Sandman0077
Sr Member
True but i think its coming along quite nicely.
First Avenger belt and holster rig [COMPLETED 07MAY2012]
- Thread starter Sandman0077
- Start date
GBrittelleJr
Well-Known Member
Re: First Avenger belt and holster rig [NEW PICS 15APR2012]
Any updates on this? It's really inspiring work!
Any updates on this? It's really inspiring work!
Sandman0077
Sr Member
Not a whole lot to update. Started dying the pieces but the pictures make them look orange so I didn't bother posting them. I ended up tooling the US stamp onto the holster but was dissappointed with how it came out. I screwed up on the oval outline but I didn't have enough leather left over to redo it. I sent the buyer a picture of it but he isn't worried about it, but it bothers the hello out of me. My reputation is on the line with this project you know? I dont want to sell someone something they aren't happy with.
Sandman0077
Sr Member
Hey guys got a quick update for you all. Finished the holster and leg rig.
My wifes grandpa showed me a cool way to apply the dye to give it a nice weathered look. Easy and effective I think.
Thoughts?
My wifes grandpa showed me a cool way to apply the dye to give it a nice weathered look. Easy and effective I think.
Thoughts?
brimst0ne13
Well-Known Member
Re: First Avenger belt and holster rig [NEW PICS 28APR2012]
for the buckle, i'd say machine some aluminum pieces with the left handed piece having extensions on the rear end to keep the two sides lined up and just make inlays for some rare earth magnets. the small cube style rare earth magnets can hold up to 8 lbs of force per magnet so four or five would be sufficient, that being ten all together for one on each piece of buckle.
for the buckle, i'd say machine some aluminum pieces with the left handed piece having extensions on the rear end to keep the two sides lined up and just make inlays for some rare earth magnets. the small cube style rare earth magnets can hold up to 8 lbs of force per magnet so four or five would be sufficient, that being ten all together for one on each piece of buckle.
Sandman0077
Sr Member
Yes but that's only the initial coating. Using the British tan as a base coat it will show through the second darker layer of medium brown and will appear weathered.
The dying has to be the hardest part of this build. Having no idea what color they used in the movie its been a roller coaster ride trying to figure out how much to use/water down/etc.
The buyer is purchasing the buckle from another source. I'm no longer making it for this. Good info for those trying though. Thanks.
Sandman0077
Sr Member
Re: First Avenger belt and holster rig [NEW PICS 28APR2012]
In regards to the question about the dye, this is the color I'm going for. It's one of the only pictures out there that show the color and not washed out by any light. NuRFs pictures are excellent, but with the camera flash it makes the pouches super bright and the ones not in the flash almost black. Hard to figure out what the color is so I'm just doing the color from the screen caps I find.
In regards to the question about the dye, this is the color I'm going for. It's one of the only pictures out there that show the color and not washed out by any light. NuRFs pictures are excellent, but with the camera flash it makes the pouches super bright and the ones not in the flash almost black. Hard to figure out what the color is so I'm just doing the color from the screen caps I find.
Sandman0077
Sr Member
Weathered look I was talking about. Thoughts?
(My phone camera is making the pictures come out orange. Not sure why but the dye is more brown than it appears in these pictures.)
(My phone camera is making the pictures come out orange. Not sure why but the dye is more brown than it appears in these pictures.)
Re: First Avenger belt and holster rig [NEW PICS 28APR2012]
Looking much better :thumbsup
Looking much better :thumbsup
Sandman0077
Sr Member
Holster finished finally. Belt just needs the L hook added. Finishing up on the pouches now. Buyer is happy with the weathered look and so am I 
Sandman0077
Sr Member
Yeah i have to use natural light for my photos to not come out orange Haha. I must say the stitches came out great for the equipment I have at my disposal.
Re: First Avenger belt and holster rig [NEW PICS 29APR2012]
Hello Sandman, Just found this thread and this great work. For the stiching what type of sewing machine are you using? I have a sewing machine that was given to me which was used in factory for making womens clothing. Im curouus if this would be strong enought to sew through the leather.
