Sewing With A Tippmann Boss

[JeffGC]

After hand sewing for forty years, I've decided to speed things up a bit. I've ordered a Tippmann Boss which should arrive before the weekend. I have two questions:

1) When hand stitching, I groove both the front and the back of the holster. When sewing with a machine, does one still groove the back?

2) Recently, I've heard of an alternative method to cutting a stitching groove...moisten the leather and crease it with a tool. Is anyone doing this? If so, what are the advantages/disadvantages.

Thanks for your help.

[MBOGO]

I want to watch

[particle]

I also just got a Boss, and would like to add an additional question (just logged on to post it, and saw your wonderfully timed thread).

To answer #1, I would not suggest grooving the back unless you are sure of the groove placement. You can't aim the exit point of the needle like you can with an awl (obviously, but thought it was worth mentioning). I would instead get a test piece of leather that's the same thickness as what you'll be sewing, and adjust the stitch length until it matches your preferred over-stitch wheel. Once you're finished stitching, moisten the leather and run over the stitches on the back side to push the leather back down in the hole and round up the stitch a bit. That's my plan, but I look forward to seeing what others with more machine stitching experience have to say.

3) Can you use waxed nylon thread in the Boss. I just bot a big spool of natural colored waxed nylon for hand stitching, and would like to use it on a holster. Will this gum things up?

[Denster]

I also just got a Boss, and would like to add an additional question (just logged on to post it, and saw your wonderfully timed thread).

To answer #1, I would not suggest grooving the back unless you are sure of the groove placement. You can't aim the exit point of the needle like you can with an awl (obviously, but thought it was worth mentioning). I would instead get a test piece of leather that's the same thickness as what you'll be sewing, and adjust the stitch length until it matches your preferred over-stitch wheel. Once you're finished stitching, moisten the leather and run over the stitches on the back side to push the leather back down in the hole and round up the stitch a bit. That's my plan, but I look forward to seeing what others with more machine stitching experience have to say.

3) Can you use waxed nylon thread in the Boss. I just bot a big spool of natural colored waxed nylon for hand stitching, and would like to use it on a holster. Will this gum things up?

I would suggest against groving the back. The Boss will ppull the stitches below the surface of the leather so you aren't really gaining anything but irritatition.

The overstitch wheel works but I've had better luck lightly casing both sides of the stitchline then laying the piece face down on my granit slab and tapping the stitches on the back with a cobbler's hammer also gets rid of any presser foot marks. Unfortunatly machine stitching will never look as nice on the back as hand stitching. I've never tried waxed nylon in my Boss but I think it might gum things up. Let me know the results if you try it. I have found that Poly runs through the Boss better than nylon alhough nylon works OK.

By the way Particle thanks for the tip in one of your posts regarding using clay modeling tools for boneing. Got a set of the wood ones and with a litle sanding and burnishing they are great.

[particle]

I would suggest against groving the back. The Boss will ppull the stitches below the surface of the leather so you aren't really gaining anything but irritatition.

The overstitch wheel works but I've had better luck lightly casing both sides of the stitchline then laying the piece face down on my granit slab and tapping the stitches on the back with a cobbler's hammer also gets rid of any presser foot marks. Unfortunatly machine stitching will never look as nice on the back as hand stitching. I've never tried waxed nylon in my Boss but I think it might gum things up. Let me know the results if you try it. I have found that Poly runs through the Boss better than nylon alhough nylon works OK.

By the way Particle thanks for the tip in one of your posts regarding using clay modeling tools for boneing. Got a set of the wood ones and with a litle sanding and burnishing they are great.

Thanks Denster - I just tried making a sheath for my new round knife so I could get a little more practice before committing my Boss to its first holster project. Once I was finished stitching, I used one of my clay modeling spoons and smoothed out the presser foot marks and flattened the stitches. Then, I decided to roll over it with the overstitch wheel. I think it looked better before the overstitch wheel... It looked cleaner and more consistent. Afterward, it just looked all wobbly-funked.

Glad the clay modeling tools worked out for you. Did you find them cheaper than the regular leather arsenal of tools? It's been about 10 years since I purchased mine.

[Denster]

( Glad the clay modeling tools worked out for you. Did you find them cheaper than the regular leather arsenal of tools? It's been about 10 years since I purchased mine.)

