Packing Iron Book

[daddyeaux]

I have seen you guys mention this book. I have done a little searching and found there are two books with this name and two different authors. Is there one book that is better than the other, is there one author better than the other? The two authors mentioned were, Richard Rattembury and Steve Hayes. I am looking for a good book to guide me on patterns.
Thanks guys.

[St. George]

You'll want to buy Rattenbury's, then.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Irish Dave]

Yep.

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

                  Rattenbury

[Boothill Bob]

Mmmm, its like read porn 

[Andy Rombach]

Hey
Rattenbury is the like the holy bible!!!!

Have a great day
Andy Rombach

[Slowhand Bob]

How many have seen the one by Steve Hayes?  Would like to know its premise, does it deal primarily with modern leather?  Perhaps a check on Amazon.com is in order!

[Long Juan]

Looks like it is a western novel.  http://www.amazon.com/Packing-Iron-Linford-Western-Library/dp/1444807331/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322060245&sr=8-1

[St. George]

Hayes' book is just a paperback Western with a catchy title.

Rattenbury's 'Packing Iron' will show you what original leather looked like, along with the sidearms they carried - you're on your own for pattern-making.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Hayes' book is just a paperback Western with a catchy title.

Rattenbury's 'Packing Iron' will show you what original leather looked like, along with the sidearms they carried - you're on your own for pattern-making.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

I don't find pattern making all that difficult.  Basically I use the procedure set out in the book YEE HAW, which I obtained from Tandy.  Is it time to start a thread on pattern making?

[Slowhand Bob]

Thanks for the inside on the fiction novel, might be a good one iffen I ever get caught up here.

[Massive]

There are a lot of patterns in the Leather Shop.  Too bad they aren't all in one place.  I have done a lot of searches, and still find new stuff now and then.

Will has some good patterns.  And he has them broken down for a lot of different models.  Once you have a pattern, a gun, and a style, melting them together should not be difficult.

[ChuckBurrows]

Yes Packing Iron by Rattenbury is the book to look for along with it's companions by ZON Publishing, Cowboys and the Trappings of the Old West and Cowgirls.

one caveat - While the three books are an excellent compendium of original artifacts and the info about them, they are still but a drop in the ocean of items made during the era. Unfortunately for those who don't have the advantage of getting to view much of the stuff in museums or private collections there isn't very other much well documented books or other info available.
Books like "The Peacemakers", "Cowboy and Gunfighter Collectibles" , and the several collectors books on western and cowboy antiques are additional good sources for examples of artifacts from the era. Then there are the museum webites and the auction house websites, such as Cowans, Gary Hendershott, Butterfields, etc. that allow one to view many artifacts that will most likely never appear outside of those resources and so are very worthwhile to research. The only caveat I have is Nif you are serious about producing dcoumented items than IMO NEVER take anything at face value, always cross reference with as many sources as possible just to "make sure".

[Drayton Calhoun]

Had to order Packing Iron, supposed to be in Friday...just twiddling my thumbs til then!

[Deadeye Don]

Had to order Packing Iron, supposed to be in Friday...just twiddling my thumbs til then!

I thought it was out of print.  Did you buy a used one and just for kicks what did you have to pay for it?

[joec]

I thought it was out of print.  Did you buy a used one and just for kicks what did you have to pay for it?

I just got a copy new from Amazon for $30 with free shipping that day only. I've been really enjoying it too I might add. I will probably get the Cowboys & the Trappings..., and I Can Tell from Your Outfit... The seem to push the 3 books together.

[Trailrider]

"Packing Iron" by Rattenbury is a topnotch book. The only caveat I offer about it is that is generally shows the top quality, survived leather, much of which is carved/stamped.  This is due to the fact that this is the best quality leather which has been cared-for and preserved.  Probably the majority of leather used in the West was cheap mail-order stuff that was plain-jane, and of much lower quality.  The ordinary ones I've encountered were made of rather thin leather...6-7 oz (6/64- 7/64" thick), rather than the more ornate ones of 8-9 oz or even heavier.  Most of the former just didn't hold up, which is why we don't see that many of them, and they don't make the pages of many publications for the reason that they simply don't exist anymore.  Just keep that in mind.  Just sayin'...

[Drayton Calhoun]

Ordered it through Books A Million, forty-two bucks. Supposed to be here the 16th which it is now.

[joec]

"Packing Iron" by Rattenbury is a topnotch book. The only caveat I offer about it is that is generally shows the top quality, survived leather, much of which is carved/stamped.  This is due to the fact that this is the best quality leather which has been cared-for and preserved.  Probably the majority of leather used in the West was cheap mail-order stuff that was plain-jane, and of much lower quality.  The ordinary ones I've encountered were made of rather thin leather...6-7 oz (6/64- 7/64" thick), rather than the more ornate ones of 8-9 oz or even heavier.  Most of the former just didn't hold up, which is why we don't see that many of them, and they don't make the pages of many publications for the reason that they simply don't exist anymore.  Just keep that in mind.  Just sayin'...

I tend to agree. Some of the military gear shows some real wear on it.

[Drayton Calhoun]

Well, I am now officially in trouble...picked up the book and now the wheels are turning! LOL I'm gonna need more leather...