Well guys, after about a year and a half of searching for, finding, photographing, sending for countless manufacturing quotes, and so many threads I can't even count, I am pleased to finally announce:
THE SA RAIDERS SLIDER BUCKLE IS FINALLY HERE!!!!
MAY 16TH: THE RAIDERS STRAP BUCKLES ARE NOW IN STOCK! PLEASE ALLOW 2-3 WEEKS FOR THE 'DELUXE PRE-AGED' STRAP TO SHIP. STANDARD STRAPS SHIP IN LESS THAN A WEEK. ALL ORDERS COMPLETED IN THE ORDER THEY ARE PLACED!
Here we are ~
These things are SWEET!!! Made directly from the original buckles and with the perfect finish! REQUIRES NO SANDING!!! SHIPPED READY TO GO! They should be ready to ship in about two weeks. I will be selling the sliders w/ strap ONLY ~ except for to my previous RAIDERS Strap customers. You know who you are. PM me for details. Both a standard Raiders and a Deluxe Pre-Aged Raiders strap will be offered.
Please email me at the shop for info! I am super busy right now and that is the best way to reach me as I am not online a lot while I am working. I always try and get to emails as soon as they come in with my phone.
Nice! Just when I KNOW what strap I'm gonna order (predistressed black strap with roller buckle) you come out with these. Wade, you have got to stop coming out with such cool stuff (no don't ). These straps are awesome!
About 8 months ago I found some vintage strap buckles which appear to be the same used for the Raiders strap. I salvaged them from some other gear pieces. I posted some threads about it a while back. Anyway... these new buckles were made from one of the vintage buckles I found and sent for manufacturing.
Here's the four vintage buckles:
And here's one on my personal Raider strap:
I've been checking out the new buckle and I actually like it better than the original because the finish is so darn cool looking. It's basically what these would have looked like when they were new. The originals have lost their finish and get a little rusty. The new buckles will never rust.
Just got word. The Raiders buckles/straps will be in stock and ready to ship by May 21st.
I am taking pre-orders now. At this point there is at least a ten day lead time on the 'deluxe' straps, less for the standards.
Let me stress again how happy I am with these buckles! They are even better than I imagined. I will post side by side photos of the original and the new buckle.
In the meantime, the other two projects are looking just as good if not better as this one. We're in for a big gear summer!
W.E.
Last edited by Wade Egan on Thu May 14, 2009 2:10 am, edited 1 time in total.
Wade Egan wrote:I am pleased to finally announce: THE SA RAIDERS SLIDER BUCKLE IS FINALLY HERE!!!! These things are SWEET!!! Made directly from the original buckles and with the perfect finish!
Wade Egan wrote:About 8 months ago I found some vintage strap buckles which appear to be the same used for the Raiders strap... Anyway... these new buckles were made from one of the vintage buckles I found and sent for manufacturing.
Hi Wade, just out of curiousity, I am curious about the two statements above, as I'm a bit confused if the original buckle you mention would be a prop buckle from filming of Raiders?
I haven't added the Raiders straps or the TOD Deluxe pre-aged straps to my site yet as they are not yet in stock. I am only offering the pre-order straps to COW members. The buckle should be here by 5/21/09 and ready to ship with the straps after that. Keep in mind: first come, first serve.
To answer the other question above: The vintage buckles I found were on a variety of gear. A couple came from Eastern European mag pouch buckles, and a couple came from German Army suspenders. It is widely believed (archived threads??) that the prop department for Raiders salvaged the strap buckle from a similar piece of gear. I am not claiming to have an actual buckle used in Raiders. However, if you find the posts from when I originally found them, it was hands down agreed that these are the pieces or identical to the actual pieces used.
Here's a shot of the new buckle alongside the vintage buckle. Which one is which?
THE SA RAIDERS SLIDER BUCKLE IS FINALLY HERE!!!! 
](./images/smilies/Indy_wall.gif "Brick wall"){kind=small}
Wade, you have got to stop coming out with such cool stuff (no don't 
). These straps are awesome!
