Club Obi Wan

I've searched all over the web and searched through old posts, but have still not found the "perfect" buckle. Has anyone out there had any luck finding one? I've got some samples coming from a couple of companies, and if they work I'll definitely pass on what I find, but maybe one of you guys has a lead that shorten my hunt?
Here's one of the samples I'm having sent:
http://www.albest.com/product.asp?Func= ... es&Page=13

I know the color's not right, but it's supposed to be steel, so I may just sand it down...

My favorite is one I found a while ago (while scouring the web) from A plus products, something or other. It was one inch, and pretty close to the Keppler. A couple folks ordered it, but I dont remember what the review was.....now where did that link go....

I J

EDIT: here it is....

http://www.aplusproduct.com/project/catalog/p10/12.htm

That's the one I consider to be the best. It is stamped so it's not as durable as the others, but it is the ringer for the look. Don't get me wrong, it is sturdy. Unless you plan on trying to bend it or plan to put it under extreme stress, you won't have a problem with it. Give em a call and tell them you want a sample buckle. They'll ask for a company name and I just made one up, spur of the moment. You should get 3 buckles. If you get an extra silver (non-distressed) buckle, please PM or mail me.

I have a few from APLUS, and I guess it was because the leather was too thick so the buckle bent... If it wasnt for being stamped, this would be a perfect buckle.

Aplus was the other sample I asked for - I emailed a request but haven't heard anything back - hopefully they've sent it...

Here's the thread with the A-Plus buckle on my strap:
http://www.indygear.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6155

I'm still looking for a more sturdy option. Right now I'm trying to
get a couple possible ones from Ohio Travel Bag through a local
source. Stay tuned.

Regards,
Indybill

Bugger, if only it wasnt stamped. If only we knew where Lee got his buckles....

I J

What are you guys doing with your bags that these buckles are bending like this?

Some possible buckle leads for UK fans:

http://www.bucklesexpress.com/buckles_p ... uckles.htm

Also the possibilty of getting the strap itself from these guys:

http://www.bucklesexpress.com/homecraft ... eather.htm

ID

I just found a place called JandJ hardware:
http://www.jandjhardware.com/720.htm
They sell a 1" Center Bar buckle thats close.
Heres a pic of theres compared to mine which is very similar to Kepplers.

IMAGES DELETED

Except for what looks like a roller on the one end , it not bad.

And then this one:


Another 1" center bar from http://www.circlegbrand.com/cgb_cat_Har ... tml#812110

This may be even better.
And neither are stamped buckles, which makes a difference.

In fact, this one I've seen in 2 online saddle supply shops and I bought mine in a tack shop as well, which leads me to beleive it may be the identical item!

The seach continues!

The first one looks good, but can the roller be removed?
The second one looks identical to the type of buckle that I have now (IndyBill had one too) - it's more rectangular than square.
BTW, slightly off subject - I put mink oil on the strap I had custom made (http://www.indygear.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6605) and darkened it so now it's a dead ringer for the LC strap!

I think I've got that second buckle too. I bought it at a tack store, and it seemed like it would be great until I actually put it on my strap. Also, I saw that buckle from J and J last week, but it just doesn't seem quite right. Hopefullly, I'll be proven wrong, because I really want a good buckle. It's amazing how such a small detail like that can be so frustrating. Anyway, if anyone finds the elusive "perfect" buckle, you'll be my new best friend. I think I'd be willing to pay $10 if I could ever find the darned thing.

On the first buckle from JandJ, I'm almost positive the roller cannot be removed. If it can, then like similar others I've seen, there will be an indent in the cross bar. So I call that one a no go.

The second one I showed, the model 121 is not like Indybills in that the one he has is too long. I know exactly which one he has, because I have one also. The length is almost double the width.

On the model 121, this is a 1" buckle and it is only 1/8" longer then wide.
Its the closest I've come so far to finding it online.
and I'm fairly sure its thesame one I currently have on my bag as pictured above.

IndianMikey, I look forward to seewhat you come up with.

I also have some samples on their way, so I'll update as soon as they show.[/b]

Hey Mikey,
Maybe I could put the grabs on one of your buckles, if you plan on selling a few? Did you buy them online?

I J

Indiana Mikey, I may want one as well, if you can spare it.

