Imperial Navy Holster

wlyon · 06-25-2009, 03:13 PM

Imperial Navy holster after visiting Jerry Burney's Magic Shop.

Nice supple leather, no dryness or rot.

Good manufacturer's mark "LOH Sohne Act. Ges. Berlin". No date.

Crown/M on inside of lid.

Thanks Jerry!!!

Bill

Navy · 06-25-2009, 08:58 PM

Typical excellence from the maestro.

Tom A

lugerholsterrepair · 06-26-2009, 01:45 PM

Thanks Bill, Tom.
As Imperial Navy holsters go.. this one was a real find! Bill was fortunate enough to find this on a popular auction site and we collaborated on it's restoration.

It came to us as a body and top with most of the small parts missing. As Bill says.. the body & top are in excellent shape, supple with no flaking. This is unusual for an original Imperial Navy.

I made & installed the interior tool pouch, making the brass stud & washer and hand hammering it in.
The pull-up strap knot was hand tied.
The top to the rod sleeve was made & installed.
The stock block restored and ready to attach to a stock.

This holster had been period converted to belt loops, removing the stock block and stitching on two straps.

At the start I thought some labor could be saved by leaving some original stitching in place but on further thought I decided to replace every stitch in this holster.

One of the great things about German holsters is their stitch spacing is usually wide apart but the Saddler who made this holster didn't get the message! I rarely see such tight close stitching..there must be thousands of stitches in this. Most of them in the cleaning rod sleeve.

This is truely an example of what collectors do...salvage and restore a rare piece of history for posterity.

Congratulations Bill! Imperial Navy holsters are indeed a rare find.....

Jerry Burney

Went Blakely · 06-26-2009, 01:56 PM

Great job, looks beaut'!

GerColctor · 06-26-2009, 02:50 PM

Very nice work Jerry

wlyon · 06-28-2009, 01:07 AM

Picture of Navy Holster after Jerry had taken it apart. He's good!

lugerholsterrepair · 06-28-2009, 11:00 AM

Bill, This photo was taken before I decided to remove the rod sleeve completely.

Interesting thing to see here..the back panel is the ONLY part the Germans ever glued on a German Luger holster. Everything else was put in place & sewed on without a fixitive.

This photo was a heck of a lot of stitches ago!

Jerry Burney

laoshi75 · 06-30-2009, 04:30 AM

Bill, when I see your holster I think that I should also collect Navy leather stuff..Congratulations !
christian

Ice · 06-30-2009, 05:22 AM

Bill, could we see additional photos of the restored holster, the back in particular?

Skilled restoration, whether of leather metal or wood, is IMHO almost an art form that few people have the talent or patience to do. We are fortunate to have Jerry as well as others here with the talent to help preserve history.

Charlie

klaus 3338 · 06-30-2009, 01:57 PM

It would be nice to see photos of the stock!
ThankÂ´s Klaus

wlyon · 06-30-2009, 02:51 PM

Charlie: Back of the Navy holster - originally had stock block, then period replacement belt loops. I elected to go back to the stock block, which Jerry did.

wlyon · 06-30-2009, 02:57 PM

Klaus
I wish I had one. Looking for a good repro. Thanks Bill

luger11 · 06-30-2009, 04:00 PM

Hi Bill , That is a beautiful holster and I think you made a very wise decision to go back to the original stock block.

Leo

John Sabato · 06-30-2009, 04:16 PM

I keep telling you guys... that we need to get someone local to Jerry to get over to his house and work there for FREE to apprentice his skills... It is truely a lost art... except for Jerry of course!

Great work Jerry!

Congrats Bill!

lugerholsterrepair · 06-30-2009, 04:25 PM

Once Bill gets a nice Odin stock on there it will cover most of the belt loop holes and will go back to what this fine holster was intended for, a short rifle!

Klaus, I will see if I can find time to photograph the 2 original Imperial navy stocks I have.

I bought my first one 15 years ago for the price of a good used car...If I remember correctly from Joe Wotka off an ad in NAPCA magazine before the internet! The second one I ever saw for sale I bought from my good Friend Tom Armstrong with the help of George Anderson at last years Chantilly show. Thanks Guys! It too was not cheap but when I got it home it is approximately 100 numbers off from my first one!

Holsters are extremely rare but are a dime a dozen compared to original stocks.

It takes time to find Imperial Navy items..I am glad I started many years ago...

