Horsewright Knives and Leather

[echoscout]

 

[Horsewright]

View attachment 2762416

I see a Sig P365 model in there. Are you able to do a P365XL holster which usuallyy works with both the shorty (3.1" BBL) and the XL (3.7" BBL)? I have an OG shorty and an XL and two OG shorties with the Radian Ranjet Afterburner comp that gives it an XL length slide...

Do you only do on the waistband, or also some IWB? Thanks!

Yes sir we do make IWB holsters too:

Nichole makes these and they are very popular. She sells a lot of these. They are made in several different sizes and I believe she could hook ya up. She carries a 365 herself, IWB.

 

[Horsewright]

Dave.
That is real interesting, thought there might be different sizes.
I had heard of taps but not eagle beak, although had seen them in movies and pictures. You say they add a bit of weight. So you'd remove them for competition?
Oh yeah the red
Thanks for sharing mate appreciate all the knowledge.

So there are three styles of taps that I know of. Monkey nosed taps, bulldog taps and Eagle beak taps are the three. No not so much for the competition. I don’t think the horse notices really. But I do, swinging that heavy saddle with those taps up on the horses back. Thats why I don’t leave them on all the time. I’ve heard some old timers say that the taps help to balance the saddle on the horses back back, less roll. Maybe. Small world. At that big roping above in the pics, there were three competitors that flew in from Australia. They borrowed horses from a friend of mine. Also had competitors from Germany. Don’t know what their horse situation was. Sold em all knives so that was cool.

 

[Horsewright]

View attachment 2762422

Another great pic David!

 

[RLB0414]

Yes sir we do make IWB holsters too:

Nichole makes these and they are very popular. She sells a lot of these. They are made in several different sizes and I believe she could hook ya up. She carries a 365 herself, IWB.

I have one for a Sig 938. Awesome holster. I like the clip gripping my jeans rather than relying on the belt.

 

[Horsewright]

I have one for a Sig 938. Awesome holster. I like the clip gripping my jeans rather than relying on the belt.

Good deal, thanks. Yep those clips really do make a difference. We’ve had many folks tell us that other IWB holsters with the belt clip that they have come out of their pants with the pistol, when the pistol is drawn. Not ours, that clip cams over and grips the material of your pants. Its there till you lift the front part of the clip releasing the gripping action. The holster does not come off your pants when ya draw.

 

[JM2]

View attachment 2762422

Beautiful. I have a question, Is the choil large enough for a finger?

 

[Horsewright]

Beautiful. I have a question, Is the choil large enough for a finger?

Thank you! No it’s not, more of a sharpening choil. However, I like to run the edge partly up into the choil as this example shows. This is a practical deal when feeding a lot of cattle. Years ago I had several guys send me knives not of my making to make my sheaths for them. I forget who the maker was but they all had a very small choil almost a Spanish Notch. I was asking them how they like their knives as they were very nice knives. Most of these guys were from Montana so maybe it was a local maker there. Anyways a couple of the guys told me that that notch would get caught when feeding from a sled on the hay string. One guy told me he literally got pulled off the sled one time. So I’ve always kept that in mind and try to run that edge up a little and also round that choil off enough so string or whatever doesn’t catch.

 

[echoscout]

Thank you! No it’s not, more of a sharpening choil. However, I like to run the edge partly up into the choil as this example shows. This is a practical deal when feeding a lot of cattle. Years ago I had several guys send me knives not of my making to make my sheaths for them. I forget who the maker was but they all had a very small choil almost a Spanish Notch. I was asking them how they like their knives as they were very nice knives. Most of these guys were from Montana so maybe it was a local maker there. Anyways a couple of the guys told me that that notch would get caught when feeding from a sled on the hay string. One guy told me he literally got pulled off the sled one time. So I’ve always kept that in mind and try to run that edge up a little and also round that choil off enough so string or whatever doesn’t catch.

Interesting bit of history there

 

[Horsewright]

Interesting bit of history there

Thank you sir. Get your new one yet?

So sometime back I detailed some of the work involved in cutting out a new batch of knives. I just finished off another step on getting a batch ready to ship off for heat treat. This time I was drilling the tang holes. Here's a few pics of the process.

I mark out the holes with a Sharpie. If the knife is going to have a bolster I will lay it across the brass bar stock that the bolster is made from to mark those holes:

I will generally do all of the same model at one time.

Have a bunch ready to do.

The first step is to use a #30 bit. A lil known fact but a 1/8" pin will NOT go in a 1/8" hole, the holes have to be slightly oversized. So for a 1/8" pin I use a #30 bit and for 1/4" thong tubing I use an F bit. This Cowboy does not have a bolster so it only has one hole towards the front. That hole will be left alone too and stay that size:

I use a counter sink bit to open the holes up. I'll do one side first and then dunk it in water and do the other side. Did ya know that water is a pretty good organic cutting fluid?