Hello Sandman, Just found this thread and this great work. For the stiching what type of sewing machine are you using? I have a sewing machine that was given to me which was used in factory for making womens clothing. Im curouus if this would be strong enought to sew through the leather.
Sandman0077
Sr Member
Hey there! I used just my wifes normal sewing machine. Nothing heavy duty. For the non-stress point stitches I used it on the slowest setting and for double pieces or stress points I rotated the needle by hand to avoid breaking needles. Time consuming but I got double and even triple stitches in the same holes about 95% of the time.
I also glued the high-stress parts with leather cement. Hope this helps.
I also glued the high-stress parts with leather cement. Hope this helps.
Re: First Avenger belt and holster rig [NEW PICS 29APR2012]
Thanks for the tip of turning the wheel by hand. Also I was thinking can the decorate stitching be done machine, but when it comes to joining 2 or 3 parts together, then going to the sewing awl? Would this approach make the final look "uglier" or messier? Not sure if you had experimented with this already. Thanks again awesome work!
Oh and what weight or thickness is that leather you used?
Thanks for the tip of turning the wheel by hand. Also I was thinking can the decorate stitching be done machine, but when it comes to joining 2 or 3 parts together, then going to the sewing awl? Would this approach make the final look "uglier" or messier? Not sure if you had experimented with this already. Thanks again awesome work!
Oh and what weight or thickness is that leather you used?
Sandman0077
Sr Member
I used 6-7 ounce leather for this. A little thick for the pouches I think in hindsight. Maybe go with 4-5 ounce for those but 6-7 was great for everything else.
As far as doing the thicker parts by hand awl, it can be done for sure but i chose not to because I didn't think the holes would be as aligned and even as the ones done by machine. That's why I did them all by machine and after gluing the pieces together I went back and hand cranked the needle into the same stitch holes. Easier on the machine bc its then only piercing through 1 piece verses 2 and it kept the holes evenly spaced and sized. Unless you have an awl the same thickness as a sewing needle (you might, I didn't) then I don't think those holes will come out as "clean" as you were asking.
I would test it on some scrap leather to be sure though.
As far as doing the thicker parts by hand awl, it can be done for sure but i chose not to because I didn't think the holes would be as aligned and even as the ones done by machine. That's why I did them all by machine and after gluing the pieces together I went back and hand cranked the needle into the same stitch holes. Easier on the machine bc its then only piercing through 1 piece verses 2 and it kept the holes evenly spaced and sized. Unless you have an awl the same thickness as a sewing needle (you might, I didn't) then I don't think those holes will come out as "clean" as you were asking.
I would test it on some scrap leather to be sure though.
Sandman0077
Sr Member
Completed the load bearing hook on the back of the belt.
Started with a normal L hook screw and cut I and bent it down to size:
Cut the back piece to sew it on with:
Slid it into position:
Finally, superglued the hook in place and sewed the back piece to it. Had to hand sew it due to the size of the foot on my sewing machine. Came out ok:
Started with a normal L hook screw and cut I and bent it down to size:
Cut the back piece to sew it on with:
Slid it into position:
Finally, superglued the hook in place and sewed the back piece to it. Had to hand sew it due to the size of the foot on my sewing machine. Came out ok:
Sandman0077
Sr Member
Finally done! After trial and error, Time and suffering (more time than suffering lol) I've completed this commission.
Some things I would have done differently:
-Used an actual leather sewing machine
-Used 4-5 ounce leather for the pouches instead of 6-7
-Organized the build more instead of doing whatever I felt like at the time.
For a first time commission I think it went well. After my deployment ill invest in more tools and a sewing machine and do some more projects that I personally like. I like TFA but I'm not a super fan so i think that had a lot to do with the time it took me to finish.
Last project for 9 months. It was fun guys!
Some things I would have done differently:
-Used an actual leather sewing machine
-Used 4-5 ounce leather for the pouches instead of 6-7
-Organized the build more instead of doing whatever I felt like at the time.
For a first time commission I think it went well. After my deployment ill invest in more tools and a sewing machine and do some more projects that I personally like. I like TFA but I'm not a super fan so i think that had a lot to do with the time it took me to finish.
Last project for 9 months. It was fun guys!
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