Thanks to all of you for the laudatory comments. I always am pleased when people who know what they are looking at appreciate it.

John, This subject has come up more than once...I guess like my predecessor.. Frank DeMauro... I will someday go on to my reward. I am hoping I will get to see many more holsters before that. I took it up because I was interested in holsters, was already making replica Luger lanyards and Tom Armstrong asked me to do it.
An apprentice? Not likely. A person more or less falls into his passion because he is involved in someway. A person who wants to fly hangs out at the airport.

This work will not make you rich. Only labor by the hour. It is hard and dirty. It is lonely. I spend many hours indoors by myself listening to music. It is extremely time consuming...You must structure your time and work even when it is mind numbingly boring. It is repeticious. Hand stitching miles of holes day after day. Hard on your hands, pulling thread, using a sharp knife all day long. I also spend many hours a week communicating with clients about the work they need.

The exciting part is when I get a rare holster like Bill's that intrigues me and stirrs my passion. I want to see it come back to life! Like a good book I couldn't put it down. In fact most holsters I restore give me a great deal of pleasure to see them right again.

Back to work!

Jerry Burney

Anyone want to apply?

Jerry Burney

wlyon · 06-30-2009, 08:21 PM

If you havn't ever had a holster repaired/restored by Jerry it's hard to truly appreciate his work. His attention to detail and correctness is amazing. He is as good or better than the best saddler back when. And that's saying a lot. Bill

rottenII · 07-01-2009, 04:42 AM

I just received my '36 holster from Jerry this week. Beautiful work.

It certainly is an art form!

A.Mifsin · 07-01-2009, 06:43 PM

Jerry, in those days the holster production were they made by hand stiching or by machines?
Maybe you can give us a few hints how they were made please.

Alf.

lugerholsterrepair · 07-01-2009, 06:58 PM

Alf, They were primarily made on sewing machines. I find certain operations that had to have been partially machine then tied off by hand. I would surely give something to be able to go back in time to see it exactly. All I can tell is from what they did when I take apart a holster...

Jerry Burney

klaus 3338 · 07-03-2009, 07:41 AM

Bill, great holster and Jerry, great work!!!
My Loh SÃ¶hne Navy holster was altered for a Weimar Navy Luger with 4" barrel.
It still got itÂ´s Imperial stamps and the Weimar stamps.

06-25-2009, 03:13 PM	#1
wlyon Lifer 2X Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: May 2005 Location: Somewhere in Montana Posts: 2,614 Thanks: 3,140 Thanked 2,519 Times in 939 Posts	Imperial Navy Holster Imperial Navy holster after visiting Jerry Burney's Magic Shop. Nice supple leather, no dryness or rot. Good manufacturer's mark "LOH Sohne Act. Ges. Berlin". No date. Crown/M on inside of lid. Thanks Jerry!!! Bill Attached Thumbnails Attached Images __________________ Bill Lyon

06-26-2009, 01:45 PM	#3
lugerholsterrepair Moderator Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Arizona/Colorado Posts: 7,760 Thanks: 4,848 Thanked 3,099 Times in 1,426 Posts	Thanks Bill, Tom. As Imperial Navy holsters go.. this one was a real find! Bill was fortunate enough to find this on a popular auction site and we collaborated on it's restoration. It came to us as a body and top with most of the small parts missing. As Bill says.. the body & top are in excellent shape, supple with no flaking. This is unusual for an original Imperial Navy. I made & installed the interior tool pouch, making the brass stud & washer and hand hammering it in. The pull-up strap knot was hand tied. The top to the rod sleeve was made & installed. The stock block restored and ready to attach to a stock. This holster had been period converted to belt loops, removing the stock block and stitching on two straps. At the start I thought some labor could be saved by leaving some original stitching in place but on further thought I decided to replace every stitch in this holster. One of the great things about German holsters is their stitch spacing is usually wide apart but the Saddler who made this holster didn't get the message! I rarely see such tight close stitching..there must be thousands of stitches in this. Most of them in the cleaning rod sleeve. This is truely an example of what collectors do...salvage and restore a rare piece of history for posterity. Congratulations Bill! Imperial Navy holsters are indeed a rare find..... Jerry Burney __________________ Jerry Burney 11491 S. Guadalupe Drive Yuma AZ 85367-6182 lugerholsterrepair@earthlink.net 928 342-7583 (CO & AZ) Year Round 719 207-3331 (cell) "For those who Fight For It, Life has a flavor the protected will never know."

