Duke Mantee

Sedgwick bridle with brass and nickel hardware, calfskin and smoky quartz jewels

ACE Western buckle, Wickett & Craig harness, snake, nickel plated steel hardware and sapphire colour hi-domes

For all the history and suchlike it’s actually not worth the discussion anymore … and that’s exactly why there’s a problem. More importantly for this thread @smoothsailor ACE Western belt has fantastic patina … on a few occasions I’ve been asked to artificially age or patina a belt but you just can’t replicate proper wear and tear

Ah so your buckle is actually like that? I didn’t know they had manufactured a different version. I have a batch of those buckles - all with the swirling logs (which I can’t sell now) but when I’ve photographed them and uploaded them the pics have been ‘altered’ to show a blank square

Good advice all ‘round mate Englandshire is definitely the ‘easier’ option and prettier option off the hill. British mountains aren’t really all that big but some are far from easy. The hills in Scotland and Wales tend to be a tougher for a few reasons; they are a bit bigger but importantly they are usually more remote and have longer walk-ins meaning it’ll take you a lot longer to drive to a starting point, and that starting point will still be some way from the mountain or hill so you have a good walk before you start a harder walk. But maybe ‘hikes’ don’t mean anything other than some nice walks in good scenery - it was distance not elevation that was mentioned. Aonach Eagach is about 8km - it takes (took) me nothing less than 6 and usually nearer 7 hours.

Notice how one part of the buckle detail is missing - some AI (artificial interference) at work?

Final check on two of the best Freewheelers pieces: Woollen Sweater - SOLD The turndown collar sweater coat - 2kg of the best soft cosy wool, knitted by the only guy in Japan that can. This was one of the original batch of 50 that was made. Pretty much mint condition, p2p is 20” but the knit is stretchy. Less than half price at £350 (shipping will be depending on where and what method) More baseball influence - Barnstormers Rigging Co. Baseball Style Warm-up Sweater in a deep rust orange beach cloth - really unusual to see beach cloth in this tone but it’s NOT a difficult colour to wear (anyone starts with ‘earth tones’ or somesuch can f-ck right off 😂). Barnstormers were/are Freewheelers high end experimental lab - a lot of hand made, exotic material, extremely limited edition stuff. Anyways, again, a bit under half price at £300. Mint condition and about 20.5” p2p These will be available only until Tuesday, so if you’re interested DM me

There was no software

… and following up on what I mentioned in the Nice Things thread - I’ve been farting about with stripping down and rebuilding Blue Monday, which is really just a hotch potch of Moroder and Italo-Disco, Kraftwerk, a few accidents and by all accounts (from Hooky himself no less) some Morricone

I got a ‘job’ in a school band because I figured out how to use a Korg MS-10 the group had bought … well it was the drummer bought it because his dad was loaded; we used to practice in the loft of his dad’s garage. My family didn’t have a car, never mind a garage, so it was quite something to see a garage that had a loft big enough for the band gear and still have plenty room to play table tennis. Anyway the Roland TB-303 came along a few years later and we convinced him to buy that too - loved it. Eventually I got to try out quite a few synths and drum machines. I just noodle on my iPad with those sounds now.

Also a ‘Derby’ can come in many different styles since fundamentally it’s about the lacing or closure design

Cheers mate 🍻 … gotta be honest though, the customers often weigh in with ideas and almost always the concept at the very least

‘Charles’ Trickers ‘Robert’ too

Green Wickett & Craig bridle overdyed black, antique brass hardware, 2 types of snakeskin, 2 types of gemstone (Tiger Eye and Amber), 4 types of studwork styles, 20 something hours of drawing work and more than that in build time …

AA Crack ‘Outback’ leather, snakeskin, 60s Czech glass and antique brass hardware

But think of all those marvellous, and unusual, fades from nappy accidents (including yours); food stains; reflux and/or just a good old vomit; and you crawling about the place generally … Huge congratulations to mum and the family

Nice simple slim belt in Sedgwick bridle

A few more stars and the customer like the fluke that was used in a previous design

AA Crack ‘Outback’ leather, nickel plated steel hardware, glass jewels and a wee bit of calfskin I needed to aniline dye orange