Dodge City holster

[Johnny McCrae]

Howdy Pards.

Just want to say that there has been some beautiful work posted on this topic. Thank you all for sharing your work and your thoughts. I'm very proud to be a part of this!

[crossdraw]

Thought maybe I was gonna be needin' advice on how to go about gettin' permission.

Its been said "its easier to beg for forgiveness than it is for permission"   I used to apply this theory until she figured it out 

[Dalton Masterson]

Crossdraw, get her shooting too!
10Wolves, those are great!!
Lets think it out here. A cowboy won a good poker hand and had the local saddlery make him a new holster for the Colt that was thrown into the pot! That is probably much more authentic being an unmatched pair than we think.
I really do like it! DM

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[Ace Lungger]

As we have talked about these AWESOME Dodge city Hosters, and we noticed that o Pard TW, didn't carve the same pattern on both holters! But you can get away with that, because no one can see both sides at once!!
 That's brings up a question for me to ask, where can you cross the line, I think style of holsters need to match the belt or visa versa! So what do you all think, if you have put a border on the belt, do you not want to keep that border on your holsters?
now some holsters don't have any stamping, carving or anything ! But i would think to tie the holsters to the belt if stamping or carving is used, should they not be the same!

 Feel free Pards to jump in here, i sure would like to hear what you alll thoughts are on this?

 ACE

[HorsePen Henry]

Howdy Ace,

I'm working on another holster with the same pattern as the one I posted yesterday but stamped a little different but with the same design overall. The holsters are for a Remmy and a Colt which are both cap and ball revolvers but the belt will have 44-40 cartridge loops on it to feed my Winchester rifle. The belt will have some of the same stamps but another design yet with the addition of brass spots. I am mixing it up on purpose but it will still look nice together I think. The belt I will also use for my 44-40 Colt when I carry that with the Winchester. The Holster for that revolver will be a little different than the two cap and ball pistols. I think all four units will look alright together for whichever pistols I decide to carry that day. The pistols will have there own holsters each but will be used with the same belt. It just depends on what ya like and what you are trying to get done, I guess. Some folks may like everything matchin' but it ain't my style for me myself.

Cheers,

X Horse Pen

[Ace Lungger]

HP, That is what I wanted you to say, that is how we find why each of us do what we do. For self, and I am the least experenced here the more I find out, I hope the less mistakes i make! It like the other post I started, I think we all take a little design from something we have seen!!
 Andd then make our own rendestion of it! My new propject is the slowest of any I have have work on so far, i want to fine tune my skills, and the only mway for me is to slow down and ask more questions!
 Now I think that a Holster belt, has to flow with the holster! I have been trying to buy a pair of napkin holders for my Pompell rig, but I have been out bit on every set I liked! I am not going to give $25.00 for somrthing that might not fit! So in my bordem, i cut out my belt and i had bought a proto type barb wire stamp set of ebay, and stamped the top and bottom of the belt. On my holster I want to use a double border, so i spent the morning stamping 6" long strips with differnt stamps, trying to decide what will flow with the rest. i like flowers and rosettes, i had been looking at plin napkin holders with a little floral scrolling, if I have no luck, I have some 20 ga alumiun, that I will make me a pattern out of a cut up pepsi can, i will mark it, and find me a lite flat floral patter, and take my pieces of Alumiun, and have a lazer engraver litely engave my pieces.

I hope that some one else plus you HP, jumps in and tell me there thoughts!
ACE

[Black Powder]

My choice was to go with two unmatched holsters for two unmatched side arms.  I ordered a slim Jim for my 60 Army and a double loop for the SAA.  Neither have the same border pattern.  I asked the maker to not exactly match them in finish either.  I figure my impression is one of a guy that bought a new holster and belt to accomodate his .45 and just moved the slim Jim from RH strong side to RH X-draw.  So I kinda want the slim Jim to look older.  I may have to weather it.

Neither have arrived and we're going on 12 weeks, but no money tied up and the maker has been in touch.  But I am gettin' anxious!

BP

[Ace Lungger]

AWesome Black Powder, see that is what i am wanting to here, for my personal dressing if i ever get to go shoot. I older gentleman gave me a couple old cowboy hats, both brown, and i have a black outfit and a brown one. I dyed the best one black and it doesn't look to bad. Know the other one vwas smaked down, i soaked it in hot water, i dryed it and i steam the rim flat, couldn't get the crush out, now you got to understand that this hat is ugley.I have allways wanted a flat top hat like clint eastwood wore in Hang Um High, but to get one that looks like it is orginal is $249.00 So I was sitting out in my shop, one day last week looking at that ugly hat, and thought now if I was a cowboy in the 1800's and i got a hole shot in the top or poked a hole in the top, i would go spend a week wages to buy a new hate i would just fix that one! So I took my ruler, and i measure 3" up from the rim all the way around and I cut it off, then i had a piece of sueded and cut it to fit in the the top and sewed it in, then I tokk the extra I had cut off and made 2 - 1/2" strips and contact cemented them around the top like a border, the inside of the top looks like i been sweating up a storm, it still ugle, but not near as ugle as it was.
ACE

