Horsewright
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2011
- Messages
- 13,479
Last Monday we received a FB message inviting us to an event to be a vendor. What was different was this wasn't a cowboy type show, this was a shooting competition. It was being put on by Advanced Personal Protection a CCW and pistol shooting instruction outfit. Nichole had taken a couple of classes from them and was very impressed with their instruction. Several of the instructors have the IWB holsters that she makes and that was the connection and the reason for the invite. Problem was it was pretty short notice as the event was on Saturday. I was working on the post heat treat grinding of a batch of knives when she came out and told me about the invite and said whadya think? We're gun folks and make a lot of holsters so figured what the heck. Problem was didn't have a lot of stock built up to take. A lot of the stock we did have of course wouldn't have been applicable. Didn't figure we'd sell many pairs of leggings or spur straps as this was a run and shoot deal not a cowboy action event. So of course we had a pretty good supply of what we wouldn't take and not a very good supply of what we needed. The knife front (always a mainstay in sales for us) was dismal too. Had a big batch at heat treat and the batch I was working on were all orders so I didn't have any knives to make. Only had a handful to take. So we made the decision to go and that meant had to get busy in the shop.
So we had a holster marathon. I had quite a few holster orders that were coming up too so did most of them at the same time. Here's a few pics of some of what we got done.
And to paraphrase Matthew Quiqley in Quiqley Down Under: I never said I didn't dye leather I said I don't like to dye leather. This one is part of a fellow BF member's order so didn't go to the show.
Nichole was busy inside making card wallets, IWB holster, CCW purses and Tally Books. Even when you're pulling a marathon like this you've got to keep plugging along on your orders. We'd done a trade with a local ranch manager. He'd brought me a bunch of elk sheds for handle materials. What did he want in trade? He wanted to further my horizons further. I have made many hundreds of pairs of cowboy leggings; chinks, shotgun chaps, armitas and charmitas. But there are two kinds I've never made. Batwing chaps and Arizona Bells. He's an Arizona Bells kind of guy (does have a pair of my chinks though for real hot weather) and he wanted me to make his son a pair of Arizona Bells for the trade. Here I go gettign pushed out of my comfort zone again. So he left me a pair he had to kinda make a pattern from.
I took them apart and laid em out on the bench:
These are made from boarhide and are stiff but hell for stout on turning brush. You can see the newspapers taped together in the background on the otherside of the bench. I was gonna make a paper pattern from these for the boy's pair. Problem is the boy is only two. So I was guesstimating on the pattern from looking at dad's pair and then looking at the boy's measurements and trying to translate that down in proportion. I had his mom run him up once I had a paper pattern cause I wanted to check that on him before I cust leather. Good thing cause I'd missed by a couple of inches on one part. Quick adjustment to the pattern and we were golden. So making holsters through the day and working on these at night. A further challenge was that one leg had a patch pocket on it which was no biggie done hundreds but the other leg had what is called a mitten pocket and I'd never done one of those. Good thing I had dad's to look at. Just like dad's:
This is the mitten pocket side and the patch pocket side:
We nailed it. Ya always keep your fingers crossed that a pair of leggings is gonna fit right. Little Wyatt rocking his AZ Bells:
Nichole and his mom taking him for a ride on Lil Man one of Nichole's horses. He'd already fallen off his horse earlier in the day (the abrasion on his cheek), so they were being extra careful.
So got that taken care of phew.. and back to the show. Night before ya try to get everything priced that isn't:
So Sat morning comes and we drive on down to the show. They want us there at 7am and its an hour and half drive so we get up at zero dark thirty, feed ponies and get ready to go. The shoot is being held at the Shafter (small city to the north west of Bakersfield) Police Range. Got there and got set up.
Didn't take the whole booth as again didn't feel we should take a lot of the cowboy stuff so we just took what we thought might be appropriate for the crowd.
Vendor's row:
Congressman Kevin McCarthy was there and gave a little speech, said he was gonna compete next year. Here he's getting filmed by the news.
So all in all a week of new horizons. It was a good little show for us. Didn't make a bunch of money but did make some, enough to make it worthwhile and we'll go back next year. Made lots of contacts outside our normal cowboy world and took quite a few orders.
So we had a holster marathon. I had quite a few holster orders that were coming up too so did most of them at the same time. Here's a few pics of some of what we got done.
And to paraphrase Matthew Quiqley in Quiqley Down Under: I never said I didn't dye leather I said I don't like to dye leather. This one is part of a fellow BF member's order so didn't go to the show.
Nichole was busy inside making card wallets, IWB holster, CCW purses and Tally Books. Even when you're pulling a marathon like this you've got to keep plugging along on your orders. We'd done a trade with a local ranch manager. He'd brought me a bunch of elk sheds for handle materials. What did he want in trade? He wanted to further my horizons further. I have made many hundreds of pairs of cowboy leggings; chinks, shotgun chaps, armitas and charmitas. But there are two kinds I've never made. Batwing chaps and Arizona Bells. He's an Arizona Bells kind of guy (does have a pair of my chinks though for real hot weather) and he wanted me to make his son a pair of Arizona Bells for the trade. Here I go gettign pushed out of my comfort zone again. So he left me a pair he had to kinda make a pattern from.
I took them apart and laid em out on the bench:
These are made from boarhide and are stiff but hell for stout on turning brush. You can see the newspapers taped together in the background on the otherside of the bench. I was gonna make a paper pattern from these for the boy's pair. Problem is the boy is only two. So I was guesstimating on the pattern from looking at dad's pair and then looking at the boy's measurements and trying to translate that down in proportion. I had his mom run him up once I had a paper pattern cause I wanted to check that on him before I cust leather. Good thing cause I'd missed by a couple of inches on one part. Quick adjustment to the pattern and we were golden. So making holsters through the day and working on these at night. A further challenge was that one leg had a patch pocket on it which was no biggie done hundreds but the other leg had what is called a mitten pocket and I'd never done one of those. Good thing I had dad's to look at. Just like dad's:
This is the mitten pocket side and the patch pocket side:
We nailed it. Ya always keep your fingers crossed that a pair of leggings is gonna fit right. Little Wyatt rocking his AZ Bells:
Nichole and his mom taking him for a ride on Lil Man one of Nichole's horses. He'd already fallen off his horse earlier in the day (the abrasion on his cheek), so they were being extra careful.
So got that taken care of phew.. and back to the show. Night before ya try to get everything priced that isn't:
So Sat morning comes and we drive on down to the show. They want us there at 7am and its an hour and half drive so we get up at zero dark thirty, feed ponies and get ready to go. The shoot is being held at the Shafter (small city to the north west of Bakersfield) Police Range. Got there and got set up.
Didn't take the whole booth as again didn't feel we should take a lot of the cowboy stuff so we just took what we thought might be appropriate for the crowd.
Vendor's row:
Congressman Kevin McCarthy was there and gave a little speech, said he was gonna compete next year. Here he's getting filmed by the news.
So all in all a week of new horizons. It was a good little show for us. Didn't make a bunch of money but did make some, enough to make it worthwhile and we'll go back next year. Made lots of contacts outside our normal cowboy world and took quite a few orders.
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