Rustwa Report post Posted May 21, 2019 I am looking to make a set of chinks for cowboy action shooting and could use an education. I only play a cowboy on the weekends and even then it's mostly robbing trains and shooting up saloons. I have zero experience with chaps or chinks that a cowhand would wear. I have looked at the Tandy pattern pack and it's probably good enough for what I need but I'm not thrilled with how they attach the back strap between the yokes and the side panel detail is a bit different than some of the images I see online. I could go on and on with questions but I'll start with just one. 1.) Is there a good book on chaps, chinks, history, styles, regional variation, construction, ect.? Or any other must have resource (other than an actual pair of chaps/chinks) that I should be digesting? I see the pinned thread in this section about a video on chinks and the other pattern is klenda I see used with frequent success. My issue really isn't the pattern although that will be an issue but more so how the chinks fasten around the leg and waist. I see many different techniques and so I figure there must be some reason. I'm not a stickler for historic accuracy in my costume but do make some effort to be within the realm of possibility for what might have been seen in the 1890s although that's not a deal breaker. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rockoboy Report post Posted May 22, 2019 No other suggestions coming through, so I will give an uneducated opinion. 2 thoughts come to mind. First, see if you can get some information from pics on here. Second, the cheap kids toy set of chaps that my son plays with, has got a belt with the chaps hanging off it and small straps to go around the leg below the knee. Not really difficult to imagine. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fredk Report post Posted May 22, 2019 On 5/21/2019 at 4:59 AM, Rustwa said: 1.) Is there a good book on chaps, chinks, history, styles, regional variation, construction, ect.? Or any other must have resource (other than an actual pair of chaps/chinks) that I should be digesting? Nothing that I've come across Over the last couple of years I've been lightly researching what 1800s Westerner's wore; items such as chaps, shirts, trousers, vests. I've not come across any single book on either these together or individually. I have now accumulated about 30 books on various aspects of Western life, simply to get the photos within those books. One thing I've not done this time but I did do when researching Medieval clothing and accessories was to contact museums. I contacted them for brochures and postcard pictures of items in their collections. In a few cases the museums had books produced by archaeologists, very specialised books and very expensive [3 books from Dublin museum were over £50 each] and not normally available to anyone outside of academia. Thus I'd advise you to contact the very numerous museums throughout the Mid-West and ask for copies of their hand-out brochures and postcard photos of items. If you go to 'True West' website they often have details on some of the museums and what their collections consist. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dwight Report post Posted May 22, 2019 (edited) On 5/20/2019 at 11:59 PM, Rustwa said: I am looking to make a set of chinks for cowboy action shooting and could use an education. I only play a cowboy on the weekends and even then it's mostly robbing trains and shooting up saloons. I have zero experience with chaps or chinks that a cowhand would wear. I have looked at the Tandy pattern pack and it's probably good enough for what I need but I'm not thrilled with how they attach the back strap between the yokes and the side panel detail is a bit different than some of the images I see online. I could go on and on with questions but I'll start with just one. 1.) Is there a good book on chaps, chinks, history, styles, regional variation, construction, ect.? Or any other must have resource (other than an actual pair of chaps/chinks) that I should be digesting? I see the pinned thread in this section about a video on chinks and the other pattern is klenda I see used with frequent success. My issue really isn't the pattern although that will be an issue but more so how the chinks fasten around the leg and waist. I see many different techniques and so I figure there must be some reason. I'm not a stickler for historic accuracy in my costume but do make some effort to be within the realm of possibility for what might have been seen in the 1890s although that's not a deal breaker. Hey, "Pardner", . . . chinks and chaps are not that hard to make, . . . believe me. I'm about 120 miles southeast of you, . . . down by Marion, Ohio, . . . and I have the patterns for basically both here. They may have to be modified for your height and/or weight, . . . but I'm sure we could make something work. OR, . . . if you want to mosey this way, . . . we can set up an afternoon or evening of leather cutting, . . . get you something you can use. Do you have a machine that will sew 12 to 14 oz leather?? May God bless, Dwight Edited May 22, 2019 by Dwight Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rustwa Report post Posted May 22, 2019 Wow! This site always comes through. Thanks for the replies. I'm glad to hear that I'm not alone in finding archival patterns from the period easily accessible on the internet. I plan on doing some museum hunting this winter for this topic and some other cowboy era stuff. Dwight, those are good looking chaps. Ild be a fool not to take you up on that offer but it's tough to get away right now with overtime at work and near 300 acres unplanted with all the rain we've had. My leather hobby gets about 15 minutes a night and to answer your question I don't own a machine but my hand stitching quality is decent allbeit slow. When winter rolls around I'll have more time to venture out. I'm trying to get a pair of chinks made up to finish my costume for classic cowboy for the state shoot in July. I ordered some chap suede today and I'll have to work out how I'm going to fasten the back belt to the yokes and whether or not to use a buckle in the back. My intuition tells me to go without a buckle because I already have a pistol belt and then the shotgun belt above that. Ill keep posting what I come up with. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MikeRock Report post Posted May 23, 2019 (edited) This will show the way.... http://www.cowboyway.com/What/WhatAreChinks.htm https://www.americancowboy.com/people/types-chaps-28214 Edited May 23, 2019 by MikeRock another site Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Big Sioux Saddlery Report post Posted May 23, 2019 I believe there are videos and patterns available from: https://www.cowcampsaddlery.com/howtodvdsandpattern.htm I've not seen them, since I had my patterns established years before these came on the market, but I know a lot of new makers use the above mentioned resources. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
