looking for 'US' leather stamps

[WolfWalker]

Howdy the camp,
Does anyone know where I can find the 'US' oval leather stamps used on military flap holsters,cap pouches and othe leather gear? Does anyone sell these or make them? Also, what sizes would I need for holsters, pouches, or saddlebags?-Wolfwalker SASS#69874

[Slowhand Bob]

Weaver Leather carries them at $75 (item #65-3050).  Phone #1-800-932-8371.  This is not a stamp that works well with the old mallet!

[Brazos Jack]

I can tell you guys, that from personal experience with it . . . Use a C Clamp!

[WolfWalker]

Wow Brazos, was getting ready to e-mail you(wanted to thank you for putting out some leather makin' books for beginners that aren't 60%percent carving, 5% leather assembly, and another 50% advertisement for certain leather tools that people wish they had(that's too many percentages ).  I hope your new dvd is just as good(getting ready to send out my hidecrafter's order this week).

Anyhow, I've got your 1863 holster pattern(One of only 2 places where I can find instruction on doing toe plugs).  Where do you get your "U.S." and "C.S." stamps(are they the one's from Weaver?  The only problem I have with going through Weaver is I don't have a tax stamp or business liscense to order through them, plus I can't even find the stamps listed on their website.  Any help would be appreciated.

I also saw the write-up Shoot did last issue on your company and really admired the two-tone basket weave holster set and all I could say is"How did he Do that?" .  I guess it's on the order of doing the darker outline on the holster seams you show in your books.

Anyhow, nice to see you're still around(Last time I talked to you on the phone  about the time hide crafter's was releasing your first shoulder holster pattern.  I'm the one from IL that was getting into leatherworking because of getting on too many of the costuming forums that making your own leather gear was too hard and I wanted to prove them wrong, haven't yet but I'm getting there).  Hope to here from you soon.--WolfWalker

[Trailrider]

Howdy, Pards!

One thing to keep in mind, if you are making holsters for CW period (only)...  The 1863 and earlier pattern Federal (Union) holsters were NOT stamped or embossed with the "U.S." in the oval!  That was only applied to them in the post-CW period when the Indian Wars campaigns utilized the CW gear, and the holsters were newly supplied from the arsenal (usually Watervliet or Rock Island) to the troops.  See Edward Scott Meadows, "U.S. Holsters And Pistol Cartridge Boxes".  Later I.W. pattern holsters were stamped in various locations, including the flap or the body of the holster.

Also, early in the CW, Confederate troops used a lot of state militia leather, obtained from the Federal government or from captured equipment.  Therefore, the color of the leather was BLACK, just like the Union leather...because it was!  Later, when/if the Confederacy made their own, they might not have black dye, and so left the leather natural color (which soon darkened) or was impregnated ("stuffed russett") with oil, leaving it brownish.

Officers and enlistedmen on both sides utilized the M1851 Eagle Sword Belt plate, with the silver wreath applied to the belt body. Officers, especially Union, who had the money, wore custom belts, with slightly smaller (1-5/8" vice the enlisted 1-7/8" enlisted) width, and flimsier construction.  Many, however, found the single-thickness 1-7/8" enlisted belts to be more rugged.  Confederate soldiers often had belt plates from their state militias, though SOME "C.S." or "C.S.A." belt plates were used.

Hope this is of interest.

[Slowhand Bob]

Useing the C-clamp as a poor mans press is a neat idea Brazos.  I enjoyed your new video and picked up the new Texas holster patterns and they look good, now to find the time to play with them.  WolfWalker, over the past few years Weaver has been known to drop products unexpectedly from their catalog, including the CS stamp.  A lady on here used to custom order Weaver products for those who were non commercial.  Perhaps someone here will remember her name.

Minnie Aldinger was her name and if you will search some of the older pages you will probly find an email address in her posts.

[Brazos Jack]

WolfWalker,

  Thanks for the "Thumbs Up" on my book. When I sat down to write it, I based all the information on personal experiences from my humble beginnings. The Tools shown in the Tool Section are the ones I use - no more, no less. Knowing that some folks don't have the money to invest into the "Complete Shop," I wanted to show them how to do a lot with very little and to stress the point that the Pattern is 80% of the project. Having no teachers, I spent years figuring this stuff out and want to keep others from having to go through what I did to learn this. I hope I have met that objective.

  Now then, about the US and CS Stamps. After publishing the Civil War Patterns, I sent Hide Crafters a layout of these Oval Stamps, so they can make them for you. (Ain't that a relief!) So, give them a call and discuss the details.

  Ahh, Toe Plugs . . . . the confoundment of many! I recently made arrangements with the LCSJ to do a series of articles on holsters, and I hope to be able to sneek in an article of this subject. Although simple, there are a lot of little details that need to be passed on so the Crafter can get it Right, Tight, and Outta Sight! 

  The Two-Tone Basket Weave is a lot simpler that it looks. Use a lighter dye, (light brown ot saddle tan,) to dye the Weave, then once it sets, Block Dye the surface with the darker Mahogany or Dark Brown. The Block is made from a piece of 1 x 2 pine tightly wrapped in two layers of Cotton Cloth. (A piece of old T Shirt works well.) Apply the darker dye to the cloth with a dauber and then run it lighty over the high spots of the weave. Don't over apply the dye to the block, or it will run down into the low spots. Five minutes of practice on a smaller "practice weave" will get you ready for the big one. When finished, let it dry and then seal with Resolene.

  To quote the Author of the Book of Leather Work: It ain't Rocket Science, it's just Leatherwork!

[WolfWalker]

Thanks, Pards for all the info (especially Trailrider on the Civil War accoutrements, as you answered some other questions I had).  When I really get started leatherworkin',  I've got a few CW and Indian War projects I want to work on, and want to go as historically (instead of hysterically)accurate as possible.

Thanks Slowhand, I was half way figuring that those stamps were probably dropped(I did find a local feed shop that would let me order Weaver stuff through them, but couldn't even find it in their catalog).  I'll either try the lady in question, or I order a lot of my stuff through Hidecrafter's like Brazos mentioned.

Brazos, I hope to see your articles in LCSJ(getting ready to renew my subscription, best money I ever spent, along with your books ) and thanks for the stuff on the two tone basketweave.  The thing is, on my tools, I lucked into them.  I was buying mine like 20-25 bucks at a time(usually buying the ones I didn't need to start).  Then a gentleman in the area that runs almost a mini-flea market found out I was looking for leather tools told me"Come back next week, I've got some I'll sell you.".  Expecting a Tandy beginners kit, he wheeled out a long table, throws off a cloth, with about the whole leather shop(60 some stamps, assembly tools, patterns, craft aids probably a good $1200-1500 bucks worth.).  My price $250 bucks, and he let me pay a little bit at a time.  Took a year due to other constraints, but I did it.  The first thing I did:  I locked up the stamps, and decided to concentrate on the patterns, assembly and the basics first.  Haven't made my first project yet(have a nasty habit of over reasearchin)., getting ready to buy some leather to get started, though.  Hope to have something to show you guys soon.--Thank ye kindly-Wolfwalker

[Brazos Jack]

Looking forward to seeing it!