and Gunbelt pattern pack, these have very similar Western scroll work carving patterns. Also found one of the plastic press down patterns for belts in some of my old papers. Made my first holster from one of these patterns today,( the Ruger Single Six) but left it smooth because I want to practice a bit more before I try a more serious job. This tutorial will be of great help.

My two cents I had a pair of moccasins many years ago that had Elk hide soles. I know from experience that properly treated Elk hide is tough enough to turn the point of a tack. Also Elk hide, and in Europe the word Elk is also used for what we call the Moose, was used for what they called a Buff Leather coat which was worn along with a steel breastplate as horseman's armor. it could turn most blades and tangle up and stop an arrow head if fired from long range. If a lead ball from a musket defeated the steel plate it might be too flattened and slowed down to pass through the coat. An American Indian tribe, their name escapes me at the moment, used the hide of the American Elk as armor. Two layers of thick Elk hide padded with fur or horse hair was proof against arrows and knives and at long range could stop a musket ball. These guys also wore helmets carved from hardwood , very gung ho rascals. I don't know what method they used to treat the hides but Plains Indians steamed Buffalo hides to make them thicker as they drew up, resulting in a shield three inches thick which could stop the ball from a Colt 1860 revolver at point blank range.

Howdy Been looking for the uncommon gunbelt buckle I've seen several times on the old "Wagon Train" series and once or twice on the Laramie TV series. it showed u with the same Robert Horton actor in "the Man called Shenandoah". The Gunbelt itself seems to have originated with the Flint Mc Cullough character on Wagon Train and in other appearances it progressively ages as passed along to later characters. It started out as very light toned leather, B&W film so coloration is unknown, then in much later appearances it was much darker as it aged and perhaps was dyed black. The buckle is the main thing I'm looking for but other information on the belt, like who may have made it, would help.

Very interesting , especially for me since I had thought I'd invented that method of finishing. I left the leather a bit moist from stamping and shaping so as the moisture cooks out on the flesh side it draws the oil and wax deeper into the surface. I mainly used this on basket weave holsters and cigarette cases. After applying a thick coating on the outer surface I used a heat lamp or held the piece above a stove eye to evenly warm it enough that the wax/oil compound stayed liquid to more easily soak in.. I used more wax than oil ( about 3 to 1)and the deep penetration resulted in the leather becoming not so much stiff but with good body and holding its shape and stampings very solidly. For pieces like the cigarette boxes that I wanted extra stiff I soaked the leather in very hot water which caused much of whatever was naturally in the leather between the fibers to boil out . I soaked it till the surface felt like clay. As the leather dried enough to take stamping it seemed to have swelled compared to its original thickness, probably liquid filled spaces had formed. When treated with the wax as mentioned the water moisture left through the flesh side and the wax was drawn deep into these spaces. I think this may be how Cuir bolle leather armor was made.

Rolling a groove into the leather for the thread to lay in will help keep the stitches straight. In restitching older bands with a lighter grade of leather as a liner I lock stitch using a thinner thread on the inside surface. There's really no need to pull the stitches very tight if the thicker exterior is grooved properly.

Very nice. Been collecting watches for several years and planing to make a few straps soon. Most low cost commercially made straps (PU or patent leather) are only fit as a source of nice buckles. Some of my older watches have the odd ball 17mm lugs so making a strap is the best option. Here's one of my favorites.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Colt 1851 Navy was actually the most common, mainly because so many were sold in the decade before the war. If Confederate and foreign made copies were counted the balance probably would tip in favor of the 1851. My brother had an original 1851 his son gave him. The son had gotten it from an elderly farmer who'd turned it up while plowing a field when he was young. No telling how long it had been there but after a good cleaning it was still in working condition. I checked the serial number and found it was made in 1854. It had the early style square back trigger guard with most of the silver plating intact. Some types of soil around here are anerobic, preventing or slowing down rusting. The Colts could also be reloaded by use of a spare cylinder but the process is a bit clumsy. Years ago a friend found a tiny .32 rimfire Remington revolver, based on the same design. The tiny pocket revolver used cartridges only but retained the loading lever for quick removal of the cylinder. IIRC it was an 1871 model.

Those look great and I'm sure they feel great in the hand. Many years ago I gave a friend some thick grade waxed cord That wouldn't fit my needles. He was serving in the coast guard at the time and wanted to try his hand at making decorative wound cord handles for knives and such to pass the time aboard ship. The results were amazing, with various zig zag and diamond patterns.. You might look up patterns for that sort of winding if you have suitable thick cord to play around with. Round leather lace might work as well.

The USAF used airguns for training purposes on many occasions. In WW2 they used a compressed air powered replica of the Browning flexible aircraft guns. They also use Crosman air rifles for practice. I have five Crosman 38T revolvers which were originally designed for indoor target practice for both civilian and Military police. I had six but gave one to a friend awhile back. I have another 38C short barreled version but its a basket case for now. I have three .22 caliber versions, the rest are in .177. I was pleased to find that these fit the holster of my gunbelt perfectly. Went shooting with one of these today. These are not hard to find these days but almost always need resealing and the seal kits are expensive. Resealing these became addictive , which is why I ended up with so many. BTW The S&W Model 76 is my least favorite SMG.

