Black Posted 17 January , 2013 Share Posted 17 January , 2013 (edited) Hello Forum members, I have been asked to restore a fairly ancient Sam Browne belt, allegedly from the WW1 period, so I have started with some Neatsfoot oil to make the whole thing a bit more supple so that I could disassemble it. There are no maker's marks or dates on any of the parts, so I cannot be certain when it dates from. Provided the attached photos upload properly (sorry about the flash glare in the first photo), you will see that it is the version with two shoulder straps, sword frog, pistol ammuntion pouch, plus a "sword restraining strap" and another piece of rectangular leather - a "tab" for want of a better term, that fits on the back of the right hand shoulder strap. I will post separate, close up images of the sword frog and the so-far-unidentified "tab" piece so they can be seen better. I have four questions for those Forum members more familiar with this equipment may be able to help me out: Q1. Is there another, better product than Neatsfoot oil on the market that will help restore the leather (needs to be available in Oz)? Q2. How is the sword restraining strap attached to the belt and what purpose did it serve? (I have never seen one of these before.) Q3. The sword frog looks quite large to me - bigger than a standard infantry sword frog - could it be a cavalry sword frog? Q4. What is the extra leather "tab" that fits on the back of the belt? (I have never seen one of these before, either, despite finding all the other parts mentioned on various Google sites.) Stand by for further photos of individual pieces. Thanks in advance. Regards, Black Edited 17 January , 2013 by Black Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Posted 17 January , 2013 Author Share Posted 17 January , 2013 Second post regarding the restoration of this particular Sam Browne. Here's a close-up photo of the leather tab on the back of the belt. Black Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Posted 17 January , 2013 Author Share Posted 17 January , 2013 Third post regarding restoration of this particular Sam Browne belt. Description: a roughly rectangular piece of leather 4 inches x 2 1/4 inches with a half-inch wide strap extending 6 1/2 inches above the top of the rectangle; eyelet approximately half-way along the strap. Neatest correct entry wins, folks! Black Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Posted 17 January , 2013 Author Share Posted 17 January , 2013 Fourth post regarding restoration... The sword frog close-up. A very wide throat, plus a buckle at the base of the frog to hold the scabbard. The "height" of the piece is 7 1/4 inches. The widest part above the throat of the frog is 6 inches. Infantry frog or cavalry frog? Regards, Black Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Posted 17 January , 2013 Author Share Posted 17 January , 2013 Fifth post regarding restoration... Another view of the "tab" attached to the rear of the right hand shouled strap, plus the front connector for the same strap. I look forward to your replies. Kind regards, Black Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Posted 17 January , 2013 Author Share Posted 17 January , 2013 ... And just to finish off, here's a photo of the whole belt, partially disassembled. The sword retaining strap (unfortunately in a very sorry state of repair) is shown below the belt. Again, sorry about the glare. Its dimensions are: 5/8 inch wide, 21 1/2 inches long; a small retaining loop at the square end and three eyelets at the pointy end. How it retsrains the sword, I would love to know... Regards, Black Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Posted 17 January , 2013 Author Share Posted 17 January , 2013 Fifth post regarding restoration... Another view of the "tab" attached to the rear of the right hand shoulder strap, plus the front connector for the same strap. I look forward to your replies. Kind regards, Black Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shippingsteel Posted 17 January , 2013 Share Posted 17 January , 2013 Q1. Is there another, better product than Neatsfoot oil on the market that will help restore the leather (needs to be available in Oz)? I am not that knowledgeable in regard to the leather equipment but I have used Oakwood Leather Conditioner in the past on some kit - it seems to work OK. Cheers, S>S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted 17 January , 2013 Share Posted 17 January , 2013 http://www.leprevo.co.uk/photos/care4.htm I used this '4 Way Care' on my 1916 dated set and it certainly seemed to do a good job. My aim is to preserve it for my son who hopes to go to Sandhurst in a few years time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steenie Posted 17 January , 2013 Share Posted 17 January , 2013 If you can avoid it DO NOT use Neats Foot oil. It will do wonders for the leather but EATS stitching. In the saddlery trade it is regarded as the friend of jobbing saddlers as it gives them so much work replacing stitching. This sam browne is cavalry. Not only do they have a larger sword frog due to he extra weight of the P1912 cavalry sword, but the belt has larger round loops to take the wider straps of the frog. The infantry SB has squarish loop which angles toward each other. Use a synthetic replacement or Kochalin which brushes on an sinks in over 24+ hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Posted 17 January , 2013 Author Share Posted 17 January , 2013 Shipping Steel, Matthew, steenie, Many thanks for your input. I will follow up by searching for the products you have recommended. So far, no joy on identifying the "tab" piece. Regards, Black Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dickiek Posted 17 January , 2013 Share Posted 17 January , 2013 Try this, Lord sheraton leather balsam, I swear by it, bloody good stuff to use on leather. you can get it on line or from Tescos I have used this on all my WW1 leather kit, it dries clean, also, you can use polish over it, which some balsam you can't do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dickiek Posted 17 January , 2013 Share Posted 17 January , 2013 Third post regarding restoration of this particular Sam Browne belt. Description: a roughly rectangular piece of leather 4 inches x 2 1/4 inches with a half-inch wide strap extending 6 1/2 inches above the top of the rectangle; eyelet approximately half-way along the strap. Neatest correct entry wins, folks! Black It should be stitched along the edges for the sword scabbard to slip into, the hole in the long leather tab, slips over the brass mushroom button on the frog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dickiek Posted 19 January , 2013 Share Posted 19 January , 2013 It should be stitched along the edges for the sword scabbard to slip into, the hole in the long leather tab, slips over the brass mushroom button on the frog. Hope these photos help Dickie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheshireRifles Posted 7 December , 2023 Share Posted 7 December , 2023 I’ve just started a project on restoring a Great War Sam Browne. Leather conditioner, Saddle Soap, beeswax, cream polish. it seems to be working well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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