The first of Dalex's buckles is also found at Tandy/TLF and it has
concave sides (as seen in the pic) and a fake roller that can't be
removed. Like he said it's close, but no cigar.
The second one shown is actually a pic of the 1/2" buckle as no
pic is available of the 1" size on circlebrand's site. So using my
calipers the length of the one shown is just over 1". If the length
doesn't change with the increase in the width, then Dalex's may
have very well have a very good find there. But, I don't think
that's the case, and here's why. Take a look at the Tandy/TLF
tack buckles and you'll see that #121 is the old Tandy number
for the buckle I have. Then look at these buckles closely. As
you go up in size the length continues to increase with width to
maintain the rectangular shape. So I believe that what circlebrand
is offering is the Tandy/TLF product. I have found this to be true
of many leathercraft sites that I've found. Sorry Dalexs, but I
think the search must continue.

The buckles express site is a very interesting possibility, if anyone in
the UK is close and could check them out they may have something.
(hint...hint to UK gearheads )

I've meantioned this before, but I'm going to meantion it again. I
believe that the buckle were looking for is probably from an English
tack shop, so we're going to have a very hard time finding one in
the US that is an exact match.

But the searching sure is fun though isn't it?

First let me say #@$%^$%#@ Because I just got done photoshopping
a few things and heres the results:



You see (left to right) my current buckle, keppler buckle, my old tandy buckle and the new one I found.
Using a most unscientific means, I tried to scale everything as close a possible... and the data doesn't lie...

Keep on moving, nothing to see here...

What about this one from Tandy?

http://www.tandyleather.com/prodinfo.as ... &mitem=216

Might be a possibility??

I just ordered some Latigo from them and a couple of buckles, this one included...I thought it looked kind of close, so figured what the heck...

I'll let you all know about it when it arrives...

By the way, I was comparing the above buckle to the one pictured here from Noel Howard:

http://www.indygear.com/gear/images/Strap4.jpg

The problem with that one is that tandy only has it in a 1 1/2" size so it would be too big for a standard Indy style leather strap.

The NH buckles are slightly too wide (the overall frame that is).
But after lookingat some screen shots, I'm now thinking it is close to thestyle we really want. I'll try to post those pics in a bit.

Riverwind wrote:What about this one from Tandy?

http://www.tandyleather.com/prodinfo.as ... &mitem=216

Might be a possibility??

I like that buckle! Good find.

And just to throw some gas on thefire, this is one of the better screen shots of the buckle in Raiders:



You can see it is clearly has a semi flattened face, almost square, andhas slightly rounded edges. Excuse the resolution, its taken with a digital camera off the tv.
I know someone posted this in high res form somewhere.
But it shows that that tandy buckle isn't too far off, just too big.

Too bad they don't offer the same buckle in a 1 inch version...

I ordered the one I listed a little while ago, along with a couple of other variations...I'm thinking I can probably get it to look pretty good...I plan to hit it with a grinder and make the edges a little thinner and the corners a little sharper...After that I'll put it in my little nickle plating system I have, to hide the grinding marks, then maybe hit it with some sand paper or whatever, to give it a little age...

I only spent 5 bucks on the few buckles I ordered, so if I ruin them it will not really be a big deal...

On another note, anyone have the size of the actual buckle used in the movie?

Well we know the strap is a 1" strap. Looking at the picture above
just comapre the buckle size to it. As buckles are measured, it would be a 1" buckle.

http://www.thebeltshop.com/jeans.htm

What about the 1st pic, buckle on the left or 3rd pic left buckle?

Just a thought, it really does not seem like trying to find a simple buckle in this style should be so hard... Its a simple one inch nickel buckle. How odd.
Then again, what fun would it be if everything we wanted was 100% readily available?

I J

Yes, I suppose the "hunt" is part of what makes this hobby so addictive -
hmmm - maybe that could be a plot idea for Indy V - "Raiders of the Lost Buckle?"

Panama Tom Jr. wrote:Yes, I suppose the "hunt" is part of what makes this hobby so addictive

That is so true.

Panama Tom Jr. wrote:Yes, I suppose the "hunt" is part of what makes this hobby so addictive -
hmmm - maybe that could be a plot idea for Indy V - "Raiders of the Lost Buckle?"

If we're gonna look like Indy we might as well "act" like him That is, we are digging for the facts, the truth, going thru obstacles, to find the ever elusive grail... the perfect buckle.... keep digging as any archaelogical digger would do.

