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MalletMan

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About MalletMan

  • Rank
    Member

Profile Information

  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Texas
  • Interests
    Leatherwork is my main hobby now along with Drawing, I do CAD Drafting, I'm a Classic Car Fan (I have a 1970 Plymouth Duster), I Love all types of Music, I am a Writer, I'm into Gardening, I am totally into BBQing, I love Hiking, and like to learn Survival Skills.

LW Info

  • Leatherwork Specialty
    Just about anything-Carving and Stamping Primarily
  • Interested in learning about
    Just about everything, no, everything.
  • How did you find leatherworker.net?
    google
  1. If you want to "compress" the area before you add the snaps, I would wet the flesh side, then use a "C" Clamp to compress it. But you have to have another piece of leather on the grain side to keep it from getting compressed. Put the grain side to the grain side, and the flesh side to the "C" Clamp. You can also use a thin 2-3oz to put between the bottom disc and the flesh side, which you are compressing. You should be able to get a good compression and not dent the grain side. Here is a small "C" Clamp, just so you know what to look for if you want one. They make them bigger. http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Mini-C-Clamp-Heavy-Duty-All-Steel-Fits-in-Small-Spaces-1-1-2-Throat-/400660145730?hash=item5d4934a642:g:uTAAAOSwkZhWTxmj Best of luck! Bob
  2. Your welcome Josh for the kind words. You deserve it! And thank you for the info. I do think glass would be the best slicker because... it's so slick, hahaha I will do a search for one. I just have a plastic one and a wooden one with various sized groves. It works, technically, but I'm sure glass would do better. Have a good one! Bob Your welcome Josh for the kind words. You deserve it! And thank you for the info. I do think glass would be the best slicker because... it's so slick, hahaha I will do a search for one. I just have a plastic one and a wooden one with various sized groves. It works, technically, but I'm sure glass would do better. Have a good one! Bob
  3. Holy Smokes Josh!! Now "That" is a nice holster. I can tell you have been at this a while. Yeah, it may be that the pig skin liner is thinner, it is very thin, like 1/64th to 1/32nd" inch thick! I don't think it would be possible to glue it flat and then bend it without a wrinkle. I will try your method using a 2-3oz liner, leather, and see how it turns out. I'm sure the hammering and smoothing would make it stick better than just pressing the pieces together. Where did you get your glass smoother? Does Tandy carry them? Thanks, and great job there! Bob
  4. No Problem Nick, I do a lot of custom work too and ask people all the time if it looks like what I think it looks like : ) I am new to this forum and will be checking here once in a while. I don't mind letting people know what "I" see in their work. Everyone sees something different, I understand that, but we also want the majority of people to see what we are making. I need a stamp that would be like my Trademark Stamp for my work. It would just be tiny. Just something to throw in the corner of something I make, or on the back. I haven't designed it yet, but I will be sure to run it by you when I do. Thanks, and your welcome. Anytime, Bob
  5. What you have is excellent, and I'm sure it wasn't easy. I do think, however, it might look less abstract with the perimeter of the face and a hat on it. I can make it out from a distance, but up close the each eye seems to blend together. I know it "is" what the Joker would look like in a stamp, I just think that adding the perimeter of the face and the hat would help one to adjust their eyes to what you have together. Unless abstract is what you are going for. If so, it is perfect. Are you going to dye it or leave it a stamp? The art work is outstanding, it's just that "I" think it needs something to help my eyes put the stamp in perspective... Bob
  6. Sorry Gary, I got your two names mixed up. The first paragraph was supposed to be to Josh and the second one was to you, ugh. I have dyslexia and it messes with words as well as letters because I have it so badly. Anyway, I bend my holsters without wetting them. Even the very thick 11-12 oz I used on this acorn holster. I just do it slowly, then put weight on it overnight to get it to stay, that plus having the liner glued to the fold helps it to stay put. I guess I could try wetting it first. Do you get the whole thing wet? Do you just get the fold wet? Do you get the whole cover soaking wet, or just the tanned surface pretty wet? I figured it would leave a water stain if I just got the fold part wet, and getting the whole thing wet seemed like overkill, so I just bent it without wetting it, lol? Looking forward to seeing your wallet Gary. Have a great day! Bob
  7. Here is a link to the small "C" clamps I use on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Mini-C-Clamp-Heavy-Duty-All-Steel-Fits-in-Small-Spaces-1-1-2-Throat-/400660145730?hash=item5d4934a642:g:uTAAAOSwkZhWTxmj You do have to put a thin piece (2-3oz) of leather between both sides of the discs to keep them from denting your leather, but they hold very well. Bob
  8. Here are a couple pictures of my last holster. Notice the holster stays folded by itself. That is because I glued it when it was almost completely shut. I may have used more than 3/4" strip of glue on it now that I think of it. Maybe 1 to 1-1/2" strip on both the liner and the cover. It helps to hold it shut, but more importantly no wrinkles...
  9. Hey Gary, I'm curious about smoothing out the wrinkles with a smooth hammer. Do you mean a round/ball shaped hammer that you kind of tap it into place with? At what point do you hit the wrinkles with the hammer. Seems to me if you wait too long the glue would dry and it wouldn't help. Are there "any" wrinkles left after your method? I do suppose if you glued the two flesh sides of the same piece of leather together on a holster that perhaps they would hold during punching or jabbing the needle through, but I use a smooth pig skin that has been dyed black for my liners, and they would never hold together when punching or jabbing. How long do you let the contact cement dry before jabbing your holster's holes for stitching? Josh, I'm looking forward to seeing your holster. I will try to get my latest one in my next reply... Bob
  10. Yeah, every time I made anything out of leather and glued the entire liner to the cover it wrinkled at the bend. What I do is pre-bend the cover, then glue the liner while it is bent. It can be 3/4 bent over and it will still not produce a wrinkle if you glue the liner to it while it is bent 3/4 over. I make a line of glue approximately 3/4 of an inch the whole length of the holster/checkbook what have you, and make a 3/4 inch wide strip of glue on the liner, then stick them together. Then bend it the rest of the way after your glue it and let it dry. Then the stitches will hold the rest of it because it has no where to go. The glue holds it at the bend and the stitches hold it at the ends. Tricky to figure out, but it seems to work on check books too. For wallets I use a different technique because they open all the way. I would have to send you some pictures of the wallet I am making now to show you how I do it. But it prevents the dreaded wrinkles too. You're welcome. Let me know how it turns out. BTW, I "think" Sears had the very small "C" clamps I use, but you could probably find them on ebay or something. The ones I use are about 1-1/2" in length. Best Wishes! Bob
  11. I typically stitch 4-5 holes so the stitches hold it in place w/o glue. I don't think even contact cement would hold a holster in place while I punched holes, or poked them. I use the clamps to hold it in place while I punch the holes and stitch small segments together. I usually use a very thick 8-9 or 10-11 ounce leather to make a holster, then I also use a pig skin lining so the rough flesh side of the leather doesn't rub the bluing off the gun. Here I live by a Tandy outlet. They have pig skin for $20, it is about 7-9 sf. It is very thin, but it just needs to keep the flesh side away from the gun, so It works great as a liner. I only glue the bend, where the holster is bent in half w/contact cement. Other wise it wrinkles when I bend it over. I first bend the holster, put the contact cement on both pieces, then slide the pig skin in with it about half way bent over. Then hold it bent all the way until it dries. Bending the leather and keeping it bent for a while helps to hold the holster in the bent position once your ready to stitch. But that is the only glue I use on a holster. Generally I will use an over sized piece of pig skin, then trim it once I bend the holster leather all the way shut. I can't get it to line up otherwise. I just use small scissors to cut it once I have it bent but before I stitch it or lace it. Bob
  12. What I do with holsters is punch a few holes, making sure the top and bottom line up (the middle should line up if the top and bottom do), then I stitch them with a small piece of thread, then I punch a few more holes and stitch them with another small piece of thread. I work my way up using small but strong spring powered clamps to keep the sides together straight, making sure the top is still aligned, punch a few holes at a time and stitch them, etc. Till I get to the top. I use 2-3 oz leather between the clamps and the leather to prevent them from leaving dents. I just use small piece of thread to stitch the holes a few at a time so when I undo the bottom thread holding a few holes together I can start with my final thread and the rest are held together. Thread the few holes the first small piece of thread was holding together. Then undo the next small piece holding the next few holes together and stitch them etc. This technique works great on long barreled holsters like the Python 375mag. But I imagine it would work on smaller ones too. Anytime I have like a long stretch of stitching to do, I line the sides up, clamp them together and punch a few holes, stitch them, then punch a few more, then go back and run the final thread. Sometimes I have to use real small "C" Clamps, the kind with threads, to press the leather together and hold it until I can get the holes punched and threaded. My stitching pony only holds items, it won't hold them together while using an awl or something to poke holes, or to punch them. I did have to use a small piece of 2-3oz leather between the "C" clamp and the holster so that the discs on the "C" clamp don't leave dents. I hope this helps... Bob
  13. Great idea on using hardware from garage sale bags. Some of that stuff is older and very durable. Have you ever been to "estate sales"? They are typically held when someone from an earlier generation passes away and the family sells the possessions that the family is not interested in keeping. I bet you could find some good older hardware there. I have seen a few bags/purses there, but it never occurred to me to use the hardware from an older purse to make a messenger bag. You can look at my profile gallery to see the messenger bag I made. It doesn't have a clasp, and I wanted to put one on it, but the kit didn't come with one and I didn't like what was available at the store near me... hmm. You just solved my problem!! Thanks, Bob Oh, well, I figured out how to put my messenger bag from my gallery here:
  14. Ut Oh... I made a gun/bullet belt out of a Tandy 1-1/4" blank a while back for a friend. Maybe 3 months ago for a Python. I will have to ask him how it's holding up. After reading these posts, I may need to make a second layer for it and stitch it all the way around. It also came with those small snaps. I may need to completely re-make it for him. It was a gift. BTW, is nylon a better stitching thread to use for heavy duty use or the other, polyester. They are the two waxed threads Tandy sells. I don't know which one is stronger, but the polyester has a lot more wax on it so it stays in the previously sewn holes much better than the nylon with less wax on it. I would use the nylon if it is stronger for more heavy duty applications. They are the same thickness. I have a Tandy Outlet right in town here so it is convenient to get stuff there. Is Springfield a good source for leather supplies, like do they sell as good as or better quality stuff than Tandy? Thanks, Bob
  15. I have two of the Al Stohlman's "The Art of Making Leather Cases" books and they are very helpful. Bob
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