Found a set of 9 on eBay for $6. Pretty decent and made of basswood so it's easy to put a high polish on them. I've got the whole arsenal otherwise but these filled some gaps.

Get that Boss smokin. I'm anxious to see some more holsters.

[Denster]

After hand sewing for forty years, I've decided to speed things up a bit. I've ordered a Tippmann Boss which should arrive before the weekend. I have two questions:

1) When hand stitching, I groove both the front and the back of the holster. When sewing with a machine, does one still groove the back?

2) Recently, I've heard of an alternative method to cutting a stitching groove...moisten the leather and crease it with a tool. Is anyone doing this? If so, what are the advantages/disadvantages.

Thanks for your help.

On question #2. Some use an adjustable edge creaser for perimeter stitchlines and you can use a ball end stylus for profile stitchlines. Some would say creasing doesn't weaken the leather however with the thickness of leather used in holsters that is not really an issue. There is one advantage to creasing and that is sewing with a powered machine if you get off your groove it stands out llike a sore thumb however a crease can be tapped out and no one is the wiser. With the Boss though you can set each stitch exactly where you want it and if you get out of the groove you had a brain fade moment.

[particle]

FYI - regarding my question about using waxed thread in the Boss - from the Tippmann FAQ page:

6. What type of thread should I use with the boss?

• Included with the Boss, is size 277 white nylon thread. It is bonded nylon with a left twist. Tippmann carries a full line of colors and sizes. If buying from a different source, make sure you purchase a quality thread. Polyester thread is also used widely with the Boss. Waxed thread and linen thread are not recommended.

[Dwight]

After hand sewing for forty years, I've decided to speed things up a bit. I've ordered a Tippmann Boss which should arrive before the weekend. I have two questions:

1) When hand stitching, I groove both the front and the back of the holster. When sewing with a machine, does one still groove the back?

2) Recently, I've heard of an alternative method to cutting a stitching groove...moisten the leather and crease it with a tool. Is anyone doing this? If so, what are the advantages/disadvantages.

Thanks for your help.

Jeff, . . . in his videos, John Bianchi advocated using a set of dividers to make an impressed groove into which the stitches fell. As I recall, he only did one side.

He then sewed, . . . moistened the stitches and surrounding leather, . . . and used a tool that was about an inch wide, 3/8" thick, and long enough to hold in his hand. It was rounded at the end on all four edges and highly polished. He used it to force the stitches to lay even with the leather (so the thread was better protected?????).

Anyway, . . . my technique is to replace the dividers with a stitch groover, . . . front and back, . . . if the edges are properly done, the needle will come down square center of the stitch groove. I then use my tool similar to John's to flatten out my stitches too. I do sometimes use his "divider" technique, . . . but only in certain applications, . . . and I use it front and back.

May God bless,

Dwight

[Denster]

Dwight makes a really good point. Either using a smoother as Dwight does or tapping with a cobbler's hammer as I do it is important to go over your stitchline, not only to lay the stitches down but to smooth out any marks and close the holes around the thread. Just makes for an overall more professional and neater looking job.

I am curious Dwight. I get the idea about grooving front and back on the perimeter stitches but do you have some trick to get the profile stitchgrove around the weapon to line up perfectly front and back?

[Dwight]

I am curious Dwight. I get the idea about grooving front and back on the perimeter stitches but do you have some trick to get the profile stitchgrove around the weapon to line up perfectly front and back?

In a word, . . . no. I have given that enough thought to bust a blood vessel, . . . and never have come up with a system I would use except for one (and I don't do it). The reason I don't, . . . I'm much more worried about the thread being worn in two on the perimeter than I am the thread in the inside of the holsters I make.

But if there was a holster that I really did need that done, . . . I would simply pull the threads from the needle and bobbin, . . . punch the holes with the machine, . . . gouge the lines made by the holes, . . . put the thread back in, . . . and sew the thing up. It would definitely add some time to the project, . . . but it would get it done.

May God bless,

Dwight

Edited February 6, 2010 by Dwight

[celticleather]

But if there was a holster that I really did need that done, . . . I would simply pull the threads from the needle and bobbin, . . . punch the holes with the machine, . . . gouge the lines made by the holes, . . . put the thread back in, . . . and sew the thing up. It would definitely add some time to the project, . . . but it would get it done.

Hmm . . . that's what I call lateral thinking!