Heres the inside the waistband holster I use now. I still have the pattern somewhere. Drew it up myself. It resembles a Milt sparks but I don't think it infringes anything. Let me know if you think it might. I'll be posting the pattern sometime in the near future, if I can remember where I put it.

Hi Just joined. I'm making some belts and holsters for my replica CO2 revolvers and it occurred to me that others here may also be into replica airguns. Heres a few of mine. The first two images are seller's images of guns I bought online. The rest are generic pics of guns I have. My camera is on the frizt for now so It will be awhile before I can post fresh images. The SSP250 was in NOS condition when I got it, amazingly accurate. My S&W78g is one I rebuilt , a friend found it buried in the mud of a lake bottom and gave it to me. I can't say enough good things about the Umarex colt peacemakers. I have a nickeled BB version and a weathered finish John Wayne pellet version. The gun belt is one I picked up cheaply online. Useable but no great shakes, better than costume quality but not by much. I'm working on a better quality belt designed just for my uses.

Many Many years ago a yahoo at a factory I'd just hired onto tried the old "left handed wrench" gag. I looked at the wrench he had , flipped it over, and told him he already had a left handed wrench he was just holding it wrong side up. Which pattern would you suggest for a pancake holster that would work okay with either a S&W Model 59, the first version, or a standard milspec 1911 ?

Already downloaded it. In fact i found I already had downloaded this file long ago from some other source. My memory was never good and approaching my three score and ten hasn't improved on it much. I'll be reading it and paying attention this time. Using the gun belt I got online to go by I marked off a longer slimmer drop loop belt. The belt I got is three inches wide and almost too short for my purposes, also way too stiff though its loosened up some after wearing it for awhile. I'm making this belt 2 1/2" wide and four inches longer, so I can wear it over a light coat or layered wool shirt and denim over shirt. I want it to fit snug on the first hole when wearing jeans without a belt and a T-shirt only and have plenty of room for adjustment when wearing thicker clothing. The leather I'm using is about 8-9 ounce but a hair too flexible so I'll be adding a liner of some sort. I don't want to double it using leather from this same shoulder. I want the belt light and flexible but with good body. I'm figuring a 4-5 ounce liner glued flesh to flesh sides with rubber cement. One reason I wanted a slimmer belt is I have two sets of nickel plated deep engraved western buckles with matching keepers I salvaged from two very old and rotten snake skin belts I ran across years ago. One of these would work fine on a 2 1/2" belt. I'll probably use the best buckle and both keepers.

Fine looking holster, excellent craftsmanship. I'm rebuilding a basket case early variation Single Six,and I'm considering getting a Bisley style grip frame. So far I've only got $20 in this revolver so I may decide to invest a bit or just finish it out as cheaply as possible. Old methods I've used, mainly obsolete. I use a stitching awl for holsters and most any thick pieces. I use the thick needle that came with it on thick areas but I use a somewhat more slender needle of a type used on upholstery sewing machines where ever possible because there's less drag that way. To stitch very thick built up places I make the pre-punched holes deep enough using a Slender screw driver slimmed down a bit more with the head sharpened. When necessary I punch from either side so the holes meet. While I've seen it recommended to cut a groove along the path of the stitching I prefer to use a narrow paint scraper with blade ground dull and polished to impress a groove. I've also used a small diameter pizza cutter similarly dulled to roll in a groove. For turning curves I use a screwdriver blade to impress between each punched hole. That way I don't have to break the surface. the lock stitch of the awl allows one to draw the thread down tight into the groove so it sits even with the surface.

My two cents on this old thread. First few holsters and sheathes I made i used the old timer method of applying egg white and burnishing by hand with the rounded corner of a wooden belt stripper or a dowel rod. Bone is another option. That works surprisingly well , at least when you want a rustic and natural looking finished piece. If the result doesn't suit your tastes its easy to go over it with a commercial edge dressing.

The Professor here. Only found your site recently. After being a bit disappointed with a Western drop loop belt and holster outfit I bought online I decided I'd best make one to suit me. I used to make holsters, shoulder holster rigs, repair English style saddles, and various other stuff, but due to complications from a hand injury I haven't done much leatherwork for over 20 years. i still have most of my tools and a large double shoulder i bought on sale a few years ago but never got around to using. I figure I have enough leather for two gun belts and at least one and probably two Mexican Loop or Buscadero holsters. I picked up a Western gunbelt pattern booklet awhile back, only a few patterns in it and not really what I'm looking for. Won't be able to post any photos for awhile, the storms in these mountains are death on PC towers. I do have a scan of a home made dagger and sheath I made years ago but haven't been ble to find the folder its in. I'll scan it again later along with any thing else flat enough for by scanner to make a fairly clear image.