HelluvaEngineer

Hey Mike, I have only been doing this for a few months myself, but I will see if I can help you with your batch of questions. 1. I do not use any actual stencils. Once you draw out your design on a piece of paper (or you could use posterboard for something thicker), just cut it out and very carefully trace around it. The things I have made always end up with beveled edges, so your tracing marks will not end up on your final product. If you have a hole somewhere in the middle that is on your template, just use a push pin and make a small hole to mark where the larger hole will be. 2. Depends on your budget. I only Hand-Stitch, I just use larger spacing (5 or 6 stitches per inch). I have seen people on here though that can hand stitch many more stitches per inch than that. Just takes practice. 3. To start, I would reccomend getting some scrap tooling leather. I know Springfield Leather has a good deal on remnants, or your local Tandy store will have a bin you can look through. Especially if you are looking at smaller projects, that would be the way to go. Pieces per hide will vary based on what you are making, just figure out the square footage needed for your project and you will see how many pieces you will get out of an "X" SqFt hide. My other advice would be to search through these forums and read everything related to what you are looking to make. That is what I have been doing and it has really helped me figure things out. Good Luck! - Michael

Greg, That's a beast of a gun you have there. I got to shoot one that a friend of mine had, and they are a lot of fun. I like the rig you made for it! How comfortable is it after you wear it for a while? Also what thickness leather did you use for the straps? I'm curious if you need something thicker to hold a gun like that. Looks great! - Michael

Thanks again for the replies everybody! The harness needles from Tandy are definitely blunt, but they do still pierce the thread pretty easily, especially when the holes don't have much extra room. I'll have to try stitching with a Stitching Pony, so that I am not trying to balance the piece and get the needle through and see how that works. Time to go to the hardware store and get some parts. - Michael

Thans for the quick response guys! That definitely makes sense. Do you guys use stitching ponies when you sew? I have been thinking about getting/making one, and I think now I may have to so I can free up a hand to grab the thread on the opposite side when I am sewing. Thanks again for the replies! - Michael

Hello Everybody, I'm hoping somebody has some guidance they could provide with a problem I keep having. I am currently Hand-Stitching everything I sew, and it seems like 50 percent of my stitches result in me piercing my piece of thread with the needle when I put the second needle through the same hole. I then have to feed the needle back through the thread to continue sewing. The process I am using is: - Pre Punch Holes (I have done this with a 1/16" Drill Bit and using a Thumb Tack) - Using 2 needles (I have tried size 000 and 0 Harness Needles from Tandy), I pass through the starting hole, get the thread even on both sides, then alternate passing the needles through the following holes. I am wondering if I am making an error in the process I am using or if it is a materials issue. I have tried all kinds of variations in where I hold the threads to keep it out of the way, but it seems like if I want decently small holes to look good at the end, I end up piercing the thread numerous times while I sew. The thread I am using is the Waxed Nylon Thread from Tandy (http://www.tandyleat...g/1227-038.aspx) Thanks in advance! - Michael

That looks really good Tim! I am looking to make one of these in the future, and I can only hope it looks a fraction as good as yours. I really like the ridges along the spine. Would you care to give me a starting point on how you made those and what thickness of leather you used? Again, looks great! - Michael

For starters, these all look really good, but I know what you mean about always wanting to get better. I am still pretty new to holster making myself, but I'll see if I can help. On your first holster, it looks like there are some wrinkles near your stitching. If that happened while you were molding, you should be able to smooth them back out a bit with whatever molding tool you are using. It also looks like the edges on the first one could use some more burnishing. It looks like there are some little leather strings sticking out, but it could just be the picture. On the others, if you have some pictures of the backsides and edges I could offer up some more ideas. How close are your mag release buttons to the back side of the holsters? The middle one looks like it would be close... Hopefully that gives you something to start with, and maybe some of the more experienced folks can give you some more help. Good Work though! - Michael

ReneeCanady, Yes that is the one that Tandy just put on their site, but I don't have a premium video account, so I was just going to design my own using that concept. I'm not sure what type of leather they planned to use, but it looks flexible like a Chrome Tanned leather. However, I'm still very new to this, so I could easily be wrong. - Michael

Sorry to ask in such an old thread, but I would be interested in a copy of this book as well. You can never have too much information about leather work. Thanks! - Michael

tomt, Thanks for the info! And again, great looking holsters!

Hello Everybody! I have been trying to find a way to keep the tools that I have been acquiring for this new hobby of mine, and I saw a good idea for a simple Tool Roll that has pockets for putting punches and such in (see picture below). My question is would the chemicals used in Chrome Tan leather have any harmful effects on the tools if I kept them in there for an extended period of time? I just happen to have some scrap pieces that would work for this, but it is not worth ruining any tools over, so I thought I would ask the experts here. Thanks for the help! - Michael

Well I am still new here, but I really like the tooling on the last picture, but I would be happy with either of them. When you are making these, do you do the tooling, then dye the pieces, then assemble and sew them? I am thinking about trying to add some tooling to my next holster, but I am wondering how to keep it looking that good when you are molding the leather into shape. Great work though!

Thank you guys for the feedback. I am planning on taking the knife out with me next time I go camping so I can give it a more thorough functionality test and see how it will hold up. I will be sure to let you guys know.

MikeG, Thanks for the compliments! The metal handle of the knife is curved up to a point in the center, like how the leather is shaped, so i'm thinking that should give it some hold and keep it from sliding too much. I guess we'll see.

Hello everybody. I thought I would share my first leather project with you guys since I've got a lot of information from these forums. I haven't really seen a knife handle made like this, but I thought I would try it. The knife is just a cheap Ranger Knife that comes with a plastic handle that broke off on me. The handle is made with one piece of leather folded over the handle, and another piece as a welt along the other edge. The pieces are all glued together with contact cement, then it was sanded down with a Dremel. Last I added some stamping (would have done it before assebmly, but I ended up buying the stamps after I assembled it...), dyed it, then finished the edge with some gum tragacanth and the Tandy burnishing disc. The leather is 8/9 oz that I got from Tandy's website while it was on sale, and it feels like a stiff piece of cardboard until you get some water on it. I got a whole double shoulder, so once I finish using that I will definitely be getting something that is higher quality. Let me know what you guys think.