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

Howdy Boys

        With this discussion, if you really want to get down to it , back in the day, the saddle maker or store keeper , didn't have a lot of the beautiful rigs we see here in the forum , what they did have was mastly plane untooled or even stamped gun belts, either in a money belt form or ranger, or just a plane leather belt , most of the fancy tooling ,stamping, nickle or brass spots , were put on the holsters, the average pard would go to the saddler or store , and pick out the holster he wanted , either a size small , medium or large, thats the only way they came back then, and they didn't have rolled over lips on the bucket to make holstering and reholstering easier, they were just holsters, becauce of the way the Mexican loop was easy to pull apart, it was easy for cowpocks to dress them up a little , by adding Silver Conchos or nickle or brass spots, the money belts of the time were made of thin 4/5 ounce leather, and it was too easy to do damage to the leather if one was to tool or try to stamp the leather, so they for the most part just left them plane, and alot of the leather wasn't dyed either , they had dark leather holsters and gun belts that were made out of dark russet skirting , which made some beautiful browns back then, I know my Grandads money belt was of dark russet pebble grain leather, and as old as it was it was still beautiful. So you can see, back then in the day, it was pretty much mix and match , so I don't think any of us have to worry about being too perfect, it's also ok to mix and match with your colors , you could put dark brown holsters on a medium or light brown belt , and i think that really looks nice, i've even seen black holsters on a dark brown to medium brown belt, and that looked great , like Ace said, and we all know Ace is a deep thinker ,( you have to think outside the box ), I love that, AND IT REALLY IS TRUE , use your imagination, and like I said ( we don't live in a perfect world, and either did they ) ( IMHO ) NUF SAID 


                                                             tEN wOLVES 

[Marshal Will Wingam]

I shot with a pard that had similar but mismatched holsters. They were the same pattern but different design on each. The color was even slightly off on all the pieces. He really looked like he'd picked the stuff up when he could from different places. His is probably one of the more historically correct rigs I've seen.

[Black Powder]

Bring back the days of mixing stripes and plaids! 

Ace, with your willingness to tackle an ugly hat the way you did, you should feel more than comfortable in doing whatever you want regarding your holsters.  Or anything else for that matter!

But Ace, a couple things concern me:

• You do realize that it took years to get that hat crushed just perfect to begin with... 
• "...if i ever get to go shoot..." just sounds particularly distressing.  Hope you get to real soon.

BP

[Ace Lungger]

Thanks B.P.,
 There isn't anything in this world I have been afraid of doing, except Trying to carve leather, I got a stencil layyed out on a spur strap, I just need to make me some modeling tools, and watch Chuck's DVD again and then I am going to give it a go! I am kinda scared to wear that HAT at the First shoot, I can't run, so if they decide to take from me, there isn't anything I can do Maybe wait till the third shoot so i can get to know these guys and ease into the fact that I will be wearing a Top Notch Hat, and then I can kinda feel them out
  ACE

[Black Powder]

Nobody makes fun of a man's hat, let alone touch it!

You're good to go.  Tell 'em I said so.

BP

[Ace Lungger]

You got B.P
 Mostly, because i will be the envy of the event, there is no doubt i will win the match Those other Pards that i will be shooting with will be thinking so hard on how they can buy or trade me out of that BABY they won't be able to kit anything I have wondered my whole life what my calling is, and I might have just found it, Custom Hats  by ACE Lungger
Those suckers with those $249.00 hats ain't got nothing on me!!!
 Later
ACE

[santee]

Yeah, the hats for our interests run kinda pricey. I bought a Boss of the Plains last year and had to settle for wool because the beaver felt was too much for my wallet.

[HorsePen Henry]

How theheck is a cowboy supposed to buy his gear on cowboy wages nowadays anyway? I could just shoot John Travolta and his mechanical bullridin' movie. The price a boots and hats has gone up ever since. LOL!!!

Hey Ace, show us yer hat!! I wanna see. I promise I won't laugh.

X Horse Pen

[Marshal Will Wingam]

I second the request for a pic of the hat. I think that's something we all need to see. We may even need a thread devoted to photos of leatherworkers. Like, "Just who are these people, anyway?"   We'd have to keep it clean, though, and that may not be any fun.

But, the hat..... it's a good idea.

[HorsePen Henry]

Well Marshall...I promised 'im I wouldn't laugh but I never said I wouldn't snicker. I git snickered at some and I jist snicker right along with 'em...So Ace, where's the hat Pard?

X Horse Pen

[Black Powder]

Yeah, the hats for our interests run kinda pricey. I bought a Boss of the Plains last year and had to settle for wool because the beaver felt was too much for my wallet.

I agree.  Heck, the darn '73 44-40 is gonna set me back a grand...

But I've narrowed my hat choices to these two vendors, which I found recomended here, that are reasonably priced:
http://www.benderhats.com/hats1.html
http://www.clearwaterhats.com/oldwest1.htm