Basically it's just repeat till we're done.

This batch of forty one 26C3 high carbon blades left yesterday for heat treat.

 

[adluginb]

Love seeing the process. When I retire one of my bucket list items is to make a couple knives. Definitely be using your posts as a reference.

 

[echoscout]

Thank you sir. Get your new one yet?

Yes sir came in yesterday afternoon. Really like it. Thanks pard

 

[mitch13]

Thank you sir. Get your new one yet?

So sometime back I detailed some of the work involved in cutting out a new batch of knives. I just finished off another step on getting a batch ready to ship off for heat treat. This time I was drilling the tang holes. Here's a few pics of the process.

I mark out the holes with a Sharpie. If the knife is going to have a bolster I will lay it across the brass bar stock that the bolster is made from to mark those holes:

I will generally do all of the same model at one time.

Have a bunch ready to do.

The first step is to use a #30 bit. A lil known fact but a 1/8" pin will NOT go in a 1/8" hole, the holes have to be slightly oversized. So for a 1/8" pin I use a #30 bit and for 1/4" thong tubing I use an F bit. This Cowboy does not have a bolster so it only has one hole towards the front. That hole will be left alone too and stay that size:

I use a counter sink bit to open the holes up. I'll do one side first and then dunk it in water and do the other side. Did ya know that water is a pretty good organic cutting fluid?

Basically it's just repeat till we're done.

This batch of forty one 26C3 high carbon blades left yesterday for heat treat.

That's good.
Thanks for sharing Dave.

 

[ecallahan]

My new Vaquero came in yesterday but I was out of town, nice surprise when I got home today. Love it! Great job!

 

[echoscout]

My new Vaquero came in yesterday but I was out of town, nice surprise when I got home today. Love it! Great job!

Beautiful knife

 

[mitch13]

My new Vaquero came in yesterday but I was out of town, nice surprise when I got home today. Love it! Great job!

Very nice pics too

 

[Horsewright]

Love seeing the process. When I retire one of my bucket list items is to make a couple knives. Definitely be using your posts as a reference.

Good deal and I'm only a phone call away too. Help guys all the time both with knives and leather. Be glad to help.

Yes sir came in yesterday afternoon. Really like it. Thanks pard

View attachment 2768381

Good deal and a great pic too David! You are able to show the details on some of your pics that I have trouble capturing. Like that recent pic of your ironwood Cowboy, you were able to show the chatoyance in the wood that I struggle with. Then the translucence of the Coyote with sheephorn above and the texture of the woolcarta here. Great pics!

That's good.
Thanks for sharing Dave.

You are welcome!

My new Vaquero came in yesterday but I was out of town, nice surprise when I got home today. Love it! Great job!

Good deal glad you like it and thanks! Also great pics!! Very cool!

 

[echoscout]

Good deal and a great pic too David! You are able to show the details on some of your pics that I have trouble capturing. Like that recent pic of your ironwood Cowboy, you were able to show the chatoyance in the wood that I struggle with. Then the translucence of the Coyote with sheephorn above and the texture of the woolcarta here. Great pics!

Thanks buddy

 

[JM2]

Thank you! No it’s not, more of a sharpening choil. However, I like to run the edge partly up into the choil as this example shows. This is a practical deal when feeding a lot of cattle. Years ago I had several guys send me knives not of my making to make my sheaths for them. I forget who the maker was but they all had a very small choil almost a Spanish Notch. I was asking them how they like their knives as they were very nice knives. Most of these guys were from Montana so maybe it was a local maker there. Anyways a couple of the guys told me that that notch would get caught when feeding from a sled on the hay string. One guy told me he literally got pulled off the sled one time. So I’ve always kept that in mind and try to run that edge up a little and also round that choil off enough so string or whatever doesn’t catch.

Thank you for sharing. I see it'd be mighty hard to get your knife caught at the choil

 

[Horsewright]

Thank you for sharing. I see it'd be mighty hard to get your knife caught at the choil

Ya bet! As many of you know Mrs Horsewright is quite an accomplished leather maker too. She makes all our IWB holsters, notebook covers, buckaroo knife pouches and all our bags. She had an idea pop in her head a lil while ago and it came to fruition over a period of some months. She thought of making a purse that used a lot of design elements from a pair of AZ Bell (stepins) chaps. Here's a fancy pair of this style of chaps I made some time ago.

Here's the purse. It lasted overnight on the website:

I thought it was a clever idea. Apparently some cowgirl in Alberta did too.

Was grinding the blades yesterday for a new batch. Time to retire these guys: