NoahL

Very classy looking, and I love the brass reinforcement rod! ~Noah

I would like to add a few things after doing some more playing around with this due to the questions I received from Mr. Banwell. The tarnish from the vinegar fumes WILL rub off while it is wet unless you heat the brass. Some of the patina will stay, but the heat has a similar effect to Parkerizing in that it strengthens the patina. Also, some brass will take longer to tarnish hanging over vinegar--for instance, those clips did not have to stay in as long as some dee-rings I just finished. I suspect it has something to do with the alloy. As others have said, ammonia will definitely give you good results, but I have pets and one of them has a very sensitive respiratory system, so ammonia is not an option in my household. This is a safe alternative, not the be-all-end-all method ~Noah

You're welcome, I'm glad I could help! The tarnish will remain, but the tarnish is blotchy, and heating the brass parts darkens them beneath the tarnish--the quenching in mineral oil is something I did because water made some of the tarnish flake off. It certainly isn't something you NEED to do, it's just what I did. Play around with it, and I certainly hope to see lots of antiqued brass hardware from everyone showing up in the Show Off forum! ~Noah

I've seen a few knife fittings that have been tarnished with ammonia, but I don't like the idea of having that particular chemical in my apartment, so I sought out a more lung-friendly method. The ammonia does give a nice patina, though. ~Noah

Great, as always! Very elegant! ~Noah

I'm psychic? Haha, I'm glad I could be of assistance! Well, I would be careful with anything plated--I did this to a buckle last night that was supposedly brass, but apparently it was actually a brass-plated pewter alloy of some kind because it started to melt on my stove and it's ruined now. You're welcome! It depends on how blotchy and dark you want it to look, but those clips spent approximately an hour to an hour and a half over the vinegar--just hang them up and go out to eat ~Noah

Hello everyone, I figured I might as well post a quick how-to on how I antique brass hardware. Not sure if anyone is interested, but it can't hurt, right? This is how I turned this: Into this (forgive the crappy photography): Here are my steps: Scrub the surface of the hardware with steel wool until it has a dull shine Pour vinegar into a container--enough to cover the bottom Suspend the hardware above the vinegar (I tied string to the clips and taped the string to the outside of the container) Cover the container with plastic wrap Let sit as a blotchy, dark patina develops When you have reached a patina you like, take the hardware out of the container and dry it off Place hardware on an electric heat source (I used my electric stove on a medium setting) until it begins to darken Remove hardware from heat (use pliers) and quench in mineral oil Clean the oil off the hardware That should give you a nice, somewhat uneven patina, which you can then buff with steel wool in spots that you want to shine like they have some wear. For my Apocalyptic Survivor style hardware, I usually add a bit of a melted texture by smearing wood glue on the surface of the hardware and then heating it over an open flame until it ceases to bubble. ~Noah

As far as I know, they aren't meant to swivel from there--I've always seen them riveted to a piece of leather that is then sewn onto a holster/sheath, or slipped through a slit in a piece of leather and riveted down. ~Noah

Thanks Kate! I know that most of my work is pretty unorthodox, but I feel like it is gaining acceptance--popularity, even . I can only hope I can learn enough, experience enough, and work hard enough to reach your level of quality someday! ~Noah

I don't make anything that would use turn locks, but from what I've seen and heard, that is just a limitation of the prong construction. If you can modify it to use rivets, or find a new one that uses rivets, that would work a lot better, I would think. ~Noah

Thanks! The rivets in the dangler sheath are recessed and covered with a piece of leather, and the belt clip sheath is lined with another full layer of leather. I use horsehide exclusively, and for several reasons, some of which will get me flamed on here, so I won't go into them. Suffice it to say that it is tough and I like it ~Noah

These were both made for knives made by John of JK Handmade Knives out of 7-9oz horsehide leather: Pocket Sheath: Dangler Sheath: Thanks for looking! ~Noah

Actually, if you use the Search function here on the forum, and browse through the Holsters section and Belts section, this has been discussed various times. You will find all sorts of different methods of making cartridge loops, from being woven over the cartridges through slots on either side, to making loops through a single slot beneath the cartridge, to just simply sewing the loops. ~Noah

Answer #1 - Blank Carbon Copy, or BCC, allows you to send an e-mail to multiple people without them seeing each other on the list. To send e-mails to people in this manner, click Create Mail to start a new message, and click the To: button. That will bring up the Select Recipients window, and you will have your Contacts listed in there, as well as boxes for To:, CC:, and BCC:. You will want to put the e-mail addresses in the BCC: box Answer #2 - Outlook Express does not include a Junk Mail feature. You can block people who send you Junk Mail, though, by selecting an e-mail they have sent you, then clicking on Message in your menu and clicking on Block Sender. I hope that was simple enough to be helpful! ~Noah

Thank you! The horsehide is untreated veg-tan, so it doesn't have any waxes or oils in it, but it is very dense by nature, so it is tough to get it to take dye (and vinegaroon, even) evenly. Thanks! ~Noah

Thanks! Aw, crap! The sad part is that I did wipe all the smudges off that buckle--I must've readjusted it after doing that and my greasy fingers did it. Do'h! Thanks, though, haha ~Noah

Hello everyone, I just finished this belt for a customer out of 8-9oz horsehide, blackened with "vinegaroon" (ferric acetate), heavily oiled with extra virgin olive oil, and given a light coat of Leather Balm with Atom Wax. Thanks for looking! ~Noah

Are you seeing the fading throughout the piece of leather, or is it getting a "veiny" look to it where it is fading? My horsehide may lighten some with buffing, but not enough to notice, and if it did, I would just give it a second coat of dye. That "veiny" look, however, does tend to happen on all of the horsehide I have used--they are natural defects and stretch marks that don't take dye as well as the surrounding leather, so unless you dye heavily with a dark color, they show up slightly lighter, and I like the look, personally. ~Noah

Thanks guys! My next couple projects will be sheaths, so I figured I should post something up to break the monotony, and this came along at a good time. Hopefully the customer likes it, too! ~Noah

Hello everyone, I just finished this matching collar and short lead (45" leash) for a lady in my apartment complex who pulled me aside and asked where I bought my dog's collar . It is made of 7-9oz horsehide leather, dyed with Cordovan dye, and made to fit a fluffy golden retriever. Thanks for looking! ~Noah

I know very little about handguns or concealed carry, but I really like how you integrated the belt loops into the reinforcing band--very cool! ~Noah

Hello Everyone, This is a sheath I just finished for a knife made by Ray Laconico. It is a high-ride Apocalyptic Survivor style sheath with a locking welt, made of 7-9oz horsehide and hand-stitched with hemp thread. Thanks for looking! ~Noah

Well, I have a "pattern" of sorts that I adapted from something posted up on here a while back for a hunting harness. It doesn't have a front plate like that, though, because it is a single strap turned into a harness. I'm going to make a new one for my dog (he has gotten too chubby for the one I made originally) so I may do that soon and get some pictures up, or at least pictures of the one he currently has. I'll be interested to see what sorts of harnesses and harness patterns end up in this thread. ~Noah

Sno-Seal is slightly off-white in color, and has a consistency somewhere between petroleum jelly and creamy frosting. You rub it into warm leather, and I use a hair drier to help it absorb in, and it does a fantastic job on my sheaths. I believe it is a mix of various manmade waxes, and some oils, but I don't have the container in front of me at the moment. ~Noah