Buffalo Cartridge Rifle Belt Project

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Hi,

I had already posted this on the Leatherworking Forum, but realized that it would have more interest here ...

I am building a leather and 'canvas' .45-70 cartridge belt. I found some 2" cotton/polypro webbing that lasts longer and looks exactly like the all cotton canvas. Since the Gov't .45-70 and 'Fairweather Christian belts' were approximately synonymous this isn't as big a stretch as it seems ...

Anyway, the inspiration for the belt is an old Duke Nukem belt that he put up:




I added a 'courier bag' from October Country to hold all those anachronisms we can't seem to do without ... wallet, cell phone, etc. BTW, the black rectangle on the fuzzy pic is my tri-fold ballistic cloth wallet (to give it a little scale):



Then I plan to add two matching 'indian' style sheaths ... the first is to hold the 10 3/4 inch bladed Green River Butcher (on the right); and a much smaller and older matching 5 3/4 inch bladed mini- butcher on the left (before or after the pouch)....

[Tascosa Joe]

Skip:
That is pretty cool.  I picked up an old I. Wilson at NCOS Convention 2 years ago and an I. Wilson steel off ebay to go with my stuff.

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Skip:
That is pretty cool.  I picked up an old I. Wilson at NCOS Convention 2 years ago and an I. Wilson steel off ebay to go with my stuff.
[/quote

Tascosa Joe,

I don't think I. Wilsons made it out to California in any numbers ... so the Green River is a blade that I picked up at Crazy Crow and had Big T put on some stag scales... but then that looked too new and pretty so I dyed the scales with wolnut dye and now they look the part ... When I got the knife back from Big T he also sent me another that is a doppleganger for the blade of the big butcher, but has a more manageable 5 1/2 Inch blade ... so I will also make a sheath that will fit and put it nest to the pouch on my left ... I was given enough leather to make both sheaths ... after I cut them I am going to dye them in the same walnut stain so that everything should come close to matching ... the belt has already been dyed in it ....

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[WaddWatsonEllis]

Tascosa Joe,

The smaller knife reads SHAPELEIGH's HAMMER FORGE 1843 probably has far more worth than the larger one ... LOL

TTFN,

[Tascosa Joe]

Cool

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Update,

Chck Burrows has been kind enough to decorate the medallions of the chape and tongue ... I got within about a foot of the loops being done ... I feel like I have plenty of time while waiting for the Chape and tongue ...

Then once they are done, I have a saddle-making acquaintance that is going to 1.) sew both the chape and tongue on, then 2.) glue a suede baking on and 3.) edge sew the suede onto the belt ...

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Hi,  

I got within about a 18" of the right side .... I counted the loops and there were thirty of them ... which works out to a day's shooting in the Old West ... and if I shoot that much it is gonna be Ben-Gay time at the house that night ... so I have moved the bag to the right side and will probably go with loops for 30 Rounds ... what say you?

TTFN,

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Hi,

I thought I would put in an update since it has been around three months ...

I finally sent the tongue and chape off to Chuck Burrows, who is doing the stamping on the two of them ....

By the time it got to him, the tongue was cracked ... Chuck said that he had some spare leather and would make me a new tongue ... What a guy!

TTFN,