Cowboy

A Saturday evening wallet.

Posted on February 9, 2021 by akadventurer

A couple hours project from last weekend.

What I’ve been using a few years(not that I’ve carried it much for a bit over a year, using metal card cases instead);

That blue thread is my favorite braided 20# ice fishing line. Great to sew with, strong, blends in on most things, but a nice(I think) contrast on others.

Don’t use cash much anymore with Covid, but I fold a few bills inside this one, its just a touch too thick to have them on the outside. Makes cash access a little slower, but as I say I don’t really use it now anyway.

So far its working out verry nicely!

Categories: Cowboy, Custom, EDC, Fabrication, Leather, New Gear, Sewing, Sheaths, Wallets

Snack knife to Hunting knife.

Posted on July 30, 2020 by akadventurer

Little post a few days ago mentioned getting this knife back into my travel kit.
Good thing I did!
Its actually not been in the truck, but in my lunch/snack box. One day a little while ago, transfering gear to a friends truck to go shooting(target) I grabbed the snack box for a light lunch.

That meant that later I had a sharp single blade thats easier to clean than the twin blade I was pocket carying, when an impromptu bunny hunt came up..

Little fur ball kept getting curious about the sound or something and running out into the range (gravel pit) we were using.

He knew I’ve been wanting to rabbit hunt a while, so my buddy said go for it if I wanted. 3rd appearance of the critter, 2nd active stalk I managed to connect before he completely disappeared again.

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Great knife for the task, thin point was easy to control, handle comfortable, good reach, and laser sharp.

Guy that was with me gave a couple ideas and left me to it, so I just basically taught myself to clean/skin a rabbit. He said I did great especially when he found out I’d never cleaned anything but fish before!

Was too hot and tired that night to do the grilling we’d planned, but roast bunny is on the menu soon. Will take pics!

Categories: Adventures, Alaska-Life, Case Knives, Cowboy, EDC, EDC/MT use, Field gear, Food, GetOutdoors, Good Friends, Good Times, Hunting, knives, Outdoors, Pocket knives, Preparedness, Summertime, Traditional, Truck EDC, Truck gear, Wildlife

About that Muskrat.

Posted on July 26, 2020 by akadventurer

Yeah, backup blades of the same type aren’t my thing. I’m more for multiple blades in different styles, for different tasks.
I can see how it would be, as these were originally meant as a skinning blade. Use it till dull, swap blades and keep going without having to change your way of doing things to compensate for a different blade. But I don’t do that kind of repetitive work that warrants a direct replacement blade.
So, yeah.

[IMG]

Ended up with a nice lambsfoot profile. And just about the same length of edge as is on the sheepsfoot in the stockman.

[IMG]

Usually I do the back or pile side blade for this, but the curve of the frame leaves more access to the nail nick on the front/mark side blade, than if does the other. So I did the front. The main blade used will be the straight edge anyway… Might as well make it the mark side blade, usually considered the “main” blade side.

Slight swedging and blend of spine edges.

[IMG]

Might touch the “peak” on the spine a bit to straighten the overall look of the blade. Then again I might forget. It doesn’t really need it.

Categories: Case Knives, Cowboy, Customized, EDC, Field gear, Grail Item, knives, Life-Philosophy, Modifications, Pocket knives, Re-purpose, Theory/Thoughts, tool mods, Traditional

Snack knife.

Posted on July 24, 2020 by akadventurer

[IMG]

Just a little thought from several weeks ago. Finally got this one back to its proper place, as snack knife in the truck. Its been my favorite for summer saidage and cheese for a few years now! That blade is like a laser. Case Stainless and Yellow Delrin 4.125″ Slimline single blade Trapper.

Categories: Adventures, Alaska-Life, Camping, Case Knives, Cowboy, Daily-cary-log, EDC, Field gear, Food, Food Gear, GetOutdoors, Good Times, knives, Pocket knives, truck, Truck EDC, Truck gear

Finally A Mini Muskrat!

Posted on July 16, 2020 by akadventurer

So…I did manage a new knife last month. Something I’ve wanted for a while. They’re pretty rare among the brands that make traditionals, even in vintage models, and extremely rare in contemporary brands.

A mini muskrat. 3-5/8″ or thereabouts stockman frame with twin opposed clip blades.

Case made one until a few years ago. They’re kinda like finding hens teeth and when you do they’re gold plated teeth.

Took a while(couple years actually!) to find a good deal on one I liked.

[IMG]

Supposedly a 2016 model, haven’t run the tang myself yet. Handle is butterscotch corelon. I’ve read that no pins in the scales on composite handles generally means a rehandle job, or a contract knife handled outside Case. For Corelon that tends to mean they were handled by Frost. It’s almost a flawless job, extremely good fit and finish, I’d never know Case didn’t do it.

I managed to score it brand new, unused, no box, for $35.

Used Mini Muskrats not in corelon(an expensive material, why I don’t know) tend to be a $70 to $100 proposal.

YES, It was a gift from God! No other way I’d ever get that it that price!

Categories: Case Knives, Cowboy, EDC, Grail Item, knives, New Gear, Pocket knives, Traditional

Gloving around again.

Posted on November 1, 2019 by akadventurer

Part two, or, darn those gloves! 😉

Parg one was here;

https://ak-adventurer.net/2019/10/13/darning-leather-gloves/

Have a pair of nice heavy deer skin work gloves that I wore almost all summer. They started developing holes about a month and a half ago.

*snip*

they’re broken in, already stained– don’t have to worry what I get on them, they fit me, and are comfortable as all get out now… I’ve been missing them!

