Comprehensivist
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2008
- Messages
- 3,136
I want to give a big shout out for John’s belt crafting skills. My wife Melissa and I were the lucky recipients of the three belts he has recently been discussing and posting pictures of in this thread.
I gave her the honors of opening the box. She was immediately impressed with the rich feel of the leather and water buffalo material as she admired how detailed the gunslinger layout is and how precise all the stitching is. Some added swag and a personalized thank you card from John included in the box was a very nice touch.
Melissa’s belt is the 1-1/4” one on the left with natural brown water buffalo overlay. The other two are mine. They are 1-1/2” wide with one in black and the other in natural brown water buffalo. Her shorter belt has seven oval holes while mine longer ones have 9 holes.
John’s recommended measuring instructions are great. Follow them to the letter and you will receive a perfect fitting belt. All three of ours are spot on with a perfect fit with the buckle pin in the center hole. This allows plenty of adjustment room for seasonal weight changes and/or more or less gear on the belt per the day’s carry requirements.
The gunslinger stitch pattern is extremely well executed on all of these. This feature gives the belts a classic look that separates John’s work from other simpler custom belts out there.
It appears the oval holes are a somewhat unpopular topic with the leather working folks who have commented above due to the difficulty lining them up correctly. From a buyer’s perspective, this is a feature I much appreciate for ease of adjusting the fit as the buckle pin slips through the oval hole without having to over tighten the belt and look down to find a smaller round hole to poke the pin through. In my experience, round holes that are commonly used on belts quickly become oval from wear distortion. This wear leads to a mix of round and oval holes over time that looks odd vs. just starting with all oval holes that look consistent for a longer lifespan.
The bottom line for me is that the gunslinger stitching and oval holes are features I appreciate and am willing to pay more for.
Our need for ordering belts started when Melissa scored the last slot for one of the ten Cowbells available last year. She got the bone linen one shown below. When it arrived, I was shocked to learn that she didn’t own an appropriate belt to securely carry it on. My older belts were were getting long in the tooth, so I planted the seed with John that we were interested in getting on his list when he had time.
Now that the belts are here, Melissa determined that she prefers the cross-draw carry option with her Cowbell.
Even though natural brown belts are generally more my thing, I ordered one in black to better match my two black carry pistols & holsters.
Melissa and I are thrilled with how these turned out. Everything about these belts from materials to layout and execution is first class. We have no constructive criticism to offer to make them any better. You are a master belt maker John!
The only “wish list” suggestion I will throw out for your consideration is possibly offering the option on future Cowbell sheaths to add a water buffalo overlay to match the belt. We love the look and feel of this leather.
A couple years ago I had Dave Ferry
Horsewright
make me a custom sheath and rifle sling with water buffalo overlays. Cool stuff and very durable. I hope you mind my posting a picture of his sheath on your belt since he is a regular contributor around here and a damned fine gentleman to boot.
Thanks again John! You are a hoot and always a pleasure to deal with. We will add more pictures here and there down the road to continue to promote your work.
Best regards,
Phil & Melissa
I gave her the honors of opening the box. She was immediately impressed with the rich feel of the leather and water buffalo material as she admired how detailed the gunslinger layout is and how precise all the stitching is. Some added swag and a personalized thank you card from John included in the box was a very nice touch.
Melissa’s belt is the 1-1/4” one on the left with natural brown water buffalo overlay. The other two are mine. They are 1-1/2” wide with one in black and the other in natural brown water buffalo. Her shorter belt has seven oval holes while mine longer ones have 9 holes.
John’s recommended measuring instructions are great. Follow them to the letter and you will receive a perfect fitting belt. All three of ours are spot on with a perfect fit with the buckle pin in the center hole. This allows plenty of adjustment room for seasonal weight changes and/or more or less gear on the belt per the day’s carry requirements.
The gunslinger stitch pattern is extremely well executed on all of these. This feature gives the belts a classic look that separates John’s work from other simpler custom belts out there.
It appears the oval holes are a somewhat unpopular topic with the leather working folks who have commented above due to the difficulty lining them up correctly. From a buyer’s perspective, this is a feature I much appreciate for ease of adjusting the fit as the buckle pin slips through the oval hole without having to over tighten the belt and look down to find a smaller round hole to poke the pin through. In my experience, round holes that are commonly used on belts quickly become oval from wear distortion. This wear leads to a mix of round and oval holes over time that looks odd vs. just starting with all oval holes that look consistent for a longer lifespan.
The bottom line for me is that the gunslinger stitching and oval holes are features I appreciate and am willing to pay more for.
Our need for ordering belts started when Melissa scored the last slot for one of the ten Cowbells available last year. She got the bone linen one shown below. When it arrived, I was shocked to learn that she didn’t own an appropriate belt to securely carry it on. My older belts were were getting long in the tooth, so I planted the seed with John that we were interested in getting on his list when he had time.
Now that the belts are here, Melissa determined that she prefers the cross-draw carry option with her Cowbell.
Even though natural brown belts are generally more my thing, I ordered one in black to better match my two black carry pistols & holsters.
Melissa and I are thrilled with how these turned out. Everything about these belts from materials to layout and execution is first class. We have no constructive criticism to offer to make them any better. You are a master belt maker John!
The only “wish list” suggestion I will throw out for your consideration is possibly offering the option on future Cowbell sheaths to add a water buffalo overlay to match the belt. We love the look and feel of this leather.
A couple years ago I had Dave Ferry
Horsewright
make me a custom sheath and rifle sling with water buffalo overlays. Cool stuff and very durable. I hope you mind my posting a picture of his sheath on your belt since he is a regular contributor around here and a damned fine gentleman to boot.
Thanks again John! You are a hoot and always a pleasure to deal with. We will add more pictures here and there down the road to continue to promote your work.
Best regards,
Phil & Melissa
Josh.
username lol.
). Not laser perfect but working out good so far. A light pencil line down the center for the end of the wire to align on.