06-26-2009, 01:56 PM	#4
Went Blakely User Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Australia Posts: 231 Thanks: 4 Thanked 8 Times in 6 Posts	Great job, looks beaut'! __________________ Went Blakely

06-26-2009, 02:50 PM	#5
GerColctor User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: CT & FL Posts: 308 Thanks: 2 Thanked 40 Times in 27 Posts	Very nice work Jerry __________________ It is better to have lived a day as a tiger, then a thousand years as a lamb.

06-28-2009, 01:07 AM	#6
wlyon Lifer 2X Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: May 2005 Location: Somewhere in Montana Posts: 2,614 Thanks: 3,140 Thanked 2,519 Times in 939 Posts	Imperial Navy Holster Picture of Navy Holster after Jerry had taken it apart. He's good! Attached Images __________________ Bill Lyon

06-25-2009, 08:58 PM	#2
Navy RIP Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Dc 'burbs in Virginia Posts: 2,482 Thanks: 0 Thanked 16 Times in 10 Posts	Typical excellence from the maestro. Tom A

06-28-2009, 11:00 AM	#7
lugerholsterrepair Moderator Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Arizona/Colorado Posts: 7,760 Thanks: 4,848 Thanked 3,099 Times in 1,426 Posts	Bill, This photo was taken before I decided to remove the rod sleeve completely. Interesting thing to see here..the back panel is the ONLY part the Germans ever glued on a German Luger holster. Everything else was put in place & sewed on without a fixitive. This photo was a heck of a lot of stitches ago! Jerry Burney __________________ Jerry Burney 11491 S. Guadalupe Drive Yuma AZ 85367-6182 lugerholsterrepair@earthlink.net 928 342-7583 (CO & AZ) Year Round 719 207-3331 (cell) "For those who Fight For It, Life has a flavor the protected will never know." Last edited by lugerholsterrepair; 06-30-2009 at 10:29 AM.

06-30-2009, 04:30 AM	#8
laoshi75 User Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Thailand/France Posts: 490 Thanks: 288 Thanked 96 Times in 41 Posts	Bill, when I see your holster I think that I should also collect Navy leather stuff..Congratulations ! christian

06-30-2009, 05:22 AM	#9
Ice User Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 552 Thanks: 13 Thanked 69 Times in 57 Posts	Bill, could we see additional photos of the restored holster, the back in particular? Skilled restoration, whether of leather metal or wood, is IMHO almost an art form that few people have the talent or patience to do. We are fortunate to have Jerry as well as others here with the talent to help preserve history. Charlie

06-30-2009, 01:57 PM	#10
klaus 3338 User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Germany Posts: 513 Thanks: 0 Thanked 394 Times in 156 Posts	It would be nice to see photos of the stock! ThankÂ´s Klaus

06-30-2009, 02:51 PM	#11
wlyon Lifer 2X Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: May 2005 Location: Somewhere in Montana Posts: 2,614 Thanks: 3,140 Thanked 2,519 Times in 939 Posts	Imperial Navy Holster Charlie: Back of the Navy holster - originally had stock block, then period replacement belt loops. I elected to go back to the stock block, which Jerry did. Attached Images __________________ Bill Lyon

06-30-2009, 02:57 PM	#12
wlyon Lifer 2X Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: May 2005 Location: Somewhere in Montana Posts: 2,614 Thanks: 3,140 Thanked 2,519 Times in 939 Posts	Klaus I wish I had one. Looking for a good repro. Thanks Bill __________________ Bill Lyon

06-30-2009, 04:00 PM	#13
luger11 User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 149 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Hi Bill , That is a beautiful holster and I think you made a very wise decision to go back to the original stock block. Leo

06-30-2009, 04:16 PM	#14
John Sabato Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The Capital of the Free World Posts: 10,150 Thanks: 3,003 Thanked 2,304 Times in 1,096 Posts	I keep telling you guys... that we need to get someone local to Jerry to get over to his house and work there for FREE to apprentice his skills... It is truely a lost art... except for Jerry of course! Great work Jerry! Congrats Bill! __________________ regards, -John S "...We hold these truths to be self-evident that ALL men are created EQUAL *and are endowed by their Creator* with certain UNALIENABLE* rights, and among these are life, LIBERTY, and the pursuit of happiness..."*

