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Neckerchief Slide
Tutorial As presented by Joe Holman for the PSLG This will walk you through the steps I use when making neckerchief slides which I use for historical reenacting and in Cowboy Action Shooting (CAS). I have also sold these to Boy Scouts, most recently I sold 3 to a man in Newport News, VA who will present them to new Eagle Scouts. I have chosen a very simple design for this demo. Tooling designs are limited only by your imagination. Let's start with a list of tools used in this project: 
First
I start by tracing the quarter on one side of the leather to give a
rounded end
 Next, I cut the round edge  On the other end (which will become the inside end) I mark up 1/4" from each corner, and cut "keystone" corners. This helps eliminate some of the bulk when slide is complete.   Now it's
time to position the concho on the rounded side of the leather in the
position you want it, and press it to mark the placement for the first
hole.
 And punch the hole:  Next, wet your leather. Since I'm doing only a simple border stamp, there's no need to wet from the back in addition to wetting the front. Simply wetting with a sponge is good enough for this project. This is thick leather, so no backing is needed.  Once your leather is wet and has come back to almost it's dry color, we'll use our compass to scribe a border line. My compass is set at 3/16". This can be adjusted for your preference.  Next, use you swivel knife to
cut the border.
 After cutting the border, tool
your design. For this demo, I used a Beveler (B198) and a Camouflage
tool (C432). Your design is only limited by your imagination.
 After tooling your design on
the front, use your edge beveler and bevel all the front edges.
 Now it's time to turn to the
back for a few steps.
First thing on the back side is to skive down about half the thickness of the leather on both ends in the area where the concho is going to lay. This is done for two reasons. First, to reduce the bulk at the point where the leather overlaps. Second, so the concho will fit.  After skiving, use your edge
beveler and bevel the inside edges:
 Next for slicking the edges we
just beveled.
I use a cocobolo slicker of my own design, but you can use a round plastic one, a piece of antler, bone, or other slicker of your choice. I simply wet the edge with a nearly dry sponge,  Then slick until it's like
glass.
 Slicking the edges is very important. What separates the hobbyist from the professional is the level of finishing you put into your project. At this point I also slick the inside (flesh side) with my slicker. I simply wet the flesh side (LIGHTLY) and burnish with the smooth edge of my slicker.  After slicking (and letting
your arm rest a minute), it's time to mark the second hole you've been
wondering about all this time. To do this, simply put the concho in the
first hole, roll the leather around until it is positioned properly,
and press the concho. The inside piece of leather should lay behind the
entire concho, so there are two thicknesses supporting the concho for
it's entire length (that's why we skived it).
 This should leave a faint circular mark on your project . . . that's where to punch the second hole:  The majority of the project is
complete at this point. Next dye or color your project to your taste.
For this demo I am using a light brown spirit dye full strength.
 After the dye has dried
completely, I like to use a wax based antique to highlight the tooling
impressions.
I also use the wax antique on the back and edges, and slick everything once more ! ! ! I use the antique straight from the jar and apply it with a small piece of Sherling that I trim down to about 3/8". Don't forget to slick
everything once more!!!
 Next, apply your favorite top
coat. I'm a big fan of a simple wax finish, so I add a neutral wax coat
on top of the antique.
After your finish is dried, it's time to put the concho on. Pretty straight-forward stuff. One tip I can offer is that I like to use a dime to tighten the concho screw. It's the perfect size for the slot in a Chicago screw, it's small enough to fit in small places (like inside a neckerchief slide) and since it is round, if it slips it won't damage the screw head like a screwdriver will.  THAT'S IT ! ! !
If you're still here, you just successfully completed a Cowboy Neckerchief Slide, brought to you courtesy of Dark Black (my cowboy "alias") and the PSLG ! ! !  |
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| Last Updated 02/16/07 Webmaster: Joe Holman |