This last weekend in my quest for the grail (perfect buckle) I went thru a couple of resale shops with my wife. As she was looking for clothes I happened to notice strap buckles on some of the ladies purses. Sure enough a few had the center bar buckles but .... just not quite right.... the pursuit continues.... if we didn't have this pursuit, it just wouldn't be any fun would it? I went to Wal Mart and Hobby Lobby in their sewing and fabric departments and they sell "fashion" buckles, but again didn't quite find the right one. I also went into a sewing store hoping for a bigger cache of buckles and a bigger variety but dfdn't quite find the right one again.

Be sure you are in your gear while looking. I had on my jacket, and fedora.

Way to go Robert. I've been doing much the same.
The second hand stores are definatly a great place to find
the unusual items.

Buckles...I know you have buckles here...where are your buckles...

No joke, I'm keeping a 'buckle diary' of sorts to help keep me from
covering the same ground twice.

Indiana Jones - Raiders of the Lost Buckle
I like it!

Indiana Jones and the Buckle of Doom - that may express our frustration a little more!
I guess as long as I don't get dragged behind a truck looking for this thing...

Robert Duke wrote:

Panama Tom Jr. wrote:Yes, I suppose the "hunt" is part of what makes this hobby so addictive -
hmmm - maybe that could be a plot idea for Indy V - "Raiders of the Lost Buckle?"

If we're gonna look like Indy we might as well "act" like him That is, we are digging for the facts, the truth, going thru obstacles, to find the ever elusive grail... the perfect buckle.... keep digging as any archaelogical digger would do.

This last weekend in my quest for the grail (perfect buckle) I went thru a couple of resale shops with my wife. As she was looking for clothes I happened to notice strap buckles on some of the ladies purses. Sure enough a few had the center bar buckles but .... just not quite right.... the pursuit continues.... if we didn't have this pursuit, it just wouldn't be any fun would it? I went to Wal Mart and Hobby Lobby in their sewing and fabric departments and they sell "fashion" buckles, but again didn't quite find the right one. I also went into a sewing store hoping for a bigger cache of buckles and a bigger variety but dfdn't quite find the right one again.

Be sure you are in your gear while looking. I had on my jacket, and fedora.

I try to stay away from any kind of purse shopping while in gear. Kind of kills the whole image
Although on nights when I'm cross-dressing...

Although on nights when I'm cross-dressing...

Er, um, ok... sooo, which Indy girl do you usually crossdress as - Marion, Willie or Elsa?

Didn't Indy exchange clothes with Elsa in LC as he went in a castle acting as an Irish character?

Hmmm , good point. And he was acting as a "Scottish Lord" - not Irish - gotta keep your Celts straight!

I was checking out this site today and found this:



Available from here:
http://www.shoeeyelets.com/products/castbuckles.htm

Its looks to be almost perfectly square and it is a cast, not stamped,
buckle. The best part is the manufacturer is in Salem, MA,
about 20 minutes from where I live!

I will investigate further.

Dalexs

Wow! Looks like you may have nailed it! Let us know how it goes...

that could be something!!

I J

Dalexs wrote:I was checking out this site today and found this:



Available from here:
http://www.shoeeyelets.com/products/castbuckles.htm

Its looks to be almost perfectly square and it is a cast, not stamped,
buckle. The best part is the manufacturer is in Salem, MA,
about 20 minutes from where I live!

I will investigate further.

Dalexs

That looks dang near like a dead on match...Provided it is in some sort of nickle or stainless finish, which I am sure is no problem...

If indeed you have found "THE" buckle, you might have to pick up a couple dozen for all of us people who have been desperately searching for it!

Let us know how it turns out

We know about that buckle. In fact, thats how this thread started off.
while the buckle looks perfect, the problem some are having, is that because it is a stamped buckle, its a little flimsey for the heavier straps.

Which is why we're wasting so much time on the pursuit again,
and again, and again...

If the company stocks the buckles, I'll gladly pick up a bunch for who ever needs them.

I was just thinking, the funny part is if the bag strap had been an 1 1/2", or 3/4", we wouldn't have any trouble getting this done!

UPDATE: I just got off the phone with the company. The buckles are custom made in this country to order. They don't stock them, but they will look for a dealer who may have them in stock.
Otherwise, we may have to buy 5000 pieces!

Aw man, well I dont think there are 5000 gearheads who would want one. Shux.

I J