06-30-2009, 04:25 PM	#15
lugerholsterrepair Moderator Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Arizona/Colorado Posts: 7,760 Thanks: 4,848 Thanked 3,099 Times in 1,426 Posts	Once Bill gets a nice Odin stock on there it will cover most of the belt loop holes and will go back to what this fine holster was intended for, a short rifle! Klaus, I will see if I can find time to photograph the 2 original Imperial navy stocks I have. I bought my first one 15 years ago for the price of a good used car...If I remember correctly from Joe Wotka off an ad in NAPCA magazine before the internet! The second one I ever saw for sale I bought from my good Friend Tom Armstrong with the help of George Anderson at last years Chantilly show. Thanks Guys! It too was not cheap but when I got it home it is approximately 100 numbers off from my first one! Holsters are extremely rare but are a dime a dozen compared to original stocks. It takes time to find Imperial Navy items..I am glad I started many years ago... Thanks to all of you for the laudatory comments. I always am pleased when people who know what they are looking at appreciate it. John, This subject has come up more than once...I guess like my predecessor.. Frank DeMauro... I will someday go on to my reward. I am hoping I will get to see many more holsters before that. I took it up because I was interested in holsters, was already making replica Luger lanyards and Tom Armstrong asked me to do it. An apprentice? Not likely. A person more or less falls into his passion because he is involved in someway. A person who wants to fly hangs out at the airport. This work will not make you rich. Only labor by the hour. It is hard and dirty. It is lonely. I spend many hours indoors by myself listening to music. It is extremely time consuming...You must structure your time and work even when it is mind numbingly boring. It is repeticious. Hand stitching miles of holes day after day. Hard on your hands, pulling thread, using a sharp knife all day long. I also spend many hours a week communicating with clients about the work they need. The exciting part is when I get a rare holster like Bill's that intrigues me and stirrs my passion. I want to see it come back to life! Like a good book I couldn't put it down. In fact most holsters I restore give me a great deal of pleasure to see them right again. Back to work! Jerry Burney Anyone want to apply? Jerry Burney __________________ Jerry Burney 11491 S. Guadalupe Drive Yuma AZ 85367-6182 lugerholsterrepair@earthlink.net 928 342-7583 (CO & AZ) Year Round 719 207-3331 (cell) "For those who Fight For It, Life has a flavor the protected will never know."

06-30-2009, 08:21 PM	#16
wlyon Lifer 2X Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: May 2005 Location: Somewhere in Montana Posts: 2,614 Thanks: 3,140 Thanked 2,519 Times in 939 Posts	If you havn't ever had a holster repaired/restored by Jerry it's hard to truly appreciate his work. His attention to detail and correctness is amazing. He is as good or better than the best saddler back when. And that's saying a lot. Bill __________________ Bill Lyon

07-01-2009, 04:42 AM	#17
rottenII User Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 25 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	I just received my '36 holster from Jerry this week. Beautiful work. It certainly is an art form!

07-01-2009, 06:43 PM	#18
A.Mifsin User Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Malta Posts: 570 Thanks: 74 Thanked 12 Times in 12 Posts	Jerry, in those days the holster production were they made by hand stiching or by machines? Maybe you can give us a few hints how they were made please. Alf. __________________ I prefer a Luger

07-01-2009, 06:58 PM	#19
lugerholsterrepair Moderator Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Arizona/Colorado Posts: 7,760 Thanks: 4,848 Thanked 3,099 Times in 1,426 Posts	Alf, They were primarily made on sewing machines. I find certain operations that had to have been partially machine then tied off by hand. I would surely give something to be able to go back in time to see it exactly. All I can tell is from what they did when I take apart a holster... Jerry Burney __________________ Jerry Burney 11491 S. Guadalupe Drive Yuma AZ 85367-6182 lugerholsterrepair@earthlink.net 928 342-7583 (CO & AZ) Year Round 719 207-3331 (cell) "For those who Fight For It, Life has a flavor the protected will never know."

07-03-2009, 07:41 AM	#20
klaus 3338 User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Germany Posts: 513 Thanks: 0 Thanked 394 Times in 156 Posts	Bill, great holster and Jerry, great work!!! My Loh SÃ¶hne Navy holster was altered for a Weimar Navy Luger with 4" barrel. It still got itÂ´s Imperial stamps and the Weimar stamps. Attached Thumbnails