With socks its called darning. Maybe only on knit socks. Ive been saying I’m darning gloves. But they’re not knit, and darning might not apply even to knit gloves… lol.

*snip*

But at any rate, I’m enjoying it, it improves my sewing, saves some gloves, and fills some time.

I still have one big hole and one small one to patch, and two seams to re-close.

So, thus, onto the finish!

One more finger tip done;

And a thumb;

Not perfect by any means, but I think they’ll last a while again. A bonus, I’m getting better, and faster at the sewing!

I switched to a skin needle– its a cutting needle, a triangular cross section and sharp edges. Goes through the glove leather easier.

I also changed to a smaller, but stronger thread, that’s easier to sew with.

What I had before is a heavy waxed braided cotton that’s sold for leather work.

What I changed to is a braided synthetic fishing line. Designed for ice fishing, it has a high abrasion resistance, and is s 20# test. It looks likd a super fine and weak thread, but is some tough stuff! Should last a while anyway.

So there we have it. probably an hours work that took me a couple weeks.

They’re not perfect. One finger got shorter because I over trimmed. One got longer from over compensation for the previous over trimming. The last thumb I did stayed in length but got narrower/tighter,

Hahaha, Just can’t win, eh? 😉

but I have my gloves back!

Categories: Clothes, Cowboy, Damages, Field gear, GetOutdoors, Gloves, Leather, Modifications, Preparedness, Repairs, Sewing, Soft Goods

Darning leather gloves?

Posted on October 13, 2019 by akadventurer

Have a pair of nice heavy deer skin work gloves that I wore almost all summer. They started developing holes about a month and a half ago.

Since I was welding that day, it meant finger burns (yes we had dedicated welding gloves, but generally I don’t bother with them, they’re a heavy leather gauntlet that allows no dexterity at all.)

My jobsite fix that day was a quick wrap (double layer glue to glue on the holes so it didn’t stick to me!) of gorilla tape over the finger tips.

I gotta say I’m impressed, after a month of work, and you have to remember I’ve been working in a crawl space most of the time so its not just work wear, but crawling wear too, that tape was scuffed and a bit softer, but still stuck, solid, holeless… I HATE duct tape with a passion because it never stays on anything even duct work, but this stuff was great!

But anyway, 3 more holes later and I grabbed a new pair of gloves. I have no idea what the old ones cost, they were a gift, the second pair out of a two pack a friend got. And I can’t shop where they came from(costco) so a direct replacement is impossible.

But the replacement I got at Home Depot was $25 a pair.

I’m sure the Costco ones probably cost less than that, and about 6 months on a pair before they wear out isn’t bad for good quality, real leather, all leather gloves.

But at prices like that I’d still like to prolong their life if possible. And besides, they’re broken in, already stained– don’t have to worry what I get on them, they fit me, and are comfortable as all get out now… I’ve been missing them!

With socks its called darning. Maybe only on knit socks. Ive been saying I’m darning gloves. But they’re not knit, and darning might not apply even to knit gloves… lol.

So, thus, I sat down with some scrap leather, needle and thread, and have been slowly fixing them in my spare time the last few days.

This has worked well so far, a couple seams resewn, and one finger tip I cut out the holed area and patched. Some of it I’ve just whip stiched on the outside, some thing I’ve turned them inside out to have the seams on the inside like original.

It has ironically been kinda hard on my hands. For a while now any hand sewing I do, or similar work that takes a good grip on small tools, and fine motor skills, has made my hands go numb while doing it.

Add to that some muscle damage and inflammation that I have right now in my shoulders/arm pits and lower arms that has been doing a carpal tunnel like effect of a piched nerve or restrictions in blood flow; making my hands tingling or numb over most of the past week anyway;

It makes this extremely slow, somewhat frustrating, and sort of painful to do.

But at any rate, I’m enjoying it, it improves my sewing, saves some gloves, and fills some time.

I still have one big hole and one small one to patch, and two seams to re-close.

Categories: Alaska-Life, Clothes, Cowboy, Damages, EDC, Field gear, Leather, MacGyver, Modifications, Recycle, Repairs, Sentimental, Sewing, Soft Goods, Summertime, Welding

Grip frame fun, 1.0?

Posted on February 20, 2018 by akadventurer

Killing time in the shop and tried the brass 1860 style grip frame(that I have for converting my Ruger Blackhawk) on my Beretta Stampede. Rear frame fits good, but would need a filler at the bottom front, and the ears trimmed to the gun frame if it was to stay.

Looks like the front strap, trigger guard holes line up close enough to go on, but the trigger slot in it is far too narrow. Had the same issue on the Blackhawk.

I might compare Ruger and Beretta triggers, and open the 1860 guard up to fit both, if I can.

I’m actually not sure if this brass frame set will ever get onto the Ruger. I’ve grown rather fond of the grip on the Blackhawk as it is, with the nice wood grips I put on last spring. Much nicer and slimmer than the rubber that came on it. Not sure I really need the slimmer 1860 style on it now. We shall see.

One nice thing, IF I do mount it to the Stampede, it has the same flat main spring style as the 1860, so little serious modification, if any would be needed.

IE, it could still later be converted to the Ruger mainspring, etc. just as easily as ever.
If nothing else, I can fit the backstrap to the Beretta, leaving the guard alone to be fit to the Ruger later, and then simply get another back strap then.

As I said, we shall see. Just thinking out loud, as it were, for the time being.

Categories: Brass, Cowboy, Customized, Guns, Gunsmithing, Modifications, Revolvers

Cowboy

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